Jalama Beach

Jalama Beach is the first major beach north of Point Conception, a fully exposed stretch of open ocean roughly 60 miles from downtown Santa Barbara and 14 miles down a winding county road from Lompoc. The drive in on Jalama Road takes about an hour from Santa Barbara, climbing through ranch land before dropping into a windswept cove with a campground, a day-use lot, and little else. Water temperatures sit in the low-to-mid 50s most of the year, noticeably colder than the protected coast east of the point, and the wind almost always blows. The surf is rough, west and southwest swells work best, and the lineup is for experienced surfers only. The dunes north and south of the main beach are protected snowy plover habitat and are roped off seasonally.

Within the Jalama Beach County Park, a restaurant inside the campground general store, the Jalama Beach Store, serves the well-known Jalama Burger. The burger draws visitors to the park on its own merit.

The shoreline takes the full force of the Pacific north of the point, with sandbars, troughs, and a long sandy beach exposed to direct ocean swell, which makes it a surf zone biome.

Santa Barbara County charges a day-use entry fee at the gate, roughly $14 to $16 per vehicle depending on the day. Fishing and spearfishing are legal here under standard California regulations, and no MPA covers this stretch of coast.