Directions to BATES (N. RINCON) BEACH Carpinteria, CA

Location: Santa Barbara County (just north of the Ventura county line)
Facilities: Rest rooms, showers, picnic area near the parking lot
Description: Nice ocean views, and a seal sanctuary. Clean sand but littered with half-buried lumber washed up by winter storms three seasons ago (warning: wood piles may be inhabited by snakes, mice, and other animals.), 200-foot-high cliffs and Amtrack train track above. Rincon Point is a mecca for surfers and hand-gliders during the summer.

Directions:

1. Take the Ventura (101) Freeway to 10 miles south of Santa Barbara.

2. Exit at Bates Road and follow the signs to the beach.

3. There are THREE forks in the road here: The one to the left takes you to the clothed beach on the Ventura side known as South Rincon Beach. The one in the middle leads to a gated community of homes for residents only. The one on the RIGHT takes you up a ramp to a parking lot on the Santa Barbara side, and this is Bates (North Rincon) Beach.

4. Take the ramp down to the beach and walk north about 1000 yards past the rusty pipe. This marks the beginning of the formerly-nude section of the beach. Many people have decided to walk on a little further to the concrete barrier wall (or even beyond that.)

Although ticketing is rare, Wear less than a bathing suit at your own risk on this beach.

Southern California Naturist Association (SCNA) 23679 Calabasas Rd #940 Calabasas CA 91302-1502 (818) 225-2273