La Mesa Park — Attraction in Santa Barbara

Small, grassy park with small playground facility and good off-street parking. Great for family and for short breaks and walking areas... Park lies between the Mesa shopping area above and an oceanside Coast Guard compound w/automatic lighthouse below along with a trail & pedestrian bridge across an arroyo to a beach-cliffside residential area on the other side. From there, continuing west 6 blocks into it is Mesa Lane Steps, a Coastal Access point with stairs down the cliff, and continuing west again, beyond Mesa Lane itself, another 5 blocks on top of the cliff is Douglas...

Dog friendly, clean, beautiful views. Lots of stairs to get down, but worth it, especially for the dog! Everyone's dogs were very well behaved, and if there was an accident, it was picked up right away! There are bags provided at the top of the stairs for said bio-matter. Once on the beach, if you walk North a bit, there's a restaurant, no dogs allowed, and an exterior snack shack. Note that it is street parking, and smaller cars would have better luck, we got the one place big enough...

Every time I'm on the Mesa I have driven by La Mesa park, never really realizing it is actually a beautiful vista for play and relaxation. Due to recent rains, the grass is a pretty green color and the park itself is teeming with life. I spied two red-tailed Hawks flying around in the sky together. There were people, and dogs, and a group of wonderful, joyful singers enjoying the beauty of the park and the crisp outdoor air. A nice park. I wish I had explored all of it....