Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Day Trip

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden boasts several scenic trails that meander through its expansive 78-acre property. Visitors can marvel at over a thousand native plant species thriving in different sections, each with distinct themes, such as mountains, deserts, meadows, redwoods, and California Channel Islands.

Guests are invited to explore the area through paved and unpaved paths, with occasional seating areas for those who want to relax and connect with nature. It is an excellent spot for both leisurely walks and traditional hikes.

Visiting Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden was founded in 1926 and designed by landscape architect Beatrix Farrand. Mission Creek runs through the canyon and includes a rock dam constructed in 1806 to supply a year-round water source to the adjacent Mission Santa Barbara. Docent-led tours are always available, but walking about and exploring at your own pace can be as fun.

As you enter the garden, you are greeted by a meadow, a field of native grasses and flowers, including California poppies. Also near the entrance is a small desert garden with native plants from high and low desert regions. Towards the west side of the meadow is the trailhead for a mile-long trail that leads visitors through the entire gardens.

While the meadow area is flat for the most part, much of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is situated in a steep and narrow canyon dotted with oak trees, brush, and winding trails. So watch your step and be careful. While the meadow area is flat for the most part, much of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is situated in a steep and narrow canyon dotted with oak trees, brush, and winding trails. So watch your step and be careful.

If you decide to traverse the main path, you will eventually find yourself immersed in a towering grove of Redwoods. It is a grand, refreshing haven on hot summer days. Here, you will also find a creek and the occasional shy squirrel. Don’t forget to bring nuts to feed them.

As the trail continues, you will cross the old stone Mission Dam. Built-in 1806 by Native Americans, the dam stands just beyond the redwood grove and above the restored aqueduct that once carried water to the Santa Barbara Mission, approximately one mile away. A Japanese tea house continues long and is near the garden’s lower end. During late spring and summer, tea is served on Tuesday afternoons here.

Towards the end of the gardens, there are educational exhibits, a garden shop that sells plants, and a cafe and library. The drive to the relatively remote Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is part of the experience since it takes you out of town and into nature. On the way, you will pass the Mission and the Museum of Natural History before the road winds uphill.

Getting to Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is open seven days a week except for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Day. The garden may close for special events like the annual Lotus Fest soiree, which includes food, wine, and music on the great lawn. Admission to Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is very affordable, with discounts for seniors and children; those under two are free. Address – 1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, California. https://sbbotanicgarden.org/

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