R/C Soaring Sites Around Santa Barbara

These are a few of our favorite Santa Barbara R/C soaring sites. If there is a Santa Barbara -area R/C soaring site that you'd like to see listed here, please contact us with the information and we will feature it on this page.

To the best of our knowledge, AMA membership is not required to fly any of the sites listed below, nor are any of the sites recognized, sanctioned or approved by the AMA. Your AMA liability insurance may not cover you if you choose to fly at a site listed below.

It should go without saying, but please treat all flying sites with the utmost of respect and care, as current or future access to them is by no means guaranteed.

"Leave nothing but footprints; take nothing but pictures"

Ellwood Bluffs (Map)

Ellwood Bluffs is by far the most popular Santa Barbara slope soaring location, with the easiest access, consistent and generally smooth lift, and a very friendly group of regulars on the weekend. Favors a SW or WSW breeze (usually beginning about noon or so), and can get difficult to fly if the wind shifts too far west.

Flight occurs off the front of an approximately 100 foot (30m) bluff, with a soft sand beach below. Landings are extremely easy on the broad grassy flatland behind the bluff face. The only hazards in the landing area are spectators, and on weekends there are almost always a number of hikers, bikers and horseback riders stopping by to check out the airborne action. There is easy access to the beach in case a retrieval is necessary--about 100 yards (100m) to the south of the flying spot there is a large red brick monument, denoting a paved path down to the beach.

Access to Ellwood requires a short ten minute walk from the end of Coronado Road in the Ellwood Shores neighborhood. Walk around the large metal gate, bear right and then take the first trail to the left up the hill, through the eucalyptus forest (a breeding ground for Monarch butterflies, by the way). Then follow the trail across the grassy blufftop to the cliff edge, and finally walk fifty yards to the left along the trail on the cliff's edge to reach the spot. If the wind is decent you'll almost always find someone flying, but if not the main site itself is denoted by a small grey concrete block set in the top of the bluff face.

Farren Road (Map)

Update May 2009: Over the past six months or so, a group of F3B flyers has begun regularly using the large field at the corner of Calle Real and Farren Road. If you see them while driving up to the slope at Farren, please make sure to coordinate frequencies to avoid any conflicts!

Farren Road is an incredible location in early Spring, when the mustard grass and nettle haven't grown too high. It takes a W, WNW and NW wind, and is a great alternative to Ellwood if the wind has shifted. On certain days there can also be nice thermals in addition to the slope lift.

There are a number of flying spots at Farren Road, including a very nice west-facing bowl that can be mind-numbingly fun on the proper conditions. The landings are relatively easy, but you need to watch out for larger clumps of mustard grass and small chapparal bushes, especially as they begin to dry out in late Spring and early Summer. Retrievals are especially easy here, as you can simply walk down the face of the slope in case of a crash. This makes Farren an excellent spot to teach beginners.

Park in the gravel pullout next to the telephone pole & metal drum trashcan that are located at the primary crest of the hill on Farren Road. If you pass the eucalyptus trees, you've gone too far. Access is through the barbwire fence--watch your shirts, pants and so forth, and don't break the fence!!! Pick a slope that faces into the wind and have at it. NOTE: The flying site at Farren Road is located on private property, and while there are no known instances of flyers being asked to leave or cited for trespassing, it is a distinct possibility.

Campus Point / UCSB Bluffs (Map)

The stretch of blufftops along UCSB's campus between Goleta Beach and Campus Point can be great for slope soaring in SE, SSE and ESE winds, which blow the wrong way for all of the standard spots around Santa Barbara. We usually only get strong SE, SSE and ESE winds the day or so before a storm comes through, but "Catalina Eddy" conditions (usually associated with coastal fog) can bring SE winds as well.

The bluffs range in height from about 30 feet (10m) to around 60-70 feet (20m) and usually have some amount of sand beach at their base--although on high tides, this may be a very small area. The faces of the bluffs are extremely steep, which make the lift very vertical but also ensures that any crashes below the lip of the bluff will result in a walk to the beach. Crashing into the ocean is much more of a possibility here than at Ellwood (although it's been done at both places, to be sure!). Landings range from easy on the iceplant all the way out at Campus Point to fairly challenging while flying alongside Lagoon Road on UCSB campus. Safety first! Also, watch out for aircraft taking off from Santa Barbara Airport--fly from a spot well into UCSB campus, at the minimum 50 yards (50m) down Lagoon Road from the parking kiosk.

Depending upon where you decide to fly, you can park at either Goleta Beach (accessed from Highway 217 / Ward Memorial Parkway) or the Campus Point parking lot (coin operated parking meters--bring your quarters or exchange for them at the parking kiosk). If you decide to fly Campus Point, walk all the way down Lagoon Road to the beach, and then continue on the dirt path which runs between the beach and the lagoon out to the small bluff overlooking the point. If you fly the UCSB blufftops, simply walk to a spot where the wind comes straight-in (and the planes don't fly directly overhead) and have at it. Access to the beach is available via either Goleta Beach (if the tide is low enough) or the wooden stairs off of the parking lot at Campus Point.

Knapp's Castle, aka "The Ruins" (Map)

Located off of East Camino Cielo at the top of the Santa Ynez Mountain Range, the ridgeline directly above Knapp's Castle (aka "The Ruins" by local Santa Barbara R/C soaring enthusiasts) features some amazing scenery, strong lift, and exciting dynamic soaring (DSing) opportunities. There are a few different spots accessible via fairly short but strenuous five to twenty minute hikes along the ridgeline trail. This area can take nearly any wind direction and usually is best in the late afternoon, making it one of the most versatile locations in Santa Barbara for R/C soaring. In addition, the lift is generally much stronger than at the sites down below in Goleta and Santa Barbara. However, this is definitely much more of a "wilderness" flying experience, so be prepared for radical hikes to retrieve downed planes, nearly impenetrable underbrush, poison oak, rattlesnakes, and similar. Of course, for those of us who fly here on a regular basis, these things are part of what we love about the area! The Ruins constitutes "extreme flying" for Santa Barbara, and it is not recommended for beginners.

The flying around Knapp's Castle is done from the firebreak along the top of the ridge, so there's usually little more than dirt, rocks, short grass and some smaller bushes in the takeoff and landing zones. However, because you're flying from the top of a peaked ridge, the landing zones are small and landings themselves are generally quite challenging, often resulting in damage to non-foamie airplanes, and especially so when there is a strong backside rotor created by the wind rushing up the front of the slope. Also, retrieval of crashed planes ranges in difficulty from slightly inconvenient to essentially impossible, or nearly so. Below the firebreak, the brush is quite tall and dense, making travel through it a difficult proposition at best. There are also extremely steep sections which are not passable without the benefit of climbing gear. In addition, due to the relatively high elevation involved, the temperature on top of the mountains is much different than what it is down in town. Parkas, balaclavas, gloves, and suitable eyewear are part of every regular Ruins pilot's kit, so come prepared! A radar gun isn't a bad idea if you plan on doing some DSing, either.

Access to the Knapp's Castle area is via East Camino Cielo, which connects to Highway 154 at the San Marcos Pass. The Ruins are located approximately three miles down East Camino Cielo from the junction with Highway 154; when you see the gravel pullouts, large metal gate and the dirt trail leading down to the ruins of Knapp's Castle, you know you've arrived. Head straight up the steep trail to the right of the gate and enjoy!