Mesa Lane(Mesa Lane Beach Park,Mesa Lane Steps,Pendulum)

Located in Santa Barbara, Mesa Lane Beach - also called Mesa Lane, Mesa Lane Beach Park, Mesa Lane Steps, and also formerly nicknamed “Pendulum” - is a narrow beach with light brown sand and many rocks.  This beach is located below an oceanfront blufftop area.  This beach received its alternate name - Mesa Lane Steps - because the long wooden stairway leading to this beach (that is also called Mesa Lane Steps) is a popular local landmark and has approximately 241 steps.  As an interesting fact, Mesa Lane Beach was featured in the music video for musician Gordon Lightfoot’s song “Sundown.”  The area around Mesa Lane Beach’s western part also has locally famous “inverted trees” - these trees earlier used to grow in the normal upward direction, but eventually started growing downwards because the blufftop area around them started eroding away.  Please note that Mesa Lane Beach should not be confused with another separate beach with a similar name called Thousand Steps Beach (that is also called One Thousand Steps Beach) - this beach is also located in Santa Barbara and it also has a long stairway near it.  

Mesa Lane Beach does not have lifeguards or any other amenities, so please plan accordingly.  Mesa Lane Beach allows dogs without a leash.

Mesa Lane Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, tidepooling, fishing, wildlife watching, swimming, surfing, bodysurfing, skimboarding, bodyboarding, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, scuba diving, surf-skiing, jet-skiing, water-skiing, boating, kitesurfing, kneeboarding, wakeboarding, and windsurfing.  Mesa Lane Beach is popular with surfers because it occasionally offers fun surfing waves - slightly expert surfers frequently visit this beach during high tide on windy days because the waves here are particularly large and powerful during this time.  In addition, surfers also frequently visit during winter because surfing waves here are particularly consistent during this time.   

Mesa Lane Beach is also popular with experienced scuba divers - the water here has reefs and patches of kelp.  Scuba divers usually dive from the portion of the beach that is located slightly west of the beach’s access stairs - in addition, they usually visit during high tide because diving here is easier during this time.  You can see many kinds of fish and marine invertebrates in the water near Mesa Lane Beach including nudibranch, shovelnose guitarfish, leopard sharks, anemones, and sea urchins.  Depending on the time of the year, you can also see many marine mammals in the water near Mesa Lane Beach including seals, dolphins, sea lions, and migrating gray whales (during winter and spring).  Please note that seals, sea lions, dolphins, and whales are protected under a law named the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and harming them can result in a civil penalty of up to $11,000 and possible imprisonment.  

If you are planning to surf, swim, bodysurf, kayak, boat, scuba dive, or canoe near Mesa Lane Beach, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  In addition, there are submerged rocks along Mesa Lane Beach’s shoreline that cause injuries to visitors indulging in water activities.  In addition, please also note that sharks also have been reported near the beach.  In addition, surfers should also note that localist surfers may sometimes try to dissuade you from surfing near Mesa Lane Beach.  If you are planning to fish near Mesa Lane Beach, please follow the local fishing regulations that can be found on the website of California’sDepartment of Fish and Wildlife.    

Mesa Lane Beach is also ideal for visitors looking for a quiet beach experience because this beach usually has relatively fewer visitors as compared to other Santa Barbara beaches - the eastern portion of this beach is particularly less-crowded as compared to other parts of the beach.  If you like taking pictures with amazing views, Mesa Lane Beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Barbara shoreline, particularly during sunset and early morning.  If you like tidepooling, you can explore the tidepools at Mesa Lane Beach during low tide.

Getting to Mesa Lane Beach is easy - the walking path that leads to the long stairway for Mesa Lane Beach is located near 2341 Edgewater Way and it is easily accessible from United States Highway 101.  While there are no parking areas near Edgewater Way, there are a few free and paid street parking spaces in the roads around Edgewater Way - one of these roads is Mesa Lane.  You can park your car at these free and paid street parking spaces and then walk to the stairway for Mesa Lane Beach.  We recommend visiting this beach during low tide because during high tide this beach becomes significantly submerged

There are many attractions near Mesa Lane Beach.  Douglas Family Preserve is an undeveloped piece of pristine coastal land and has a vibrant landscape that consists of many habitats including oak forests, riparian habitats, coastal scrub, and grasslands - you can explore this park through hiking and biking trails.  As an interesting fact, the preserve is named in honour of eminent actor Kirk Douglas, whose son and famous actor Michael Douglas played a crucial role in saving this land from infrastructural development and preserving its natural beauty.  Elings Park is one of the largest recreational open spaces in Santa Barbara and offers many fun activities including baseball, softball, biking, rugby, hang-gliding, and paragliding.  Honda Valley Park (also called Honda Valley Open Space) is another recreational park that offers a fun hiking experience - the park’s hiking trails pass through groves of eucalyptus and oak trees.  If you are looking for another attraction near Mesa Lane Beach, Stearns Wharf was originally built during the 19th century and offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Santa Barbara shoreline - this wharf also has many interesting shops and restaurants and is also a great fishing site.  In addition, the wharf also houses the Sea Center of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History - this sea center has interesting exhibits about the local marine biodiversity and it also organizes interesting educational programs.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Mesa Lane Beach.  Bouchon Santa Barbara is an upscale restaurant that serves amazing Fusion dishes with Californian and French influences.  The restaurant has been praised by the Time Out magazine and also organizes interesting “foodie strolls” around a local farmers market that are led by chef Greg Murphy on Thursdays.  Santa Barbara Shellfish Company is a waterfront restaurant that serves amazing seafood including lobster rolls, clam chowder, and crab-cakes.  Mesa Cafeis a popular restaurant that offers excellent dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including seafood, steaks, pastas, salads, sandwiches, eggs, and burgers.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Mesa Lane Beach, La Super - Rica Taqueriaoffers many amazing Mexican dishes including tacos, chile rellenos, and tamales.  In addition, this restaurant has been praised by the MICHELIN Guide and it was also reputedly frequented by the famous chef and cookbook author Julia Child.

If you are looking for a hotel near Mesa Lane Beach, there are many great nearby options.  Hotel Californian is a 5-Star hotel that has Spanish Colonial-style architecture and offers many amenities including multiple restaurants, a pool, a hot tub, and a Moroccan-style spa.  The 4-Star Mar Monte Hotel (also called Mar Monte Hotel - In the Unbound Collection by Hyatt) is another upscale hotel has Spanish-inspired architecture and it offers many amenities including multiple restaurants, a poolside bar, a pool with a hot tub, bike loaner facilities, a fire pit, and a gym - this hotel also offers bocce ball and yoga sessions.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Inn by the Harbor that has Mediterranean-style architecture and it offers many amenities including a pool, a whirlpool, a sundeck courtyard, complimentary breakfast, an afternoon wine reception, evening milk and cookies, and beach cruiser bike rental facilities.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Mesa Lane Beach, the 2-Star  Motel 6 Santa Barbara , CA - State Street offers many amenities including a pool, a nearby restaurant, vending machines, and complimentary morning coffee.