Lake Los Carneros Park

Don’t know how I didn’t find this hidden gem sooner! Such a nice place to go on a calm walk.

Had an amazing picnic on the grass here yesterday. What a gem. I can’t wait to hike to the lake and see more of the railroad area. It was quiet and well kept. There were people walking and running the trails with their dogs. Nothing to star about really.

Lake Los Carneros Park is a great hidden spot that you wouldn’t even know was in Goleta.
The park actually contains several children’s attractions (the Stow House and Railroad Museum), but once you park you’ll find access to several dirt trails. There is also a gorgeous old house with a beautiful lawn I saw people picnicking on. The whole thing is a large loop around the lake – there are dirt trails through wooded or brush areas, a wooden deck over the marshland and a blacktop portion of trail with great views of the lake and mountains. I would say the whole length of trail around the lake is about a mile, but there are several offshoots leading into more grasslands.
Tips: There are several doggie bag dispensers and benches. Signs say dogs must be on a leash, but I saw a few dogs off-​leash. There are bathrooms behind the museum shop (I saw the sign but didn’t try them out). There are lots of ducks, swans, birds and other critters.
Directions: Take the Los Carneros exit off Hwy. 101 and head toward the mountains. Go straight through the roundabout and make the first right at the fire station. Parking is free.

We visited with our toddler-​age children and spent about 20 minutes feeding the ducks. My 17-​month-​old daughter tried to walk into the lake a couple of times so we had to leave. While feeding the ducks was enjoyable, the water isn’t circulated so it’s very dirty. I think this would be a fun spot for school-​age children. I would bring my kids here also to ride their bikes or scooters since the path is closed off to vehicle traffic. I will definitely come back to explore the area more.

Great hidden spot in Goleta. Although swimming is not allowed in the lake, this is a great place for a run, a bike ride, or bird watching.

Most of the property is scrub, but has one very interesting feature — a zig-​zag bridge across the lake’s marsh flowers (see pic). Unfortunately, the flowers weren’t in bloom when I was there. The lake looks like a waterway that feeds mountain run-​off to the ocean, but it’s land-​locked and there are trails that surround the entire lake.
I entered the bridge by walking behind the Stow House (see separate Unilocal listing) and found this sign (see pic) which leads to the bridge.

I kept hearing that there were some good places to jog/​walk around the Goleta area, and this is a hidden treasure.
Since I live close by, I walked there, but I have read online that you can park in a lot close to the fire station of Los Carneros Rd.
It’s a beautiful place where people take their families and dogs to go on walks and ride their bikes. I have also read that they allow fishing if you have a license. Some of the path is paved, and some of it is dirt, but the trails are well maintained.
I’ll definitely be making use of this park.