Skip to content

Gaviota Peak

Gaviota Peak rises to 747 m in California. McKinley Mountain stands 1,887 m to the northeast, 24 miles off. The nearest named place is Hot Springs, a spring 1.1 miles away. 29 named summits stand within 25 miles.

The story

Gaviota Peak is a summit in the Santa Ynez Mountains in Santa Barbara County, California. It is located 10 miles (16 km) west of Santa Barbara, 16 miles (26 km) east of Point Conception and 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Pacific Ocean. Gaviota Grade is the most formidable in length and elevation change along U.S. Route 101 in Southern California.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q5528326, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Elevation
747 m

How to reach it

Coordinates34.50182, -120.19879

Named places within 25 miles

Parks
Historic sites: 44
Artworks: 33
Peaks: 29
  • Bald Mountain: 6.5 mi
  • Santa Rosa Hills: 6.6 mi
  • Chalk Hill: 8.3 mi
  • Palo Alto Hill: 12.4 mi
  • Santa Ynez Peak: 12.7 mi
Springs: 22
  • Hot Springs: 1.1 mi
  • Monjas Spring: 4.1 mi
  • Willow Spring: 12.5 mi
  • Las Animas Spring: 14.6 mi
  • Big Spring: 14.8 mi
Museums: 14
Beaches: 13
  • Gaviota Nude Beach: 2.2 mi
  • Little Cojo Beach: 9.8 mi
  • Haskell's Beach: 17.2 mi
  • Ellwood Beach: 18.5 mi
  • Sands Beach: 19.2 mi
Picnic sites: 11
  • Cumbre Picnic Area: 20.4 mi
  • Pino Alto: 20.6 mi
  • Figueroa Lookout: 20.7 mi
  • Area 9: 23.5 mi
  • Area 8: 23.5 mi
Gardens: 10
Nature reserves: 8
Attractions: 7
  • The Little Mermaid Fountain: 7.4 mi
  • Michael Jackson's Neverlandland Ranch Gatehouse: 17.3 mi
  • Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch: 17.6 mi
  • Neverland Ranch Park: 18.0 mi
  • Neverland Ranch Zoo: 18.3 mi
Cliffs: 3
Rest areas: 2
Waterfalls: 2
Natural arches: 1
  • Elusive Arch: 18.6 mi

Other summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Gaviota Peak. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
McKinley MountainNE 55°1,887 m24.4 mi
Santa Cruz PeakENE 62°1,687 m24.8 mi
Cachuma MountainNE 47°1,409 m23.0 mi
Figueroa MountainNE 36°1,378 m20.6 mi
Ranger PeakNE 43°1,376 m20.7 mi
Zaca PeakNNE 28°1,312 m20.9 mi
Santa Ynez PeakE 82°1,308 m12.7 mi
Broadcast PeakE 83°1,228 m13.8 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:0518:4019:13
June solstice05:4919:4020:17
September equinox06:5018:2618:59
December solstice07:0416:1616:55

Local time (America/Los_Angeles).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: year-round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F515255586166707169645650
Precip in4.95.33.61.30.50.10.00.00.10.81.23.3

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Cachuma Lake, 14 mi away.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikidata
  • USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 242662 — Gaviota Peak, Santa Barbara County, California.

OpenStreetMap element node/358784678

More peaks in California

Day trips start here

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Gaviota Peak.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens