Santa Barbara County to close parking at beaches, trails if too crowded

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - Santa Barbara County says they will close parking lots for beaches, trails and parks if the areas become too crowded.

County officials said they appreciate that community members want to visit local parks responsibly, but more people are expected to visit in the coming days due to hot weather in the forecast.

County parks staff will continue will monitor the amount of visitors at beaches and parks and will decide to shut down vehicle access and parking if physical distancing guidelines are not being followed.

Parks with vehicle access that are closed may remain open as long as people maintain six feet of physical distance from each other.

“We will be looking at each park individually and more qualitatively. We want to see if there’s over-crowing, not social distancing, not following guidelines and we will close that park if we see that. Our staff will be over-looking and monitoring these parks. We will have lifeguards that will remind people to social distance. We want to avoid a lot of people crowding into a space. There’s not a certain number, all parks are different.”

Jeff Lindgren, Parks Superintendent

Anyone visiting local beaches or parks is asked to keep visits short and only visit during non-peak hours.

As of Friday, the county has instituted closures of campgrounds, the Goleta Beach pier boat launch, playgrounds, dog parks, and BBQ and picnic areas.

For the latest information regarding Santa Barbara County's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, click here.