What is More Mesa?
More Mesa is one of the most outstanding scenic and environmentally sensitive pieces of undeveloped open space remaining on the coast of Southern California. The undeveloped open land of More Mesa consists of approximately 330 acres of private and publicly owned land. The largest portion is the privately owned 265 acres that comprise most of the level mesa and canyons, including all of the coastal bluff top (see aerial map below). The County of Santa Barbara also owns 54 acres designated as the More Mesa Open Space, including roughly 30 acres of the northwest portion of the mesa, located north of the historic railroad cut, as well as 20 acres of oak and riparian woodlands and wetlands along Atascadero Creek. A final segment includes 12 acres of privately owned land, including level bluff area and oak-covered slopes and riparian areas along Atascadero Creek at the west end of the mesa off of Orchid Drive, as well as two major unofficial access trails.
More Mesa’s open grasslands provide both valuable wildlife habitat and over 10 miles of natural surface trails, including over 2 miles of dedicated public trails. With sweeping views of the Santa Ynez Mountains and the coast, More Mesa is fronted by one of the largest and most pristine sandy beaches on Santa Barbara County’s South Coast. This 300-acre coastal bluff top mesa is located in the Eastern Goleta Valley, bounded by the community of Hope Ranch to the east, More Mesa Shores to the west, and a variety of neighborhoods to the north. More Mesa is located about two miles east of Goleta Beach County Park and UCSB and provides the only publicly accessible coastal access trail (informal, not yet dedicated to the public) for approximately 5 miles of coast from Arroyo Burro Beach County Park to Goleta Beach. Incredibly, given its very desirable location, surrounding growth, and several past development proposals, this unique site remains undeveloped. Sadly, this jewel of our coast could be lost to—or severely damaged by—potential development.
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