The 70-acre Douglas Family Preserve sits near the intersection of Cliff Drive and Las Positas Road in Santa Barbara‘s Mesa neighborhood, and it’s a solid option if you want a longer walk with actual scenery. You can enter from four different spots—Borton Drive, Mesa School Lane, Medcliff Drive, and the Oak Grove Trail at Las Positas and Cliff Drive—which is helpful depending on where you’re parking.

Dogs need to stay leashed when you first enter, but once you see the off-leash area signs, you can let yours roam. The preserve has over three miles of trails that wind through different habitats, and some sections give you views of the Pacific coastline, which is a nice payoff for the walk. You’ll see a mix of native trees—coastal live oaks, Monterey pine, and Monterey cypress—plus some ornamental plants left over from when the property used to be a nursery. This patchwork actually makes the landscape visually interesting rather than monotonous.

The park’s habitat includes southern oak woodland, coastal bluff scrub, coastal sage scrub, and riparian areas with creek access. Staff and volunteers have been actively restoring the land, including work to support monarch butterflies, so it’s more than just a trail—there’s genuine conservation happening here. That means you might see more wildlife than at a typical neighborhood park.

The main thing to know is that the leash requirement at the entrance is a legitimate gate-and-release situation, not just a recommendation. Bring water—the exposed sections can get hot, especially on the bluff trails. If you’re coming from the Riviera or upper Westside neighborhoods, Borton Drive and Mesa School Lane are the most convenient access points, though all four entrances connect to the same trail system.