The hook
A field of wind-carved sandstone boulders on the ridge above Santa Barbara has the best view of the city, and you get to climb all over it.
01Why it's worth it
Up on West Camino Cielo, the sandstone has been eaten by wind and salt into honeycombs, hollows, and small caves, a kind of weathering called tafoni, and the result is a jumble of pale rounded boulders you can scramble through, over, and inside. One of them, seen from the side, gapes open like a lizard's mouth and gives the place its name. There's no real trail; you park, walk a few minutes, and then make your own way across the rock field, ducking through windows in the stone and up onto flat slabs that hang out over the coast. It's a favorite sunset spot for exactly that reason: the whole city and the ocean spread out below while the sandstone goes gold.
02How to experience it
It's on West Camino Cielo above Goleta, about five hours from the Bay, up a narrow paved road that's slow going. From the pullout it's a short walk to the rocks; wear grippy shoes and give yourself time to explore and to be there for sunset. It gets busy at golden hour, so go on a weekday if you can.