Last week, I took a weekend camping trip via Amtrak's Surfliner to Carpinteria State Beach. I decided to also bring my bike so I can ride up to Santa Barbara for lunch before setting up my tent in Carpinteria. It's been a few years since I have gone camping and this is my first solo camping trip.
The train ticket is $30 one-way from Los Angeles Union Station to Carpinteria. The good thing about not driving to Carpinteria State Beach is they have a hiker/ biker spot at their Anacapa site. If I wanted to drive, I would have had to book the reservations online ahead of time and pay anywhere between $45-$70 per night (additional vehicles are extra). The hiker/ biker site is $10 per night, with a two night maximum and you can just walk or ride up to the office and pay on-site.
My train departed from Los Angeles Union Station at 9:13am and arrived on-time in Carpinteria around 11:30am. The best part of the ride is from Ventura on up where the train hugs the coast with views of the beach and the Pacific Ocean.
Once in Carpinteria, I rode about 5mi north to a very charming town called Summerland. I've ridden through there before so I knew I wanted to come back. I stopped by a coffee shop called Red Kettle Coffee. BTW, if you ride your bike, they'll give you a discount on your coffee! After coffee, I rode past the luxe town of Montecito (think Oprah, Harry & Meghan, Ellen & Portia) before coming to Santa Barbara. Once in Santa Barbara, I rode up State Street in downtown Santa Barbara. State Street has been closed off to cars since the pandemic and it appears they are making this a permanent feature of the area. For several blocks, State Street is open to people walking, biking and rolling. It's similar to Santa Monica's 3rd St Promenade.
After grabbing lunch and a beer at Santa Barbara Public Market, I started my ride back to Carpinteria. The campsite at Carpinteria is next to the beach. There is also a charming downtown-ish type Main St (called Linden Ave) nearby.
As my first solo camping trip, it was good to be near a town that I can walk or bike to in case I need anything. So for dinner, I rode over to Island Brewing Company and then grabbed ice cream at
The campsite itself was nice. The bathrooms were clean and they have a paid shower. I personally think the location is amazing for a quick getaway. The campsite is sandwiched between the beach and the charming downtown corridor with the Amtrak station next to it.
Would I do this again? Definitely! Maybe next time I would get off the train in Ventura and bike up to Carpinteria. Or, take the train to Santa Barbara and ride south into Carpinteria. Of course, if I decided not to camp, I can always splurge and take the train to Santa Barbara and just stay in a hotel.
If you do not have a set up where you can load your camping gear onto your bike, the Carpinteria Amtrak station is an easy 7min walk to the campsite.
I would say Carpinteria is the best easy solo camping trip for beginners. At the campsite, you can hear both the waves crashing onto the shore, and the train that runs by four times a day. Below are some photos of my weekend getaway.
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