— Planning for the proposed and long-anticipated Carpinteria Rincon Trail has been put on hold. It would extend from the eastern end of Carpinteria Avenue, in the City of Carpinteria, to Rincon Beach County Park, in unincorporated Santa Barbara County. The new, shared-use trail would provide a strategic addition to Carpinteria’s Coastal Vista Trail that, upon completion, will connect Padaro Lane to the west and Rincon Beach County Park to the east. In addition to providing critical improvements in public safety, the completion of this trail segment would enhance public coastal access and recreational opportunities, as well as improve non-vehicular travel alternatives to the region’s significant coastal resources. Completion of the trail will also fill in a gap in layered long-distance trails that cross through Carpinteria. Built on the foundation of Chumash trading routes, the trails include the statewide California Coastal Trail, the California Missions Trail, and the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.
The trail is further a requirement of the Conditional Use Permit and Coastal Development Permit No. 09-1522-CUP/CDP granted to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to construct the Linden Avenue and Casitas Pass Road Interchanges and Via Real Extension Project to promote regional alternative transportation objectives and to enhance recreation opportunities within the coastal zone and access to coastal resources.
See the City of Carpinteria website for the latest information about the Carpinteria Rincon Trail.