Isla Vista Recreation & Park District
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The Park District operates twenty parks in Isla Vista for a total of 50 acres. Facilities include an outdoor, eleven-foot, climbing boulder, outdoor table tennis, outdoor volleyball and basketball courts, outdoor shower, picnic tables, barbecues, children's play equipment, a teen center, and undeveloped natural open space. In addition, the District offers after school programs. To rent one of the parks, or a garden plot (with water), contact the District Office at 961 Embarcadero del Mar, Isla Vista; (805) 968-2017.
Major Isla Vista Parks
Anisq'Oyo' Park is located in the heart of downtown Isla Vista and features a rustic windmill, a large pond, grassy areas with picnic benches, and children's play equipment. The freshwater pond provides habitat for ducks, egrets, herons, frogs, turtles, fish and other wildlife.
Anisq'Oyo' Amphitheater is the site of concerts, festivals and community gatherings throughout the year. Public members, band promoters and student organizations rent the amphitheater for a reasonable fee. It's the ideal place for large public functions, containing restrooms, electrical outlets and a wooden stage.
People's Park, just to the south of Anisq'Oyo', is a large grassy area used as a gathering place for marathons, marches and outdoor sports. Located alongside Embarcadero Hall, it provides students with a place to relax between classes.
Perfect Park lies just south of People's Park, at the base of Embarcadero Loop. Anisq'Oyo', People's and Perfect all run together, creating a beautiful extended park space in the middle of town. In 2003, the Perfect Park Peace Monument was built to commemorate peace activism in Isla Vista from the 1970s to the present. The monument, designed by local artist Colin Gray, has become a favorite site for small group discussions, meditation and drum circles.
Little Acorn Park sits on the corner of Embarcadero del Mar and El Embarcadero, across the street from Perfect Park. Little Acorn Park contains a memorial to the four students who were tragically struck and killed by a vehicle on Sabado Tarde Road in 2001.
Estero Park is a large complex that runs between Camino del Sur and Camino Corto. It has outdoor basketball courts, a playing field, a frisbee golf course and children's play equipment. The Isla Vista Teen Center, which offers tutoring, youth activities and a meeting place to local teens, is located in the park at the corner of Estero and Camino del sur.
The Community Gardens Project on Estero Road has garden plots that can be rented for a nominal quarterly fee. Gardeners provide tools and hard work. Call the district at (805) 968-2017 for a demonstration tour or to put your name on the waiting list for a garden plot.
Neighborhood Parks
Tierra De Fortuna is located at the end of Fortuna Road, on the far west end of Isla Vista, and features a beautiful view of mountains and trees, a vine-covered gazebo, a picnic table and children's play equipment.
Sueno Park has a handicapped-accessible play area with slides and climbing structures, a picnic area, benches, and a drinking fountain.
Trigo-Pasado Park runs between Trigo and Pasado, and has an outdoor, eleven-foot climbing boulder, a bench, and a drinking fountain.
Greek Park, located on Embarcadero del Norte, is used mainly for greek events, such as basketball and volleyball tournaments, skits and style shows. It contains an asphalt basketball court, a volleyball pit, a wooden deck/stage, and a large barbecue pit.
Pardall Gardens, set amid shops and eateries on Pardall Road, is an ideal spot for lunch or study breaks.
Sueno Orchard contains over 30 kinds of trees, mostly fruit bearing, which are cultivated using organic methods. The orchard is open to the public-you may eat the fruit!
Blufftop Parks
These parks have spectacular views of the surf and Channel Islands. Marine wildlife, pelicans, gulls, a wide variety of seabirds, dolphins, whales and sea lions can be observed from the bluffs. Intended for passive recreational uses, these parks are fenced at the bluffs for safety and do not include restrooms, playfields or play equipment.
Pelican Park contains colorful signs to educate public members about the Channel Islands and marine wildlife that can be observed from the bluffs, such as gray whales and pelicans. The park features a terrazzo ping-pong table.
Camino Pescadero Park has an outdoor shower for surfers and other beachgoers.
Window to the Sea Park has a two-seater swing on a knoll that overlooks the ocean.
Sea Lookout or Claire's Park is the largest oceanside park. The wide grassy stretch on Del Playa serves as a picnic spot and play area for hundreds of people a day.
BEACH ACCESS can be found at El Embarcadero, Camino Pescadero, Camino Corto, Escondido Pass and Camino Majorca. All are owned by Santa Barbara County.
Natural Open Spaces
The District owns two large nature preserves/restoration projects that provide Isla Vista residents, students and visitors with places to observe native flora and fauna. During the rainy season, water gathers in vernal pools, attracting migratory birds. Plovers, Canada geese, duck, teal, owls, hawks, falcons, songbirds, various species of egret and heron and even an occasional ibis have been spotted! The two properties play an important role in a semi-contiguous string of riparian and freshwater open space preserves that run along the coastal mesa, providing a wildlife corridor.
Del Sol Open Space borders on El Colegio and Camino Corto Roads and backs up against the residences on Abrego. At approx. 12 acres, it contains restored native plants, restored vernal pools, nature trails and educational signs.
Camino Corto Open Space 20.5-acre preserve borders on El Colegio and Camino Corto Roads and shares boundaries with Isla Vista Elementary School, UCSB Stables, Tierra De Fortuna Park and residential areas on Fortuna Road and Fortuna Lane. It contains restored native plants, restored vernal pools, Camino Corto Creek, nature trails, a bridge and educational signs.
NATURE TRAILS that cut across Del Sol and Camino Corto Open Spaces are much used by students, residents and visitors as shortcuts and nature observation sites. Kids' Trail, runs from the back of Isla Vista Elementary School alongside the nature preserve and past the stables, through Tierra de Fortuna Park and over to Pasado Road.
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