The Hollister Ranch is a private 14,400-acre gated residential community and cattle ranch in Santa Barbara County, California. It famous for its restricted land access, pristine wilderness, and world-class surf breaks.
The coast up towards the Hollister Ranch is supposed to be more open to the public. Maybe that will be true someday! I have checked this out myself - I drove up to the entrance gate to "The Ranch" and the person at the entrance gate would not let me go in. In the past, I have heard stories of the Hollister Ranch security guards harassing people - even stealing their surf boards when they lose them on a wave.
There have been conflicts over public access to coastal parts of the ranch for nearly 40 years. Beaches along the Ranch remain technically open to the public per California state law, but access is difficult because the ranch itself is protected private property.
Article 10 SEC 4 of the California Constitution is supposed to allow access to the ocean, however at the ranch landowners have kept people out of the area and kept delaying any agreements they made with the state by delaying and refusing to allow people in.
The Hollister family, previous owners of the property, allowed some recreational use of the area. In the late 1950s, they granted a pass to the regional Sportsman Hunting Club which later split into several smaller clubs, including the Santa Barbara Surf Club. Many people who wanted to surf the ranch bought parcels. Some surfers wanted to keep the waves for themselves - hence the public access conflict that continues to this day. Truthfully, all the controversy and publicity over public access has probably brought more surfers to the Hollister Ranch arriving by boat, foot, kayak, SUP or wave runner. While the Hollister Ranch sometimes has some excellent conditions for surfing, it tends to be a bit hard to predict and is less consistent then many other spots up and down the California Coast. All the controversy has made some of the folks who have homes or parcels at the Hollister Ranch hostile to outsiders.
Surf Spots at the Hollister and Bixby Ranches include the following:
Government Point – A long rocky right point break.
Perko’s – A good summer break that picks up south swell.
Cojo Point & Reef – Often considered the best wave at the Ranch. Cojo picks up both big winter and summer swells.
St. Augustine’s – A wave with both rights and lefts on summer south swells.
Drakes – A long right point break. This point can hold big west swells and works up to double overhead.
Razor Blades – The name is derived from the sharp rocks that surround the beach. This is the first spot you reach if you hike, kayak, SUP or boat in to from the Gaviota pier. Razor Blades takes a big west or northwest swell to work.
So how do people access the waves and coast below the Hollister Ranch?
Own a house or parcel in the Hollister Ranch or know someone who owns a house. Houses are millions of dollars. Some people buy parcels.
Kayak or SUP in from Gaviota State Beach. This is not a beginner paddle! Once you leave the Gaviota State Beach area, access to the coast may be limited. At low tide there are more places to land. Not recommended unless you are a experienced diehard surfer who is in excellent condition!
Boat in from Santa Barbara harbor or small boat / wave runner from Gaviota State Beach.
Walk in from Gaviota State Beach. This is only possible at a very low tide (minus tide according to some sources)
It is about 14 miles from Gaviota State Beach up to Government Point. Not recommended unless you are a experienced diehard surfer who is in excellent condition! While it is about 14 miles all the way up to Government Point, you don't have to paddle all the way - you can just paddle as far as you like and then turn around and head back. Once you leave the Gaviota State Beach area, access to the coast may be limited. At low tide there are more places to land. However, you are far away from help if you have a problem!