Stretch of 101 in Santa Barbara County designated a state ‘scenic highway’

A picturesque 21-mile stretch of Highway 101 along the Gaviota Coast has been designated a state scenic highway.

Caltrans announced to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors that the coastline along the Gaviota Coast — Highway 101 from Goleta’s western boundary to Route 1 at Las Cruces — is being designated a scenic highway in an effort to protect its natural beauty.

“The purpose is to recognize and promote its unique natural and visual qualities,” Caltrans spokesperson Colin Jones said.

The route travels adjacent to some of the longest remaining rural coastlines in Southern California. Northbound commuters leaving the cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta on the South Coast view the Pacific Ocean and mountains. Southbound drivers enter the Gaviota Coast State Scenic Highway through the Gaviota Pass, traveling out of Gaviota Canyon.

The scenic designation also borders three California State Parks: Gaviota and Refugio state parks, and El Capitán State Beach. Natural habitats include grassy rolling hills and the Santa Ynez Mountains.

The designation was made possible by a partnership that includes the Gaviota Coast Conservancy, the Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department, 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr and the Caltrans Landscape Architecture Division.

The Gaviota Coast State Scenic Highway follows the same route used by Gaspar de Portola and Father Junipero Serra on their journeys up the coast in 1769, and by Juan Bautista de Anza in Spain’s attempt to find a route to populate California in 1774.

The location joins a handful of areas designated as a state scenic highway, including a 19-mile section of Cabrillo Highway near Lompoc and 78 miles of Big Sur Coast Highway in Monterey.

This story was originally published December 27, 2016 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Stretch of 101 in Santa Barbara County designated a state ‘scenic highway’."