Red Rock pools (Santa Ynez River)
UnverifiedBeginner (0-30 ft)Intermediate (31-60 ft)34.54000, -119.71000
Confirmed by 0 jumpers
Santa Barbara's swimming hole: blue-green pools under red and gold sandstone at the end of Paradise Road, half an hour from State Street. The big rock above the main pool is a 40-foot jump and there is a party on it every summer weekend, with smaller ledges and a string of quieter pools further upstream toward Gibraltar Dam.
Jumps at this location
Lower ledges
15 ft
Beginner (0-30 ft)
The big rock
40 ft
Intermediate (31-60 ft)
Warnings
The Forest Service does not recommend jumping or diving here, and nobody has measured the depth under the 40-footer — check your own landing from the water before anyone goes off it. Sandstone gets slick, the river road washes out in storm years, and the canyon bakes in summer with no shade on the walk out.
Access
Red Rock Trailhead at the end of Paradise Road, Los Padres National Forest, about 30 minutes from Santa Barbara up CA-154. When the river road gate is closed at the Santa Ynez crossing it is another 2.5 miles on foot. Adventure Pass or day-use fee for parking; the main pool is about half a mile up the trail. Expect to wade. The pin is approximate.
Best conditions
May through September, once spring flows drop. Weekday mornings if you want it quiet.