Several Santa Barbara County parks are closed this week because of flooded access roads or damage to park infrastructure, including the popular Jalama Beach and Cachuma Lake Recreation Area.
The Jalama Beach park and campground are shut down because of a large sinkhole on Jalama Road, according to County Parks Assistant Director Jeff Lindgren.
“There is a concern that this weekend’s rain could wash out the road and make it impassable,” he told Noozhawk. “We intend to reevaluate on Monday after the weekend storms.”
The Cachuma day use park and campground are shut down because Highway 154 is closed, and to allow for repairs to the park’s water system.
The amount of debris in the lake means the water system pumps and filters aren’t working, Lindgren said.
The debris will settle in a few days and the system should work again. In the meantime, large water storage tanks supply water to the park facilities.
The county also closed Guadalupe Dunes because the entrance road is flooded.
Goleta Beach Park is closed to vehicles in order to allow access for a steady stream of dump trucks bringing in mud, silt and rocks removed from local creeks for disposal on the shoreline.
Pedestrians and cyclists are being allowed into the park, although most park facilities are out of commission, including the Goleta Pier, which is closed.
The Tucker’s Grove dog park and Kiwanis Meadows areas are closed because the creek crossings are dangerous during high flows, but those areas will be reopened as soon as it’s safe, according to County Parks.
The Baron Ranch and Arroyo Quemado trails are closed for rain and trail damage.
Check County Parks updates here.
California State Parks had closed or partially closed most park facilities as of Thursday because of more storms in the weather forecast.
In Santa Barbara County, State Parks fully closed include Carpinteria State Beach, Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park, El Capitan State Beach, Refugio State Beach, and Gaviota State Park.
State Parks also closed Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area in southern San Luis Obispo County.