The Modoc Path Is Finally Finished. Where Does It Take You From Las Palmas Drive?

For months, Modoc Road beside the Modoc Preserve had orange cones and a 25 mph construction speed limit. Both went away this spring when the County finished the Modoc Multi-Use Path, so drivers get their road back and cyclists get a continuous corridor from Arroyo Burro Beach to Isla Vista.

Most coverage presented the path as a commuter link between downtown Santa Barbara and Isla Vista. From Hope Ranch it works differently. The path runs right past the Ranch's Via Senda side, so a Hope Ranch household now sits near the middle of a separated route with a beach and a restaurant at each end. The restaurant at the west end, The Ellwood at Goleta Beach, announced in late September that it is changing its menu for exactly this kind of casual, everyday visit.

The Missing Mile Beside the Ranch

The new section is 1.1 miles long and was built for cyclists, skaters, and pedestrians. It starts at Calle de los Amigos, where it joins the path the City of Santa Barbara built, and runs west to the Obern Trail across from Encore Drive. It is 10 feet wide, ADA compliant, and keeps walkers and riders off a stretch of Modoc where cars travel at 45 mph. The two construction phases cost about $6.5 million in total, according to Noozhawk's report on the May 8 ribbon-cutting.

Hope Ranch residents dealt with this project for years before it opened. The County completed the first phase in August 2023. In February 2023, the Hope Ranch association's newsletter said afternoon backups when leaving the Ranch seemed to come mostly from lane closures on the Via Senda portion of the path. The same newsletter said the association had raised traffic-safety concerns with the County about the stretch beyond Via Senda onto Modoc.

The County also considered three routes. One used the Vieja Drive access easement through the Hope Ranch area. That option was dropped, and the County chose a route on the south side of Modoc Road that uses existing trees as a barrier from traffic. So the corridor runs along the Ranch's edge and not through it.

The final phase broke ground in October 2025. Some neighbors objected to plans to remove 47 trees, 12 of them oaks. The County said it would plant 10 Island Oaks, a local native species, for each oak removed, and would replace the other trees with native species. Alex Rodriguez is board president of the La Cumbre Mutual Water Company, which owns the Modoc Preserve, and he lives across the street from the path. At the opening he called the preserve "the crown jewel of this neighborhood" and asked riders to stay on the path and out of its sensitive habitat.

Two Directions From Via Senda

From the Las Palmas Drive and Via Senda stretch of Modoc, the corridor goes two ways. The two directions are built differently, so here they are side by side.

The City's section is a separated route of 2.6 miles. It runs east from Calle de los Amigos along Modoc Road to Las Positas Road, then south on Las Positas to Cliff Drive. The City lists Elings Park, Arroyo Burro Beach, and Douglas Family Preserve as destinations the route makes easier to reach. The City cut the ribbon on that section in March 2022. A new footbridge over Arroyo Burro carries the path into the park.

Going west, the Obern Trail gives access to Goleta Beach, UCSB, and Santa Barbara, according to the City of Goleta.

Until May, that table had a gap in the middle. Each half was usable, but the mile in front of the Modoc Preserve sent walkers and riders onto the road shoulder. Now one outing can include both beaches.

East to Hendry's

Arroyo Burro County Beach Park is where Arroyo Burro Creek meets the ocean, and most locals call it Hendry's Beach. From Modoc, the City path crosses the footbridge into Arroyo Burro Open Space, so the trip down to the sand stays on the path.

The Boathouse describes itself as the restaurant at Hendry's Beach. Its website lists breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., lunch from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and dinner from 4 p.m. until close. The site doesn't list which days it's open, so check before you plan a sunset dinner around it. With breakfast starting at 7:30, an early walk east fits easily before the rest of the day.

West, to a Restaurant That Just Changed Its Menu

The Ellwood opened at Goleta Beach in February 2025 and took the place of the longtime Beachside Bar-Café. In June 2025 the County extended its lease from 10 years to 15. It opened as a fine-dining restaurant. On September 25, 2026, Noozhawk reported that the restaurant is changing course and wants to become the "living room" of Goleta Beach.

"We tried the fine dining, and we lived and we learned." Colin Jordan, restaurant partner and director of business development, The Ellwood

The new menu adds fish tacos, a tuna melt, a Goleta Burger, a fried shrimp basket, baked feta dip, and a frozen margarita called the Goletarita. The seafood and pasta dishes stay on the menu. Jordan said community members wanted an everyday beach restaurant instead of a place saved for special occasions. He said he hopes people will come "two, three, four times a week," including for Thursday night football and a margarita.

The timing matters for anyone using the path. Fish tacos and a beer suit people arriving by bike or on foot from the trail along Atascadero Creek. A tasting menu suits them less. The two changes happened separately, but the path finished in May and the menu changed in September, so both ends of the corridor now work for an ordinary afternoon.

Before you go, check the days. The Ellwood's hours page shows it closed Monday and Tuesday. It is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. If you're heading west on a weekday, plan for later in the week.

What Isn't Finished Yet

When the Modoc link opened, Marjie Kirn, executive director of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, described the county's goal as a path "from county line to county line." She was describing a goal, and the route isn't complete yet. The next pieces affect the eastern end of the Hope Ranch corridor most.

• Cliff Drive. The City's Cliff Drive Vision Zero Project would remove unnecessary traffic lanes and add a three-mile separated path on Cliff Drive from Arroyo Burro County Park to Castillo Street. According to the project page, construction is expected to begin in 2027, after a water main replacement on Cliff Drive and nearby streets is done. Once it's built, the path that currently ends at Hendry's would continue east along the coast.
• A countywide bike map. In July, SBCAG was building a bike-comfort and wayfinding map with input from the public. The draft comment period closed August 14. The final map is planned for June 2027, with release around August 2027.
• San Jose Creek in Goleta. The City of Goleta's October 2026 update says a newly built southern section of the San Jose Creek path, where it connects to Obern, is still closed while construction continues. That project will link paths across US 101 toward Goleta Old Town. It is a separate connection, and the closure doesn't affect the route from Modoc to Goleta Beach.

On the opening day in May, Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse joined the mayors of Goleta and Buellton on the CycleMAYnia Mayors' Ride right after the ceremony. It was the first official event on the new path.

Have questions about how the Modoc corridor and the coming Cliff Drive path connect to your part of Hope Ranch? Team Shotwell is glad to walk through the route with you and share what we know about getting around between Hendry's and Goleta Beach. Contact us anytime.