Courtesy photo.
LOMPOC — As another spectacular summer fades into a crisp, cool fall, there’s no better time to explore the adventurous side of Lompoc! Get your adrenaline pumping with an exciting array of activities in and around the city. Start planning a trip packed with excitement, including skydiving, horse safaris, kitesurfing, and more!
Skydive over Sensational Scenery
Did you know Lompoc is home to the highest drop zone on the west coast? Skydive Santa Barbara’s 18,000-foot tandem jump gives you a 90-second free fall, more parachute time to take in a birds-eye view of the Pacific Ocean, the rolling hillsides, and local vineyards, and a truly unforgettable experience. This jump is from such a high altitude, you not only are required to have supplemental oxygen to do it, but if you wanted to jump from a higher level, you’d have to join NASA or the military.
If skydiving from 18,000 feet (that’s nearly 3.5 miles!) is too high for you, Skydive Santa Barbara also offers a 13,000-foot tandem jump, or even an 8,000-foot jump. If you want to take your love of skydiving to a whole new level, Skydive Santa Barbara also offers Skydive School that includes 4-6 hours of ground training, 7 assisted jumps, and finishes up with your first 13,000-foot solo jump!
Fully recognized by the FAA, Skydive Santa Barbara has facilitated over 300,000 jumps since 1997. The experts at Skydive Santa Barbara have your back every step of the way—and all the way down!
Hiking and Horseback Riding Through History
If you prefer your adventures to take place firmly on the ground, Lompoc has a way for you to (sort of) go back in time! Founded in 1787, La Purisima Mission in Lompoc is the most extensively restored of all 21 missions in California. Winding through the 25 miles of trails in the 2,000-acre State Historic Park surrounding the mission, whether on foot or horseback, you’ll find it easy to envision life here 200 years ago.
Go Wild with Horses, Burros, and more!
Photo safaris and herd immersions offer incredible opportunities to witness the majestic beauty of the wild horses and burros at the Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary in Lompoc. Over 400 wild horses and 29 burros calling this protected habitat home. Interacting with them in their natural environment is a rare and unforgettable adventure. If you have a group of four or more, you can even create your own personalized adventure with sanctuary volunteers and staff.
The 5,000-acre Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve is a habitat protecting Burton Mesa Chaparral, which only grows in the sandy soils of the Lompoc Valley. In addition to rare and endangered plants finding their home there, you’re sure to spot many different species of animals as you explore the terrain. Bring your camera and binoculars. You don’t want to miss shots of coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, deer, or snakes! The birdwatching is also sublime, with multiple bird species visible during fall migratory season! Plus , you’re likely to encounter the reserve’s famous colonies of endangered kangaroo rats. To protect the delicate ecosystem at the reserve, motorized vehicles, bicycles, and horses are always prohibited.
Find a World of Adventure at Jalama Beach
Located a scenic 30-minute drive from Lompoc, Jalama Beach is one-stop shop for adventure seekers! You may not associate hitting the beach with fall weather, but there’s so much to do here all year round. Drop your line to fish for perch, cabezon, kelp, bass, and halibut. In fall and winter, you can also spot grey whales and dolphins migrating to their breeding and feeding grounds.
Plan your visit to Jalama Beach for low tide for so you can access the tide pools and beach caves. Exploring these oft-hidden crags, you’ll find creatures such as sea anemones, rock crabs, mussels, barnacles, and shrimp. Low tide is also the best time to tackle the wet and windy hike along the Point Conception: De Anza trail. The eight-mile out-and-back hike that peaks at the historic Point Conception Lighthouse.
Jalama Beach is also a popular spot for surfing and kitesurfing. Though they are less extreme in fall and winter, winds on the beach are very gusty and unpredictable. They can increase by 20 knots in a matter of minutes, which makes kiteboarding much more dangerous. Jalama Beach is best left to expert-level kite surfers.
Medium tide produces the best conditions, but it can still be a challenge to surf at Jalama Beach. Early morning riders are said to have the best opportunity to catch a wave.
To visit Jalama Beach County Park, a day use pass is $10 per vehicle. Dogs can enjoy the beach for $3 per dog per day. Need a snack or meal while you’re here? The Jalama Beach Grill is onsite and open daily for breakfast, lunch and early dinner. Their Jalama Burger is a famous must-try.
Scenic Country Drives
Lompoc’s location off the high speed path of the 101 freeway means there’s no shortage of scenic drives to enjoy in and around the city. If you’re headed to Jalama Beach, you’ll enjoy a twisting, turning 14 mile drive of hillside canyons, seasonal wildflowers, and views of local farms, ending up on a panoramic view of the ocean at Jalama Beach. North of Lompoc, Hwy 246 takes you through the picturesque vineyards and wineries that make up the Sta. Rita Hills Wine region. Stop in for a tasting or pick up a souvenir at one of the many wineries along the hillside. Want more scenic drives? Check out this blog post.
Adventures in Winemaking
When autumn rolls around, it’s harvest time for the vineyards and wineries in and around Lompoc. The wineries buzz with activity and excitement as the grapes come off the vine and go into crushing and pressing. Fermentation is next, and can last from 10 days to over a month, followed by clarification, filtering, and fining. Finally, the harvest reaches the aging and bottling process. Sometimes wines are bottled immediately, and other times the wine is aged in stainless steel or ceramic tanks, and barrels. If you’d like to experience fall winemaking for yourself, Melville Wines has just the ticket with its Harvest Hands event. If you’d just like to observe, book a tasting at Longoria Wines in Lompoc, where if you’re lucky, you’ll catch a glimpse of the winemakers in action.
Splashy Fun for Kids
If you’ve got little thrill-seekers to entertain, you may be looking for a different kind of adventure. Not to worry, the Lompoc Aquatic Center is just what you’re looking for! One of the largest indoor waterparks in the state, the Aquatic Center is an affordable adventure for the whole family. Adult admission is $6, Children over 2 cost $5.50 each, and under twos cost $2. Enjoy the Activity Pool, which features two 125-foot water slides, a shallow lap pool, and an interactive AquaPlay Center. The AquaPlay Center has twin waterslides, water cannons, cargo nets and the famous “bucket.” There’s also an outdoor picnic area with tables if you bring along a meal or need a place to relax.
Open year-round, the Lompoc Aquatic Center provides a warm and enjoyable place to play no matter what the fall weather brings.
With its diverse terrain of coastal bluffs, wildflower valleys, vineyards, and more, Lompoc delivers pulse-pounding and memorable adventures at every turn this fall season. So start planning your adrenaline-filled getaway to experience the incredible outdoor escapes this Central California destination has to offer.
About Lompoc:
Located on scenic Pacific Coast Highway 1, just 155 miles northwest from Los Angeles with close proximity to Santa Barbara and Solvang, Lompoc takes
on a world of its own. Its valley setting, surrounded by spectacular rolling hills and vineyards, creates an invitation for visitors to detour off the main road, and explore
what’s around the bend. Lompoc is a destination for wine tasting, golf, cycling, hiking, skydiving, birding, and surfing at nearby Jalama Beach. It is home to
La Purisima Mission State Historic Park, the most fully restored and furnished of the 21 California missions, and adjacent to Vandenberg Air Force Base, where
rockets are launched throughout the year by such entities as NASA, SpaceX, and ULA, to name a few. Lompoc has 12 hotels to welcome visitors. To discover more
about the Lompoc Valley, and other things to see and do, visit: www.explorelompoc.com.