Description
Welcome to the Canyon
El Capitan Canyon guests experience all of the adventure and beauty that nature has to offer in comfortable surroundings, complete with amenities that pamper.
Camping in the Canyon is not about pitching a tent in the dark, but enjoying the comforts of home among a grove of oak and sycamore trees along El Capitan Creek. Cabins are equipped with full bathrooms, linens, towels, kitchenettes, private picnic tables and fire pits.
They invite you to relax, refresh and get back to nature with a visit to El Capitan Canyon.
The Canyon Vision
Today, El Capitan considers it a great honor to carry on the role of protecting and sharing the beauty of the California coast with guests. Their goal is to nurture an environment in harmony with the nature and history of the Canyon. The camp is designed to be an antidote to all that is excessive, formal, artificial or contrived. By focusing on the essence of things, they hope to offer you a welcomed retreat in tune with the spirit of the Canyon.
Through the decor and amenities, El Capitan has provided a measure of comfort and pampering - from healthy Saturday night dinners to a variety of wellness treatments. But, they have purposely avoided attempting to duplicate the conveniences of home. Instead, they invite you to step outside into the canyon. Smell the wild sage in the early spring blossoming. Observe the monarch butterflies mud-puddling in the fall. Listen to the frogs all year round. There is something for each season. Feel the ocean breeze, see and hear the rhythmic waves. This is a personal encounter with nature here at El Capitan Canyon. Look, marvel, be enlightened. And take home a sense of serenity.
Canyon Environment and Philosophy Programs
The watershed specific, “Native Vegetation Enhancement Project” creates or reestablishes the riparian buffer zone with native plant biodiversity. At their onsite nursery, plants are grown from hand collected seeds, cuttings and transplanted propagates of local canyon stock.
"Canyon Poolside Renewable Energy Project"
Solar heating swimming pool systems are one of the most economical forms of solar energy available today. El Capitan Canyon will cut its heating expense by an estimated 75% using free and renewable energy from the sun, making this a wise choice for the environment. Even in warm southern climates, water temperature in an unheated pool can drop to a chilly 55 degrees Fahrenheit during winter months. Solar pool heating can produce comfortable water temperature and lengthen the swimming season. Solar heated pool systems produce clean, non-polluting energy. It is safe for the environment, safe for plants and animals and safe for all of us.
“Urban Timber Salvage and Recycle Program” saves trees that could end up as firewood or in a chip yard. When winter storms or old age brings an end to local or exotic flora, the fallen trees are transported to the El Capitan Canyon Workshop. There they take the shape of beautiful handmade picnic tables, post and rail, stairs, handrails, signs and even the interior design of the Canyon Market and Deli adding to the unique comfortable campground charm.
“Collective Cooperation Water Conservation” encourages El Capitan Canyon guests to participate or to become conscious of water saving techniques:
- Towel and linen wash, upon request or every other day.
- Limit the use of Jacuzzi tub and shower per day.
- The use of drought-tolerant native plants to beautify the landscape.
“Car Free Canyon” is a low-impact environment enhancement program to encourage safety for pedestrians, wildlife, reduce noise and air pollution. El Capitan Canyon offers a free shuttle service, utilizing both electric and gas vehicles, as well as complimentary bicycles for quick transportation throughout the canyon.
Canyon Legend
Legends of El Capitan Canyon (Ajuilashmu)
El Capitan Canyon offers a rich history of hospitality - from its beginnings as an ancient Chumash tribal celebration site, reaching into 19th century Mexican adobes and continuing around the cabins and campfires of today's comfortable lodging. Situated 17 miles west of Santa Barbara, a magnificent grove of sycamore and oak stands at the entrance just as it did in prehistoric times, guarding the Canyon's pristine legacy.
Halm Kwawar, the Great Spirit, created this land known as California. Looking down from his place in the sky, he wished for a land, but saw only water. Spotting a giant turtle as big as an island, he called down, "Turtle! Bring your six brothers here." He told the turtles to form a line from head to tail running north to south. On their backs, he spread some rushes. Into it, he poked his finger, making trees grow and rivers flow. From the trees, he plucked leaves and, blowing on them, they flew away singing, turning into birds. Pleased, the Great Spirit told the turtle brothers, "Remember, this is a great honor I have given you - to bear this land on your backs."
More than 8,000 years ago, the first inhabitants were undoubtedly impressed by fertile foothills to the north and the creek coursing through the canyon flowing into the great ocean to the south. Along the creek, the ancient Chumash people built their hut villages and devoted themselves to harvesting the bounty of the sea. Dark-haired men constructed canoes using indigenous woods, hammer-stones and caulking cakes of fused tar. Strong women cared for the young and sought the tangy elderberries, nutritious sage seeds, plants, and wild game on the grassy mesa.
Chumash legend calls this area Ajuilashmu (Ah-wah-whi-lac-mu) - the dancing place of celebration. It is known as the home of the Paqwot band that ruled from this coastal ritual center. Adjoining the creek, a long trail leads to a sacred place called Senaq (associated in Chumash myth with fire) and an ancient burial ground where remains of a medicine man buried with his "panpipes" (whistles) was discovered. Tribal elders still revere this site and hold rituals and blessings here - continuing the Chumash's deep honor of the land, water and sky. Hi Lo Ky Ich (go in spirit), we are told. In 1542, the area was "discovered" and claimed for Spain by explorer Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo. Spanish soldiers established the Presidio (fortress) in Santa Barbara in 1782 and Ajuilashmu became noted on their charts as "El Capitan". Legend has it named for Captain Don Jose Francisco de Ortega - one of the founders of the Presidio - who came ashore and was greeted by Chumash tribal leaders. In 1822, Spain granted California to Mexico and many great ranches were designated including La Canada del Corral (Corral Canyon), which contained El Capitan Canyon. On November 5, 1841, Jose Delores Ortega (a descendant of Presidio Captain Don José Ortega) was granted the deed to El Capitan.
Tradition has it that the extensive Ortega family adobes at El Capitan welcomed many travelers by land and by sea including U.S. Captain John Fremont during his "conquest" of California in 1847. California became part of the United States in 1848, but life on El Capitan continued on much the same - a highly productive rancho raising cattle, grain and avocados - remaining within the Ortega clan until its sale to Juan Camarillo in 1866 for $3,000. Over the next century, Rancho El Capitan had a succession of owners yet still remained largely undeveloped and pristine. The modern-day El Capitan Canyon Resort began as a rustic private campground in 1970 on a 300-acre site directly across from El Capitan State Beach. In 2000, new local owners Chuck Blitz and Roger Himovitz completely transformed El Capitan Canyon into a refined rural retreat for the 21st century. Re-opened in May 2001, guests now choose from cedar cabins featuring French doors that open onto the creek, a choice of beds with down comforters, sleeping loft, private bath with shower, fridge, coffeemaker and heater; or deluxe canvas tents complete with a wood floor, bedding, towels, table and chairs. With parking restricted to the Main Lodge area, no cars mar the peace and solitude of the Canyon. Visitors can gather canyon cuisine and local wines from the Canyon Store, dive in the heated swimming pool, indulge with an in-room massage, take a botanical hike guided by a naturalist there's always a chance to encounter the native floral and fauna. In the summer on Saturday evenings, guests gather around the main campfire to savor a delicious dinner buffet while entertained by the area's best bluegrass, blues and jazz musicians. Under the stars, the sounds of celebration echo through El Capitan Canyon, a timeless scene reminiscent of the ancient Chumash village of Ajuilashmu. Haku (Welcome).
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