Monday, January 14, 2019

Chumash Painted Cave

Painted Cave Santa Barbara

High above in the hills of Santa Barbara a cave can be found carved into the towering Sandstone boulders. Here one can gaze upon some of the finest Chumash Pictographs remaining from a long lost culture. Anthropologists estimate the paintings to be from the 1600's and possibly even earlier. The rock art here is in pristine condition and provides a great visual opportunity for the observer.

Nice informative sign

With very few exceptions I almost always keep these locations secret however this particular site is well known and very well guarded. A steel locked gate has been installed to prevent vandalism. 

Steel Gate protecting the art
It is extremely important that these sites are protected and treated with respect. These are sacred places to the Chumash people, and quite possibly some of the only remaining links to there ancestral past. Vandalism and forms of mismanagement has played a major role in the destruction of paintings in other locations. I hope that places such as this help to educate the public on how important it is to preserve these sites. If your in the area I highly recommend a visit especially if you have been wanting to see Chumash Rock Art but have yet to stumble upon any in the wild.




The site is located off of Painted Cave Road. A quick google search can give you exact directions. Parking is limited to about 2 maybe 3 cars max.The Cave is located directly above the parking turnout.  I saw nobody else while we were there. The views here from atop the cliff toward the Channel Islands are incredible and in itself worth a visit. I hope my two girls enjoyed the spot as much as I did.
My Girls


1 comment:

Petrol_prys said...

Totally worth the visit. We took a look at the caves and lunch over the “road” at lizard mouth rocks.