Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park
Area
Contact Information
Address
Phone Number
(805) 733-3713
Website
Stewardships
Description
The walls of this small cave carved from towering sandstone boulders contain some of the finest remaining rock art created by Chumash Native Americans. A steep path leads to the cave entrance, which is protected by heavy iron grillwork. Anthropologists estimate that the paintings date to the 1600's and earlier. The meaning of these enigmatic images has been lost.
California State Parks has teamed with CyArk and Santa Ynez Valley High School to produce a detailed 3D laser scan of Chumash Painted Cave and its surroundings. This scan will not only preserve a record of the significant pictographs for use in future condition assessments, but it also provides park visitors with a closer view of the art not currently possible due to the protective grate across the cave opening. State Parks has also worked with Barbareño Chumash elder, Ernestine de Soto and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History to provide accurate interpretive information about the rock art, and its importance to modern Chumash descendants.
To learn more, visit CyArk Chumash Painted Cave Project and be sure to click on the mapped locations for 3D laser scan viewing!
Allowed Activities
Good For
Rules & Regulation
Additional Information
Accessibility Description
Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park
Disclaimer
We are working to improve accessibility throughout our parks but we regret that there are currently no accessible activities at this park. This may be an undeveloped park, or there may be terrain, historic or resource protection issues or other limiting factors. However, there may be some generally accessible features, such as parking areas, restrooms, and routes of travel, that meet current accessibility standards. Call the park or email us at access@parks.ca.gov for details http://access.parks.ca.gov/parkinfo.asp?park=210&type=0