Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park |
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Park setting with art protected by metal gate at cave entrance
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 Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park
Location in California
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| Location | Santa Barbara County, California |
| Nearest city | Santa Barbara, California |
| Area | 7.5 acres (3.0 ha) |
| Established | 1976 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
| Official name: Painted Cave | |
| Reference #: | 72000256 |
Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park is a special place in California where you can see ancient art. It's a small sandstone cave filled with amazing drawings made by the Chumash people. This park helps protect these important artworks.
The park is located near a small community also called Painted Cave. It's about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of California State Route 154 and 11 miles (17.7 km) northwest of Santa Barbara. The park covers about 7.5 acres (3 ha) and was officially opened in 1976.
The Amazing Cave Paintings
Inside the cave, you'll find many drawings on the smooth, uneven sandstone walls. These drawings were made by the Chumash people a very long time ago. Some of them are 200 years old, while others might be over 1,000 years old!
The artists used natural materials like ground-up minerals to create colorful pigments. These paintings show the Chumash people's beliefs about the universe and other important parts of their culture.
Protecting This Ancient Art
Over time, people who visited the cave, including early settlers, sometimes wrote on the walls. This kind of writing, called graffiti, can damage the ancient art. To protect these precious paintings, a metal gate was put up at the cave's entrance.
In 1972, the cave was recognized as a very important historical site. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which is a list of places in the United States that are worth preserving. This helped make it a State Historic Park.
Visiting Chumash Painted Cave
You can reach the park from State Route 154. It's about 5 miles (8 km) north of U.S. Route 101 in the San Marcos Pass, along a road called Painted Cave Road. The cave is right next to this narrow, one-lane mountain road.
There's a small area to park one or two cars. It's important to know that this road has tight turns and steep parts, so it's not suitable for trailers or RVs.
This park is one of the few places where you can see original rock art of the Chumash people up close. When you visit, remember that flash photography is not allowed because it can harm the artwork. Some people use flashlights to see the art better, and you can take photos with a long exposure if your camera is steady, like on the metal gate or a tripod.
