Drive up is a bit harrowing - narrow road (barely fits oncoming cars) for a few miles. Definetely NOT for an RV or for after dark. Views from up there are gorgeous though. Cave itself is small with a few paintings, and you cant go inside - just view from behind the metal gate - but it fits well w school studies for our kids right now so Im glad we went. Just know that its off the beaten track and its small. No facilities or amenities around. Not ADA friendly.

Its all about the drive. The road there, off the main highway, is very interesting and scenic. Its full of all sorts of tight turns and is barely wide enough for 2 cars to pass. The cave is just off the road. There isnt really any parking, just a wide spot in the road that can accommodate 3 cars end to end without blocking the road.About half way up you start to see mail boxes and driveways. Makes you wonder who lives way out here, either celebrities or people from The hills have eyes.

I had to look up the history of the place after visiting this caves!!Overall a good chill drive experience but if someone from the management reads this review, please clean up a bit. The walk way to the entrance is good but needs a regular cleaning to remove leaves and stuff.And if you are reading this as a visitor, please be nice enough and don’t throw anything around. It’s our duty as a visitor.

I love that the cave is protected from potential vandals, but the drive up was a little anxiety causing. Narrow 2 way road with no guard rails... But the views were also amazing! Totally worth it

Very cool place to stop! Not a lot of parking and a very narrow road, so be careful, but take the time to go see it!

Great history sad to see it had to be gated off because vandalism of the historic art. It was kinda hard to find passed it cause i didnt think i could have parked where it is. Flipped around and saw others parking

It was really cool to see the painted cave, but it was just small and only enough parking for two cars on a very narrow road

Its a real small place. You may miss it. The drive and beach views are great.

No parking lot! I mean, cmon, Indians from 1677 should have known to put in a parking lot.

I visited today. For a historic place, it is not kept well. No parking. The road up to there is dangerously narrow. It is just two paintings behind a locked iron grill. Will share some pictures here. The drive up there is fun. Dont know why it is called a park

Fun little hike. Caves are right off the road, you cant miss it. Parking is very limited and just off the road which makes large vehicles hard to park.

Beautiful spot and magnificent historical site to see. Bring a flashlight if you can to help you see the paintings better.

It a place biside the rood and only have two parking spot but the wall painted was wonderful.

Nowhere to park legally. The cave is closed off by an iron gate, probably to stop people from vandalizing work of art. Its a tiny space not worth the drive up the mountain.

WOAH! That was unexpected. You drive up this very narrow road, barely two cars can pass. Up, up, up you go, along the windy mountain. The trees get large and shady. Then.. BOOM. putt over ( because there is no parking lot) and there you are.The caves are fenced off but you can see past the gate to take a look at some very old art.SAGE ADVICE: wear hiking shoes. There are MORE CAVES up an extremely seep hill, maybe a 500 yards walk - but flip flops arent safe, or stable in any way. ( trust me, I tried)

Very small we almost missed it. But very worth seeing. The cave rock is very strange looking to me, I have no clue about rocks. The art also is unusual.the drive up is a bit scary as it has hairpin turns.

It is a very narrow road, I struggle a bit to do a U turn and come back to a safer place to Park about 1.1 miles away, if you decide to visit; use a bike or walk, ideal for hikers to get there.

The Chumash Painted caves are well preserved, they are a reminder of the original people in the central coast. The drive is amazing, the sounds of nature are all around, the energy within this place is felt with a deepening silence of spiritual messages. Highly recommend for all visitors to Santa Bárbara.

Small and short but still a nice place to visit. Theres no parking lot so youll need to park on the side of the street by next to the cave. To get to the cave you simply walk up the steps/path and the cave will be on your left behind a locked fence. It be a good idea to take a flashlight or use your phone light to be able to see well the pictures in the cave. The road up to the cave is windy and sometimes just a one lane road but youll get to some great views of Santa Barbara and the ocean.

Its totally understandable that this archaeological site is locked behind a metal gate, but it does make it a lot less impressive because you cant get a clear view of the paintings. There is zero parking, theres no lot or any kind of spaces. your parking alongside a one-lane narrow road that barely has a shoulder, with no ability to turn out or get turned around easily especially if you are driving a larger vehicle.

There is no real place to park so your car is sitting on this one lane road around a curve. People drive like maniacs there and I was so afraid someone was going to come flying around the curve at 100 mph and plow right into my car. The caves were a magnificent site to see. I wish people had more respect so they didnt have to put a huge, hideous cage up.

This is a quick visit and given treasure. It is definitely worth the drive and the quick walk up the hill!! This is a rare view of the Chumash painting!

Beautiful, pretty clean, and lots of opportunity for some great pics. Try to go on a day where the fog is at a minimum if possible.

Pretty neat paintings. Very limited parking. Road not recommended for long or tall vehicles.

A historical piece that should be enjoyed. There isnt much parking available (no proper parking, but some space that could be used as parking). Wish that all people that visit this place do not litter or try to vandalize it some way...

Loved the drive to the Chumash Cave. The gate was closed when we went so we didn’t get to see the paintings inside the cave. You can still see them from the outside. Very interesting and well preserved.

The area is beautiful. The cave small and fenced. It is not easy to take pictures. Definitely worth to visit.

My wife wasnt too stoked with the hairpin turned with no guardrails but it was well worth it.

The drive up was a windy, narrow road. We were the only ones there and we were able to appreciate the cave. Its definitely worth the drive up for a quick visit and gorgeous views.

Gorgeous drive up to the cave. It is a windy and smaller road. Larger vehicles not advised. There is very minimal parking so try to go during non peak hours.The cave itself is locked so you cant actually go into the cave but the drawings are visible and awesome to see.

Great if you are into native American art/history/culture. Drive is great.. not for tentative drivers or big cars.Not a lot to see so if not into the historic side... Best to spend time elsewhere.

A small attraction on the side of a narrow one lane road. The drive to the Chumash Painted Cavesis primarily a one Lane windy road that climbs the side of the Santa Barbara Mountains. The views on the way up are phenomenal and alone are worth the short drive, a few miles, from the main road. The caves are gated off to probably prevent vandalism and protect the historic artwork inside. The petrogylphs are a very cool sight to see and this a a great detour or stop if you plan to also head to Knapps Castle which is also nearby.

The drive up the winding road to the cave is gorgeous as it takes you into the park. True, the gate into the cave is apparently frequently closed (as it was for us), but you still can see bits. The sounds and smells of the forest area are amazing. Unfortunately, there is little left of the original native inhabitants culture. So, artefacts like this are welcome.

Took a couple u-turns lol but we found it! Beware parking only big enough for 2 small cars. Note! When you see the sign for the painted caves it’s right there! Don’t go any further park in that small gap on the side of the mountain and the stairs are right there. Cave is gated and secured because vandalism. Take it all in beautiful art.

Its just a shallow cave but you geek out on this stuff its cool as hell.

Beautiful walk and great to see at the top. Ensure you take too much water because you never know if you will need it!

Great piece of history

Kind of out of the way and locked behind a gate, but a very interesting, clear look at these ancient cave paintings.

The road gets really narrow the closer you get to the site. There is no parking, which makes actually getting to the site and interesting endeavor: pull off to the side of the road, climb out the opposite side of the car and walk along an open road until you reach the stairs. The site is up a flight of stairs. It is a small cave but an absolutely amazing sight to see.

Interesting but no parking. Roads are narrow and only a little spot to stop 1 car on the side of the road.

Live here great place nice people. Camping and hiking galloor.

Too bad the cave was closed, probably due to vandalism. But still was able to see the paintings from the outside of the gate.

1st time there, it was dark by the time we got there. We drove from the castle for Mellys Bday!

It is about a 25 minute drive from downtown Santa Barbara. We drove all the way up though, and the cave has been closed off in order to protect it from the Thomas Fire. There were no signs letting us know this on the drive up. Not too disappointed because the views of the coast were absolutely beautiful from the lookout points. Wait to visit after the Thomas Fire has been contained.Road is very winding and it is recommended to drive slow. But it is not as terrible as other people have described it. The road is usually wide enough for 1.5-2 cars all the way up. There is minimal parking by the cave entrance (you have to pull off on the side of the road). There is about enough room for 2-3 cars to park on the side of the road.

Super fun!

Only small parking area. Narrow and crazy road.

Very cool and proof of ancient aliens.

The mystery behind the true native land. Ill give it 5 stars if someone can decipher the symbols.

The paintings are beautiful! I didnt expect the site to be so significant

Theres not much to see, but its still worth stopping and looking at, It wont take long. I think that this part of Painted Cave Road is very beautiful with lots of trees and greenery. There isnt much parking, but there isnt enough visitors for this to be a problem.

Very interesting place love the road

DONT go there. You cant stop or park to get down. The road was scary to drive, not recommend for regular driver, and only for ONE car goes through. If you still want to get there, then find parking outside, before u turn into the painted cave road, along the road and walk there.

A little hard to see

Super small no real parking. There is a gate protecting the paintings from trespassers however interesting

Awesome experience,.sketchy drive up the mountain to the cave..but worth it..my kids loved it,as did my wife & I..

Very isolated area, history of the Santa Barbra area early people. Small caged exhibit to try and protect, bring shoes capable of walking up a small dirt uphill path of about 30 feet. beautiful area with running creek.

Nice stop near the road. It also is great for hiking.

Fun to see but all there is to see is one cave. No hiking.

The drive to get there alone is worth the trip.The pictograms are a gift from the past.the shelter has preserved the colors and details.While Protected by a metal grill, it is still possible to see and photo the images.

The cave painting are worth viewing as you are lead to them by a winding, narrow road that also offers astounding views from the cliffs. The cave where the painting lye is closed off and gated to protect against vandalism.

2 cars parking on top of the narrow road...

Small no parking really as a local living up the road please carpool and drive slow up and down the mountain

Our family loved the quick stop. Just park on the side of the road where the sign of the cave is. Theres no mark parking area. It was worth the 20 min drive from the 101 highway.

Its just one tiny cave, open, you cant go on, since theres a gate with lock to avoid people from doing that. Theres no parking available, you park on the side of a very narrow road, no signs letting you know the cave is coming up (you blink and may miss it). On a funny/ironic side note, the paintings (beautiful, I really enjoyed being able to observe them so close!!), are reddish. And on top of the surrounding rocks, inside the fated area, there was what it looked like a tiny round container that seemed to be one of those restaurants use to pour ketchup in!!

What a great piece of history and scenery. Very peaceful

Culturally significant but the road there (Painted Rock Road) is crazy. Windy with lots of blind curves, mostly single lanes with two way traffic, the odd thrill seeking bike rider and unprotected drop offs all the while. No real designated parking - just a slightly wider lane book endeded by two blind corners. The cave is cordoned off by a rusty steel gate, but we still saw some of the original artwork which was beutiful and intricate. Not much else to see or do, access to the rest of the area is gated off. I feel like the care of and access to the site were unbecoming of the content.

Historic painted cave. Worth driving by especially the road is such a nice drive. There is a space to park two cars but generally not busy. I strongly recommend passing by if you are in the area

Cool historic site to take a peek at. Not much room to park, only a few spots by the side of the road where there is some space. Its gated off and you can look at the paintings through a fence thats been put up. Other than that theres not much else to see. Lots of great views of the city and ocean along the way up there though.

Scenic drive to it. with views of ocean. Cave is right on road. A must do

Awesome cave painting. Actual cave is gated and locked. So you cant enter but theres a convenient hole for you to stick your hand and phone in to take a picture of the cave art. I was expecting more but there are only 2 main pieces of art in a small cave. Theparking spot is only big enough for 2 cars really and road is really a one car road, fits 2 cars if you squeeze. Cool place to drive through nonetheless

No place to park secured for fire season drive to get there was amazing.

Nice if you are hiking. Enjoyed the drive to get there

Great climb from Goleta.

Neat cave paintings. Veeeeery limited. Sad amount of graffiti. Meh.

Its not the most exciting historic spot but the history is amazing! The drive is absolutely gorgeous and exhilarating (very high, skinny road, and lots of hard to see around the corner turns). I recommend going around March when all the wildflowers are bloomed!!

The paintings are behind the iron gates you can see through there its kind of a little hiding place 8 by 10

Really nice

Tell me, where can you see a polychrome (multi color) Chumash pictograph within 40 of the road? The drive is scenic, the views are excellent.

Not far off main road but its a narrow and winding road be careful of cars coming from opposite direction not much room go very slow and be careful. Easy to miss so keep your eyes open for it. Pass it up and turn around in first drive way, park along front not much room there so turn on hazards, climb rocky steps take your peek and get out of road asap.

Beautiful except idiots have made it to where its all gated up.

Historic. Very limited and narrow street parking.But honesly not much what to see and not worth the uphill windy narrow roads.Place was locked up so we couldnt go in to see the painting.

What fun!! Crazy drive up to narrow road and little parking, but worth the trip. Only 3 miles off 154. A great side trip.

Doesnt require a long stay (10 min is enough) but worth seeing to see some history of the area. The drive up tho the cave is beautiful too.

Varry beautiful nothing like mother nature

What a unique place to visit, the road is winding and narrow, not for the faint of heart.

Long drive on a very narrow road with only 2 or 3 parking spots available.Views are amazing! !!Good experience for my son school project.

The drive provides great views and the pictogryphs are really beautiful. A metal grate has been placed to protect the site from vandals. There are very few parking spots and the road is very windy so be careful.

Beautiful drive, though a bit concerning to drive. The cave is small, and at the end of a very short stairway off the road, which has very limited parking. I think it was worth going to...but only once.The road at times was only wide enough for one car, and very curvy. Coming back down, gear down rather than heavily using your breaks.Parking for two small cars at the stairs up to the cave, or a larger turn out a little above that.The cave is only about 10-20ft deep, and gated off to prevent further damage from vandals. Two areas with art about 2ft by 4 ft...maybe a little longer.The views at the turn outs are amazing.

Cool cave. Its locked and gated because of vandals unfortunately. No parking and road is very narrow.

The cave is small and is protected by an ironwork grate but you can see in easily and there is enough room in the grate spaces to hold in a camera and get unobstructed photos. It was so cool to see this, but be warned the ride up the mountain to find it is harrowing. The road is very narrow, one lane in some places. It makes blind hairpin turns and there is an impressive lack of guardrails with such steep dropoffs all the way up. You have to pass the cave, continue up the mountain to the houses up top, turn around in a driveway up there and then drive back down to the cave to park alongside the rockface. There is just enough room for a car or two to parallel park alongside the rockface. You definitely feel alive and grateful to be on level ground after the drive there.

Cool to stop by and take a look at some history

The cave is cool, secret gem, but the views to/from the cave on the tiny road are to die for!! Wow! We went at sunset & loved it!

Bouldering very near by. Great place

Hard to spot room the road, but worth the trip up the mountain. Bring a flashlight.

Treasure

A SECRET CAVE TO EXPLORE -KIDS WILL LOVE IT!

Always good to be in the hills!

Beautiful ride up to the caves. Take a moment to stop off the road and view the entire Santa Ynez Valley and Lake Cachuma (coming in from the North on Camino Cielo). The caves are way up on top of the mountain; clearly a place of spiritual significance.

Nice hidden place

A very peaceful setting for spiritual respect offerings.