Painted Cave road

The Painted Cave community is made up of roughly 100 homesteads, plus many outlying settlements. Painted Cave is the highest and largest of the inholdings within the Santa Ynez Mountains, and commands an impressive view- on clear days, all seven of the Channel Islands can often be seen.

The 1990 Painted Cave Fire (named for the intersection of 154 and Painted Cave Road, where the arson was committed) primarily moved downslope and did not directly threaten the Painted Cave community, though it did burn outliers. One of the homes lost was that of Earthcomb founder Andrew Velikanje, at age 6, where he lived with his mom, dad and sister.

090-P79772 Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park ©2013, California State Parks Photo by Brian Baer