The Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park is one of the smallest State Parks in California, at little more than seven acres it was designated as a State Park in 1976 to preserve the incredible paintings within. Located about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of California State Route 154 and 11 miles (18 km) northwest of Santa Barbara, the small sandstone cave is adorned with rock art attributed to the Chumash people.

Although the meaning of these circular and anthropomorphic figures has been lost, there is some speculation of their association to astrology and Chumash cosmology. 
The unique quality and fragility of the cave paintings has been acknowledged for over 100 years. In the early 1900s, an iron gate was installed to protect the cave from further vandalism.
