Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park
About
Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park is a California state park managed by State Park and Recreation, about 4 miles from the Eastern Goleta Valley. It sits within the Santa Barbara Ranger District of Los Padres National Forest. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show April highs around 76°F and November highs around 73°F, while July and August average in the mid-90s. The park makes an easy base for other outings in the area. Hallway Boulder and Trojan Boulder are both about 0.3 miles away. Arroyo Burro Trail is about 2 miles off, and Los Prietos campground is about 2.9 miles away.
Park size
10 acres
Location
Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park
California
Data source: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (Protected Areas Database, public domain)
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: Oct–May. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 64–83°F and lows of 34–46°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Gibraltar Dam #2, CA weather station, 6.2 mi away. High / low in °F.
- Jan66° high36° low
- Feb67° high36° low
- Mar70° high38° low
- Apr76° high41° low
- May80° high46° low
- Jun88° high49° low
- Jul94° high55° low
- Aug96° high54° low
- Sep91° high51° low
- Oct83° high45° low
- Nov73° high40° low
- Dec64° high34° low
Where it is
- Santa Barbara Ranger District · Ranger district
- Los Padres National Forest · National forest
- Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park · Public land
- Nearest town
- Eastern Goleta Valley, California · 4.1 mi
- Managed by
- State Park and Recreation
Source: USFS EDW boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1; USGS GNIS populated places
Conditions
Active alerts for Santa Barbara Ranger District as of Oct 9, 2026:
Special Closure - SBRD Storm Damage Recovery
information · posted Sep 24, 2026
Source: USFS forest alerts
Nearby
Hallway BoulderRock climbingPhoto: DieselDemon, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)0.3 mi- Trojan BoulderRock climbingPhoto: DieselDemon, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)0.3 mi
- Arroyo Burro TrailHiking2 mi
Sage HillSaltwater fishing2.4 mi
SnyderHikingPhoto: Damian Gadal, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)2.6 mi
Los PrietosCampingPhoto: Recreation.gov (RIDB) / public domain2.9 mi- Paradise CampgroundCamping3 mi
- Fremont CampgroundSaltwater fishing3.3 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Is Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Los Padres National Forest.
Los Padres Fire Use and Firearm Restrictions
Agency alert covering Los Padres National Forest · Order 05-07-00-26-05 · USFS · Los Padres National Forest
Santa Barbara Front Country Fire Use Restrictions
Agency alert covering Los Padres National Forest · Order 05-07-5406-01 · USFS · Los Padres National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Los Padres National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park
Best months: October–May. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
66° / 36°
8 wet
Feb
67° / 36°
9 wet
Mar
70° / 38°
7 wet
Apr
76° / 41°
4 wet
May
80° / 46°
2 wet
Jun
88° / 49°
0 wet
Jul
94° / 55°
0 wet
Aug
96° / 54°
0 wet
Sep
91° / 51°
1 wet
Oct
83° / 45°
2 wet
Nov
73° / 40°
3 wet
Dec
64° / 34°
6 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Gibraltar Dam #2, CA, 6.2 mi away at 1,558 ft. We don't have this place's elevation, so higher spots nearby can run cooler. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
