To quote Flynn Rider (voiced by the talented Zachary Levi) from Disney’s Tangled, “Guys, I want a castle.”
Technically located in Los Padres National Forest, the remains of Knapp’s Castle is just one of the Central Coast’s scenic destinations for adventuring, a place to let your inner child come out to play. Perched upon a slight precipice along the Santa Ynez Mountains, Knapp’s Castle overlooks Lake Cachuma and the Santa Ynez Valley. It takes about an hour to get there from Santa Maria, through the San Marcos Pass, or Highway 154.
I loathe hiking—I much prefer climbing trees and rocks—but with less than a mile round trip and only 50 feet of elevation change, the walk to Knapp’s Castle is like nothing. On the walk to the ruins, views of the Santa Ynez River Canyon, Lake Cachuma, and the San Rafael Mountains are all so dreamy and picturesque. Once you finally reach the castle, there are plenty of stone steps, archways that you can walk on, and even multiple fireplaces that remain standing since the castle burned down around a century ago.
The short hike there didn’t deter me at all. I even managed to outpace my boyfriend! For a few feet, at least. Once there, climbing to the top of the arches looked like the most fun, but they were already occupied—it’s a popular place. So we continued down to the base of the lowest tower and unpacked the picnic sandwiches I’d made. We had a lighthearted argument about which direction was west while enjoying the surrounding view.
When we were full and refreshed—adventure time! After climbing up a set of switchback stone stairs, we went picture-crazy: posing beneath the arches, lying on top of them, posing behind a fireplace and then under another one. There was also a rope that someone had rigged up a giant tree, and both of us swung back and forth, trying to take still frames of each other, with varying success. After exploring the lower half of the site, we felt we had exhausted the area enough. The scenic landscape was just as wondrous on the car ride back down the mountain.
According to Wikipedia, the founder of Union Carbide (now owned by Dow Chemical Company), George Owen Knapp, built the castle after purchasing the 160-acre lot in 1916. Just five weeks after its completion, the castle was destroyed by a raging forest fire. Although the parcel is still privately owned, it continues to remain open to the public.
Don’t be confused by all the construction equipment laying around, and some of the in-ground plumbing that is left in plain sight. Back in January of 2011, the property owner tried to do some work out there before the county shut it down due to a lack of permitting, according to the Wikipedia page.
Knapp’s Castle is a great place to stop and enjoy nature and some stunning vistas if you’re in the Santa Ynez area or driving the San Marcos Pass. Just make sure you have memory cleared for photos, bring sunscreen or a jacket, and don’t forget a bottle of water!
Editorial Intern MD Langowski wonders how many books were in the castle’s library. She can be reached at [email protected].
