Camino Cielo’s got curves. They slow you down and wind you up to a ridgeline with the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Los Padres National Forest backcountry to the east.
It’s cliché, but the views really are expansive on Cielo’s ridgeline. The road starts at the top of San Marcos Pass (Highway 154); you hang a left on Camino Cielo if you’re coming from Santa Ynez. Stop at any of the pullouts, and you’ll be happy to sit and stare.
About 3 miles up, there’s a long saddle with pullouts on both sides of the road and a locked gate to the left. An easy walk—less than a half mile along a wide trail that was once a very long driveway—from the road are the ruins of what was once Knapp’s Castle. The stone remnants were once a beast of a property with a backcountry view of the wild from the tippity-top of the mountains that skirt the Pacific. George Knapp, a wealthy, former chairman of the board of Union Carbide, built his mountain retreat in 1916.
When I meandered up there on a recent weekend, it was a clear day. The blue remnants of drought-stricken Lake Cachuma and the hazy beyond were visible from the steps that led me down from the imperial landing to a set of archways with the same view. On the opposite side of the building, a random wrought-iron bathtub ringed with broken glass and dirt overlooks a wholly different view of the San Rafael wilderness.
My dog and I explored solo for about 30 minutes, and when we left, a crew of tourists were marching in with a picnic lunch and wine. Oh man, I was hungry, dreaming about a sandwich from the Los Olivos Grocery. It would have been perfect to sit and watch the world with a sandwich in my hand.
Interim Editor Camillia Lanham wants her own castle on a hill. She can be reached at clanham@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 4, 2015.