Hermit may be living in mysterious house made of driftwood perched precariously on side of Devil’s Slide cliff on the Pacific Coast Highway – as officials say ‘we know someone is there but we don’t know who it is’
Hermit may be living in a mysterious house made of driftwood precariously located on the side of the Devil’s Slide cliff on the Pacific Coast Highway – as officials say ‘we know someone is there, but we don’t know who it is’
- The dilapidated three-story structure was first spotted by drone on a treacherous cliff near Devil’s Slide in December 2022.
- A local land expert has now said he believes a man lives on the property, and has done so for at least a decade
- Do you know who lives in the house? Email newsUS@dailymail.com
A hermit may be living in a mysterious driftwood house, perched precariously on the edge of cliffs near California Bay.
The dilapidated three-story building was first spotted on a treacherous cliff at Devil’s Slide, Pacifica, a 30-minute drive from San Francisco, by a drone in December 2022 – but is believed to have been there for at least a decade.
The property appears to be built of driftwood and has several rooms perched precariously on the cliff face, offering beautiful – but very dangerous – views of the Pacific Ocean.
Speaking to the San Francisco Chroniclea local land expert has said the structure has existed for at least a decade and may contain a hermit.
Samuel Casillas, president of the Pacifica Land Trust, told the newspaper he has never met the resident but believes a man still lives on the property.
The dilapidated three-story structure was first spotted by drone on a treacherous cliff near Devil’s Slide, Pacifica, in December 2022.
Samuel Casillas, president of the Pacifica Land Trust, said he knew someone lived on the cliff but had never seen him
He said: ‘We knew there was something down there, but we didn’t know who it belonged to or whose property it was on. It is located in a dangerous location that is not actually accessible.’
According to Casillas, the trust asked the State Lands Commission a few years ago to clarify who owned the site, but they never responded.
Since then, Casillas has said they have left the person alone, telling the outlet, “We were not bothering a person who wants to be a hermit.
“We know someone was there, but we just don’t know who it is. That guy should just be left alone.’
Drone operator @ParallaxEffect said of their footage: ‘We were walking along the California coast in a place we were familiar with and I noticed something strange on the cliffs.
‘When I started investigating, it revealed one of the most incredible human structures I have ever seen.
The drone footage shows waves just meters away from the base of the structure.
You can see the tarpaulin covering the bare poles blowing in the strong coastal wind.
The home shows signs of life, including a punching bag, a lone wooden chair and a completely enclosed space
The drone footage shows waves just meters away from the base of the structure
Various traffic signs and buoys appear throughout the site.
Devil’s Slide is infamous for its landslides – with a road that used to run nearby having since been destroyed.
Images from Google Earth also reveal a rope connecting the structure to the Devil’s Slide Trail, providing an entrance and exit.
A spokesperson for San Mateo County told SFGATE that since the structure is located on ocean cliffs, it “is not on county land.”
The authority said they are examining the data to see if more information is available.
Devil’s Slide, named for its deadly descent into the sea, carried Highway 1 to the top of a cliff until several large landslides made the route unsafe.
Instead, tunnels were dug further inland through the rocks and in 2013 the new section of the Pacific Coast Highway opened.
The former highway was then developed into the Devil’s Slide hiking trail, which passes just above the curious house.