A mysterious makeshift house has appeared on the rocky cliffs of California‘s bay area.
The ramshackle three-story structure was first spotted on a treacherous cliff edge at Devil’s Slide, Pacifica, a 30 minute drive from San Francisco, by a drone in December 2022.
Devil’s Slide is notorious for landslides – with a road that used to run nearby since destroyed.
The property appears to have been constructed out of driftwood and has several rooms perched precariously on the rock face which offers stunning – but very dangerous – Pacific Ocean views.
It is not clear if anyone inhabits the dwelling but signs of life include a punching bag, a solitary wooden chair and a fully enclosed room.
No indication has been given as to who lives in the structure and it is not located on county lands.
‘We were hiking along the California coast in a spot familiar to us and I noticed something odd down on the cliffs,’ drone operator @ParallaxEffect said of their footage.
The ramshackle three-story structure was first spotted on a treacherous cliff edge at Devil’s Slide, Pacifica by a drone in December 2022
‘Flying out to investigate revealed one of the most incredible human structures I’ve ever seen.
‘We had so many questions — Who made this? Why? Why here? How??!’ they wrote.
The drone footage shows waves lapping just meters away from the structure’s base.
The tarpaulin’s covering its bare poles can be seen blowing in the strong coastal wind.
Several road signs and buoys appear strewn around the property.
Images from Google Earth also reveal a rope linking the structure to the Devil’s Slide Trail offering an entry and exit point.
A spokesperson from San Mateo County told SFGATE that since the structure is on the ocean bluffs it ‘is not located on County lands,’.
The authority said they are reviewing records to see if any more information is available.
It is not clear if anyone inhabits the dwelling but signs of life include a punching bag, a solitary wooden chair and a fully enclosed room
Devil’s Slide, named after its deadly descent into the sea, carried Highway 1 on its cliff top until several major landslides made the route unsafe.
Tunnels were instead dug through the rocks further inland and the new section of the Pacific coast Highway opened in 2013.
The former highway was then developed into the Devil’s Slide hiking trail, which runs just above the curious house.
It is not known who built the structure and when, nor who lives in or visits it.
The home is about three miles from the 250-foot cliff where California doctor Dharmesh Patel is accused of purposefully driving his Tesla off with his wife and two kids inside.
Patel, 42, pled not guilty to attempted murder charges and claimed his Tesla had tire issues before later applying for a mental health diversion program in the hope of having his charges fully dismissed.
The doctor’s wife, Neha Patel, told investigators after the crash that her husband was depressed and that he had stated his intention to plummet the group.