Carrizo Plain National Monument

Understand

History

Native American people have occupied the Carrizo Plain for at least the last 10,000 years. The Carrizo Plain National Monument lies primarily within the historical territory of the Chumash people. The Salinian, who lived north of the Chumash along the coast to the Salinas Valley, and inland within the Coast Range, also visited the Carrizo, as did the Yokuts who lived in the San Joaquin Valley to the east. The presence of pictograph sites like Painted Rock and other Native American spiritual sites on the Carrizo Plain indicate that this region has long held special values to these people. Their descendants continue to revere these places and visit them to conduct ceremonies and rituals.

Landscape

Flora and fauna

The park is perhaps most famous for its wildflowers - mid March to mid April is the usual time frame for wildflower season, but it is dependent on the weather and varies from season to season. There are many factors, including temperature, rainfall and the timing of the two that determine which flowers bloom and their distribution in any given season. Every year is not spectacular and only a few flowers may prevail in some years.

Carrizo Plain is home to many animals with sensitive status. Tule elk and pronghorn antelope have been reintroduced into the area and can be seen at various locations on the plain. Many raptors, including redtail hawks, golden eagles, kites, harriers, owls, and others can be found all year throughout the area. The California Condor has been reintroduced nearby and is occasionally seen over the plain.

Climate

Visitor information

• Park website (BLM)

Get in

The park is remote and no gas stations are nearby, so fill your tank before visiting. The only reliable road through the park is Soda Lake Road, which bisects the 37 miles of the national monument from north to south. Since only the northern eighteen miles of Soda Lake Road are paved most visitors choose to visit the park from the north via Highway 58. The intersection of Highway 58 and Soda Lake Road lies 27 miles west of the town of McKittrick, and 40 miles from Santa Margarita and US-101.

If arriving from the south, Soda Lake Road intersects CA-166/CA-33 about nine miles southwest of the town of Maricopa; from there you will need to travel 19 miles of dirt road to reach the park visitor education center. While Soda Lake Road is well-maintained and suitable for vehicles without four-wheel drive or high ground clearance, the numerous county roads that cross the park are less well maintained and can be impassable during wet weather; check conditions before setting out on these roads.

Fees and permits

There are no fees for visiting or camping in the Monument. Some areas, such as Painted Rock, require you to register and pay $1 for a guided or self-guided tour. You can only camp in designated areas so be sure to review the camping regulations noted below.

Get around

Soda Lake Road is the main route through the park. It is well maintained and safe for low clearance vehicles, but be careful: the road often has dips and axle-breaking chuckholes that need to be avoided, especially when the rainy season ends, the wildflowers are out, and road maintenance crews have not yet had time to implement repairs. If you are going faster than about 30 miles per hour you may not see hazards in time to dodge them, and long stretches of relatively smooth gravel road can lull a driver into a false sense of security. Panorama and Simmler Roads are usually impassable due to mud long after the last rain. Once the roads have dried out, gullies, ruts, rock-slides and wash-outs often render roads impassable, especially for low clearance vehicles. Stay on designated roads with any motorized vehicles. Except on county roads, or unless otherwise posted, the speed limit is 25 miles per hour.

Stay on existing roads and trails with mountain bikes.

Stay safe

Bring extra water, food, and warm clothes. Summer temperatures can reach above 100°F (38°C) and winter temperatures can fall below freezing.

Keep an eye on the sky and check the weather report. Any amount of rain makes quite a few of the roads impassable due to clay and high salt content. Avoid the Caliente Ridge Rd, San Diego Creek Rd, Simmler-Soda Lake Rd, and Selby Rd during and after rain; navigate other roads with caution and watch for mud holes and washouts.

There is little to no cell service within the Monument, except near to California Valley, so help may be far away. Tell a reliable person where you are going and when you plan to return. Search and rescues for stranded or stuck motorists and off highway vehicle enthusiasts are common.

Watch your speed. Speed limits on BLM roads are 25 mph and 55 mph on county roads unless otherwise posted. The Soda Lake road is notorious for rollover accidents. Remember the average emergency response time is well over one hour.

Fill your gas tank before you come and keep in mind the closest gas to the monument will be Maricopa.

If you are hiking off-trail, or walking through grassy areas, especially near dawn or dusk, watch for rattlesnakes. They are abundant and quick to anger. Usually they give a warning before striking, but if you are walking fast and step very near to one, it may strike.

Go next

• McKittrick - Northeast of the park, McKittrick is an oil & gas town located on Highway 33 that is home to the McKittrick Brea Pit, a tar pit that was the site of a huge cache of prehistoric fossils.
• Taft - East of the park on Highway 33, Taft is an oil town that offers food, gas, and lodging services. Taft is also home to the West Kern Oil Museum and a replica of Sutter's fort that was built in 1940 as a Depression-era project.
• Maricopa - East of the park on Highway 33, this oil & agriculture town was the site of one of the largest oil spills in history when the Lakeview Gusher unleashed nine million barrels of oil onto the surrounding countryside.