Carrizo Plain is the largest single native grassland remaining in California. This 250,000 acre reserve is located in the southeastern corner of San Luis Obispo County near Soda Lake. It is one of the easiest places to view surface fractures of the San Andreas Fault which traverses below the plain.

Home to the pronghorn antelope, North America's fastest animal on land. California condors soar overhead. San Joaquin kit foxes, giant kangaroo rats, and blunt-nosed leopard lizards burrow underground, seeking refuge from the harsh elements. Not to mention dazzling fields of wildflowers, Native American rock art, a giant alkali lake, and the oldest section of the San Andreas fault.

Aside from the riding, there is plenty to see and do. The historically minded can find lots of old buildings , farming implements, and Native American sites. For those with a geological bent, you can see evidence of past volcanic processes like this volcanic neck, and of course the San Andreas fault leaves it's unmistakeable mark throughout the area, such as at this sag pond or Wallace Creek on the East side. In the Spring after a good rainy season there are plenty of wildflowers. Wildlife viewing can also be quite fruitful if you know where to look!

There are two campsites available here. Primitive camping is also available.

Carrizo Plain National Monument
Bureau of Land Management, Bakersfield Field Office
3801 Pegasus Drive, Bakersfield, CA 93308; 661-391-6000; BLM Website;

The best times to visit are in the early Fall and late Spring, before and after the rains. The area should be avoided by those not comfortable in desert environments during the months of July and August. Temperatures can soar to well over 100 degrees out here during those months.

Goodwin Education Center
Location: one half mile west of the junction of Painted Rock Road and Soda Lake Road.
Open Seasonally: Dec 1 - May 31 / 9AM-4PM;

Interpretive displays and artistic dioramas convey the natural history of the Carrizo Plain area. Covers impact of native american history, ranching, and local endangered species. Coordinates tours of local landmarks.

Painted Rock
Large outcropping of marine sandstone that contains many specimens of Native American many pictographs created by the Chumash, Salinan and Yokut peoples over many thousands of years. Ancient rock art in red, black and white yucca pigments, and some yellow, green and blue were painted with rodent tail hair brushes or simple finger painting. In recent years these pictographs have been significantly vandalized.

Soda Lake
Soda Lake, its centerpiece, is a glistening bed of white salt, set within a vast open grassland, rimmed by mountains.