Carrizo is in southern California between the Central Coast and the San Joaquin Valley, tucked between low mountain ranges, over the San Andreas Fault.

This vicinity map from BLM shows Carrizo in yellow and it's position between the 101 and 5 freeways. The undeveloped area to the south and southwest of it is the Las Padres National Forest.

It's flat, dry, and empty.

There's three seasons in Carrizo: dry (most of the year), wet (winter), and a short spring of March and April. Spring is a popular time to visit; some people like it in the dry. Roads are impassible in the wet.

Average annual rainfall in Carrizo is 7-10", which is a little more than nearby Taft but I used their climate graph for my graphic. 

When did you go?

I went for a week mid-April after a very wet winter. All my pictures are from the same trip.

• Camping (including dispersed)

• Culture

• Wildflower viewing

• Hiking

• Cycling

• Dirt Biking

• Wildlife watching

• Hunting

• Geological exploration

• Astrological exploration

Why did you go?

I went for a week-long solo getaway. I did some easy hiking and took photos of the spring bloom. For half my visit I cowboy-camped in the bed of my 2WD pickup, and after moving to a different dispersed spot on the other side of the valley, I used a summer tent.

Most important info to download and bring is this Map and Guide from BLM Read the whole thing before you go, and save it to a device to bring with you.

Government Info

• Map and Guide from BLM

• One Map from BLM print size

  • This Worse Map from BLM print size

• Main Carrizo Plain National Monument page from BLM

• Carrizo Plains Ecological Reserve, from DFW

• Road Closures

  • SLO County road closure map

  • CalTrans road closure map

• Hunting Info from CDFW

More Info

• from Las Padres ForestWatdh

• Plants and Wildflowers

• Carrizo Plain Nat'l Monument on fb

My Carrizo Flickr Album