Carrizo Plain

Issue #142 - Carrizo Plain Wildflowers, California

The Carrizo Plain National Monument is located in southwestern California, one hundred miles northwest of Los Angeles and halfway between Bakersfield and the coast. It’s one of those places that few people visit and even avid nature photographers may not know about. Designated as a national monument in 2001, this remote basin has the largest display of spring wildflowers in California. The wildflower season usually starts in late March, peaks in mid-April and ends in mid-May. Twelve miles south of Wallace Creek, on the east side of Elkhorn Road, is a gate that frames a large silo or tank that once held grain or water. The tank has split open and the lid has collapsed. Park outside the gate, and pack all your lenses and your tripod for a spectacular photo of the Temblor Range covered with bright shades of blue, yellow and orange. Hike up the dirt road after closing the gate behind you. Watch for the first side trail leading off to the north. It starts with a short, steep climb for two hundred feet then levels off for a short break and then climbs again. This goes on for thirty minutes before reaching the halfway point where a long, slightly-inclined trail follows a narrow ridge. Along the length of that ridge are spots wide enough for your tripod. Looking up to the southeast is the top of a distant hilltop. When I arrived, it was covered with solid splashes of blue, yellow and orange.

When you hear reports of a great spring wildflower display coming, check my Issue #142 to improve your photo trip.