The Carrizo Plain, 100 airline miles (160 km) north of Los Angeles, California is an area by-passed by time.

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

The plain is home to diverse communities of wildlife and plant species, and is an area culturally important to Native Americans.

It is traversed by the San Andreas fault, which has carved valleys, created and moved mountains, and yet close up, is seen in a subtle alignment of ridges, ravines and normally dry ponds.

  The Painted Rock Self-Guided Tour has ended for the season and will resume on July 16, 2012.  The Soda Lake/Painted Rock Tour is available on Saturdays from March 24 - May 26 2012.  You can make your reservations at www.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777 or TDD 1-877-833-6777.

Groups visiting Carrizo Plain National Monument may require a Special Recreation Permit (SRP).  Additional information on SRP's is available at the below link, you may also contact our Outdoor Recreation Planner at 661-391-6048 if your group is planning a visit to the Monument.

LINK:  Special Recreation Permits 

 For the latest News and Events

Carrizo Plain National Monument Approved Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision   LINK: Monument dedication ceremony

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National Landscape Conservation System