Goodwin Education Center | California
The center offers the visitor interpretive displays and exhibits explaining the uniqueness of the Carrizo Plain and adjoining Elkhorn Plain. Here you will learn about the endangered plants and animals of the San Joaquin Valley, the geology of the San Andreas Fault, the human history of Painted Rock and its significance to Native Americans and the farming and ranching history of the area. A diorama as well as interactive interpretive displays are available for visitor education. Informational maps and brochures are available at the front door when the center is closed. Wheelchair accessible restrooms at the Education Center remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the year. Contact the Education Center or make it your first stop to receive updated information about your visit to the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Open seasonally from the beginning of December to the end of May. Normal days and hours of operation during those months are Thursday - Sunday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. The education center can be reached at 661-391-6191. We also have a recorded information line 661-391-6193.
Get permits for Guided and Self-Guided Tours
Download the Carrizo Plain National Monument Recreation Map and Guide
Accessibility Description (ABA/ADA)
Cell phone reception is spotty at this site.
Parking for the Center is in a large, packed-gravel lot with room for 12 vehicles. Although none of the spaces are designated as accessible, the lot’s flat gravel surface should be appropriate for mobility device users.
A double vault toilet sits on concrete in the southwest corner of the parking lot. Erosion may cause a lip to form between the gravel and the concrete. A bench without arms is next to the toilet.
A concrete sidewalk leads from the toilet toward the main building. A shaded information kiosk and another bench sit at the north end of the building on paving stones. Visitors will reach the building entrance by continuing farther west and then turning south (right) on the sidewalk.
The Center has 2 information counters, 1 near the front door and 1 near a second door leading out to the interpretive trail east of the building. It also has shelves containing brochures, books, and maps. Exhibits include displays with angled interpretive signs, wall panels, glass-covered cases, and bulletin boards with images and other materials. Some of the interpretive materials on the walls may be too high for easy viewing from a sitting position.
The gravel interpretive trail has shorter and longer loops, angled interpretive panels, and benches with arms. It is connected by a gravel spur to the parking lot.
Picnic tables with extended ends and/or recessed legs allowing wheelchair users to pull up to their ends are scattered around the Center, along the northern edge of the parking lot, in an area next to the lot, and across the access road leading to the site entrance. Some of these tables are more easily accessible than others.
Descriptions and photos uploaded June 2026. Please note that actual on-the-ground conditions may vary due to natural events (e.g., weather, wildfires, erosion), normal wear and tear, or site improvements.
Contact Us
Activities
Addresses
Directions
Once on Carrizo Plain National Monument, continue on Soda Lake Road until you arrive at sign for Goodwin Education Center, turn at sign and continue for 1/2 mile to the education center
Fees
No admission fee.