2024 Carrizo Wildflower Alert - Carrizo Plain Conservancy (2024)

FAQs

2024 Carrizo Wildflower Alert - Carrizo Plain Conservancy? ›

Things are still heading for a good, or at least decent, wildflower year in the Carrizo Plain. Rainfall to date has been good, the soil is moist, and recently the temperatures have come up. This has lead to a sudden bursting into bloom of the early wildflowers.

Carrizo Plain is an all-season beauty, but it's the springtime, typically from late March to early May, that sees it bloom into an iridescent carpet of wildflowers. This natural phenomenon, known as a 'super bloom', attracts nature enthusiasts and photographers from around the world.

All public lands within 1/4 mile of Painted Rock are closed to public access from March 1 through July 15 each year, except for tours authorized by the Bureau of Land Management, for the same reason. Vehicles: Only street legal vehicles are allowed on the monument (except for portions of Temblor Ridge Road).

Best places to see what there is: Shell Creek east of the road; Carrizo Plain along Seven Mile Road and Selby Road; views of flowers above you along route 178 in the Kern River canyon east of Bakersfield and near Walker Pass; Short Canyon northwest of Inyokern if your vehicle can manage the dirt-and-sand road.

The most prominent geologic feature of the Carrizo Plain is the San Andreas Fault, which runs along the northeast side of the plain, at the base of the Elkhorn Scarp. The section of the fault in the Carrizo Plain is the oldest section along the entire fault zone.

There are vast fields of orange and yellow, and many areas of blue, purple, or white as well. The Soda Lake overlook is well worth the short hike up. You can see for miles in all directions - the lake, the mountains, the plain, the flowers. The boardwalk next to the lake is also a good walk.

Dispersed car camping is also allowed within certain areas of the Carrizo Plain. The designated dispersed car camping areas encompass approximately 100,000 acres where car, tent, backpack, or horse camping is allowed. Generally, dispersed car camping is permitted in the foothills and mountainous areas.

The Carrizo Plain is also the largest protected habitat along the Pacific Flyway, making it a birder's paradise in winter. In spring, Carrizo's rolling grasslands thrill wildflower enthusiasts with a breathtaking assortment of blooms.

Pets must be controlled at all times. In addition, pets must be leashed or caged at all developed sites including the visitor center, interpretive overlooks, trail heads, and camping areas. No pets are allowed in the Painted Rock exclusion zone.

A boardwalk to the beach and public restrooms are available for visitors. Day use passes are $5.00 per vehicle entering the beach. Motor vehicles may access the beach at the end of West Grand Avenue located in Grover Beach.

Is Carrizo Plain blooming in 2024? ›

Things are still heading for a good, or at least decent, wildflower year in the Carrizo Plain. Rainfall to date has been good, the soil is moist, and recently the temperatures have come up.

Without abounding cascading droplets of life, peak wildflower season is expected during March. In the foothills, goldenbrush shrub begin to bloom, gleaming with bright yellow petals. The supple purple of the bush lupin will bless the scenery along with pale yellows of the astragalus or loco weed.

The altered path of the Carrizo Creek is significant as it could impact the ecosystem, human access to water resources, and may be indicative of larger environmental changes. Tracking such changes is crucial for managing land and water resources.

Geologically, the Plain is a sedimentary basin that until just a few million years ago was part of the Great Valley. Then the tectonic plates shifted slightly, the San Andreas fault was squeezed, and on its east side the rocks folded up to form the Temblor Range. Later the whole Plain was raised almost 2000 feet.

The fault that is located in the Caucasus Mountain region is called a reverse or thrust fault. For both of these type of faults, part of the crust is uplifted near a fault line. This uplift causes the mountains to build as well as earthquake activity.

CleverHiker notes that "July and August are usually great for wildflowers, but that's also the time when mosquitoes will be the worst." September into early October is generally the best time of year to hike the Timberline trail, due to beautiful temperatures, fewer bugs, and fewer crowds.

We like to be parked by 9 am at the latest (earlier on weekends) so we can enjoy the Johnston Canyon Hike and not get stuck in a long line of people slowly going up and down the path. From the parking lot, pass the toilets and cross a bridge to a broad path, which begins beside Johnston Canyon Lodge and Bungalows.