April 17th ~ Carrizo Plain National Monument
Super Bloom ~ Carrizo Plain National Monument, California
How can one sum up in words the magnificence we beheld when our best photos don’t even come close to capturing the beauty? There really is no way other than to let you know that as many places we have visited in this big old world, I don’t think I have ever come close to saying “WOW” so many times in one day.
Between Tim and I we had three cameras, plus two iPhones and took hundreds of pictures. After reviewing them, I narrowed it down to my favorite 92 shots plus five videos. Hmmmm, still way too many to put on a blog post. I would lose even my most loyal followers, friends and family…
I whittled again, but I’m afraid it was like trying to choose between your kids and your pets (OK, I agree bad analogy, but you get the idea). So, buckle up, and hopefully you will enjoy seeing some of Nature’s Glory through our eyes…
Carrizo Plain National Monument
Map of Carrizo Plain National Monument
We decided to approach the park from Interstate 5 to Highway 58, coming into the North end, closest to the Temblor Ridge area where exceptional sightings had been recently posted on the internet.
Both sides of the road were solid yellow. Amazing!
Both sides of the road were covered in yellow flowers
Word of warning: Please turn your volume down or even better, turn it off when viewing any of the video clips. It was windy and the noise is annoying.
We were just getting warmed up.
During the day we simply wandered around on both paved roads and dirt roads, stopping frequently to snap another picture or more accurately, pictures. Cutting across 7 Mile Road, we saw the valley floor carpeted in yellow.
A couple taking selfies (not us for a change 🙂 )
Bright red contrast with the yellow
Next we headed left on Soda Lake Road where we stopped for a short hike to the top of a hill for an overlook of Soda Lake.
Info on Soda Lake
We decided to check out Selby Campground to see if it was a place we might want to return with Ellie Mae. There are no hook-ups, but the setting was wonderful. There are several interesting rock formations in this area, such as Selby Rock.
Is it my imagination or does this look like Alf?
Our best luck came when we headed along Caliente Ridge Road where we finally got into an abundance of purple flowers mixed with the yellows.
At barn the road spits, stay left for campground, right to get to Caliente Ridge
I was in heaven…
Love this guy!
Be forewarned that Caliente Ridge Road comes to an abrupt end about 16 miles in where the gate is locked.
End of the line
It was so beautiful though that we did not mind seeing it again. The surrounding hills took on deep colors as the sun went down, bringing even more texture.
The hills took on a different feel later in the afternoon.
I think we got some of our best shots late afternoon, including the one at the top of this page.
Popcorn clouds
Caught in action
A smorgasbord of pictures Carrizo Plain National Monument
It was evening by the time we returned to Soda Lake Road, but Tim did snap a picture so we could remember (and show others) how to get to this area as it is not well known.
Turn off to get to Caliente Ridge
We then headed toward Hwy 166. This road is often a dirt washboard and can be impassable during wet weather. We did see well over 50 of the hopping Kangaroo Rats along this road after dark.
A few facts about Carrizo Plain National Monument:
Carrizo Plain National Monument
- It is located about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles
- Primarily a large semi-arid grassland
- Home to Soda Lake, an alkali wetlands which supports migratory birds and shrimp. A boardwalk is situated along a small portion of the lake.
- Painted Rock which is decorated with pictographs etched by the Salinan, Chumash and Yokuts peoples over thousands of years. Currently closed due to barn owl nesting season. Guided tours are done once a week, but they can fill up well in advance.
- The San Andreas Fault runs through it (best place to view the fault is Wallace Creek)
- Home to several threatened and endangered species including the giant kangaroo rat, the San Joaquin kit fox, the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and the San Joaquin antelope squirrel.
- AND MOST IMPORTANT ~ After a heavy rainfall year, the hills come alive with wildflowers, with especially good viewing from Temblor Range, Elkhorn Road and Caliente Ridge Road.
Showing some facts
A word of warning: Some of the roads may become unsafe or impassable during rainy or wet weather.
We could tell that there had been hoards of people over the weekend, as the grass along the roadside was heavily trampled down where people had stopped to take pictures. I’m very glad we waited until a weekday to go.
I would return in a heartbeat, and am hoping that another opportunity will arise.
GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am especially grateful for the incredible splendor that Mother Nature provided. I seriously can not remember a day that I have enjoyed more.
A Note From Abroad 
Amazing shots! So much yellow and none of it seems to overwhelm you at any point of time. That’s Mother Nature’s unique handicraft!
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Hello Pradita and thank you for commenting. Isn’t Mother Nature amazing!
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Absolutely! You’re so lucky to experience it first hand. Keep the great posts coming 🙂
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Simply stunning and more inspiration to visit this amazing place
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It was an amazing day! Hoping it will be repeated again next year as I would love to return for a revisit.
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I can see why and my fingers are crossed for you
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I love the wild blooms!
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Not only were they beautiful, but the shear abundance was unbelievable.
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I can imagine it. I was on top a 12,000 foot peak in Colorado once near Telluride and it was Columbines and a million others everywhere. I never timed it like that again, but it does leave an impression, doesn’t it? Flowers are so impressive.
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What a gorgeous place! And you got some fabulous photos. I can see why you had difficulty choosing.
Alison
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Alison, I know you would have loved it as well.
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The superbloom has been phenomenal even in northern California, but the Carrizo Plains are looking spectacular.
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I think much of the state had a good bloom this year. I hope you got to experience some of it. We saw a pretty good display in Anza-Borrego earlier this spring.
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Amazing what a bit of rain will inspire. 😀
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🌺🌺🌺
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Oh wow. Now I AM jealous. I’ve been there once, in the middle of a blasted summer day. Congrats and thanks.
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Brad, I’m thinking our timing was a bit better than yours (said with a wink and a sheepish grin).
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Yes, very beautiful indeed; it must have been a wonderful day. Do you know what the flowers were?
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Candy, I have not identified them as there were numerous different ones shown in the pictures. I did however find this bit of info about the different flowers found there if you are interested. https://www.blm.gov/nlcs_web/sites/ca/st/en/prog/nlcs/Carrizo_Plain_NM/plants.html
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Stunning photos. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you Jill
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We understand that there are places not even our best captures could define, nonetheless, your shots are wonderful and gives the place its due justice. :*
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Thank you. I’m hoping that we were able to at least give a taste of the beauty we witnessed. I know that the pictures will surve as wonderful memories for us.
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Very nice, a must visit. But I might be too late for the flowers. Wonderful photos. Looks like a great day. So are you going back to camp there?
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Terry, not this year, but we will see if next spring the flowers return in abundance.
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Still might try a trip myself in the fall just to get an idea of the place and do some camping.
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Terry, it is a beautiful area that I think would still be nice to explore even without the flowers – but WOW, with the flowers it becomes beyond a dream landscape.
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I lost for words to describe the beauty of this place. Thanks for sharing gorgeous pictures and information about this national monument.
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Thank you very much for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Always appreciated.
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Beautiful! It’s nice to know that a place in your “own backyard” could be your favorite place ever! Loved all of your pictures. Glad you got to experience this super bloom and thinks for sharing! I lived in San Bernadino for a couple of years. Wish I had know about this area to explore. Probably wasn’t a super bloom back then, but it still looks interesting.
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I think the entire area would be worth exploring more, even if there were no flowers – BUT, with the blooms it went from pretty or interesting to WOW.
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Beautiful pictures! Spring wildflowers always inspire, don’t they?
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The wildflowers made a nice day into a fabulous day.
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Wow! What a wonderful place. Thank you for taking me along with you.
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Wow! This place is breath-taking. I’d love to go for a hike there!
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Oh wow this is just incredible! Does it happen always at the same time more or less? How long does it last? This is beath taking
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Sorry, I’m no expert on this, but I believe this was quite unusual and due to the extra rains we had this year. It was considered a “super bloom”. I believe it was at its peak for about two weeks. Weather would be the key factor of when and if it returns to this area.
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So it was super lucky because so unpredictable I guess! Even more impressive!
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Amazing!!!
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Absolutely gorgeous!!
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Yes, it was really a special day. So glad you stopped by!
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