Carrizo Plain National Monument: Road Trips from Los Angeles
By Armando Ortiz
Decision and intro do the trip:
I had had Carrizo Plain National Monument on my to do bucket list for a while. The number one reason to visit this place was to visit painted rock, which is an outcropping of rock with pictographs on the side walls of the inner sanctum. It is believed that different groups of Californian tribes came to this site and painted images inside the inner rock walls - Chumash, Salinan and Yokut. The ancient pre-Columbian pictographs on the inner rock walls make this location a sacred place. Wildflowers decorating the mountains, hills and floor of this place is also what brings many visitors every year. Being that it was spring and this year’s winter rains started early and ended late meant that there would be opportunities to see an abundance of wildflowers. Aside from that there are many opportunities to explore the surrounding canyons and ridges that ring around the plain.
Background of Carrizo Plain and area:
Carrizo Plain was historically an area that Native American tribes visited. It is believed that the Chumash people would visit this area. Salinan and Yokut people also frequented the area. There isn’t much known about what they did there, but mortar sites and pictographs have been found. Painted Rock is the main place where remnants of a continuous human presence has been found. However, the flowers that bloom in the plain might contain some evidence. In spring many different types of flowers bloom, some being wild onions and tubers that could have been harvested.
In addition, some of the plants that sprout might have medicinal properties. After Americans arrived the lands in the Carrizo plain were used for ranching and raising livestock, all of which are now just remnants of a not so distant past. As you drive through you see unkempt buildings that seem to be frozen in a time when industrial agriculture was being introduced into the region. Dried out wooden posts once jammed into the earth seem to hang on wires more than create a barrier to intruders. Now people mostly spend an afternoon visiting the sites that open up to vistas.
Yet, despite the changing demographics of the surrounding areas, the wildflower blooms, and wildlife have persisted. The dry lake bed comes alive after a season of heavy rains. Some of the flowers that cover this area are different types of clover, lupines, gilia, linanthus, ephedra, buckwheat, fiddleneck, thistle, lasthenia, popcorn flowers, desert dandelion, spineflower, and many more. Depending on what route you take, evidence of the different enduring geographical features can be appreciated on the way there. The north and south entrances connect you to winding ridge roads. The eastward road winds out of the mountains and onto the easterly slopes that slowly and gradually take you down to Interstate 5.
Carrizo Plain is about 130 miles away from Los Angeles. We took the route that starts off Interstate 5 around the Fort Tejon area which takes you to Mt. Pinos. You exit Frazier Park and head west. At first the way is straight with a steady climb that goes into a barren valley where people probably grow hay. Along the way you drive through a town called Pine Mountain Club, which seems like a mix between a resort and private cabins community. This road winds its ways through the mountains and areas that have signs informing everyone that you are passing through private land. There are various off roading opportunities along this highway and camp sites if that is what you are looking for. The road changes several times, but as long as your destination is Carrizo Plain you’ll be able to navigate your way there without a problem.
Driving there the chaparral landscape and open valleys become lush pine forests and transition into more barren ridges that open up to views of the San Joaquin Valley. We drove through this area in the Spring and at times the sides of the mountains were covered with different layers of colors, which at times it felt like we were looking at giant slices of cake that had tangy orange icing, and mellow purple ume layers. Driving through this section felt like driving on a plateau and yet the road winds like a moving snake. Roads like these are perfect for those that have sporty cars and like taking weekend drives in the mountains.
Carrizo plain and activities:
There are two main reasons for visiting this unique geographic/geologic site. The wildflowers that bloom during spring, and sites of Native American life. Another reason for visiting is to do some off-road driving along the dirt roads that go up ridges and take you to sites that sedans and low clearance vehicles aren’t able to go to.
Our visit was during Spring Break, and the place was busy with nature lovers, flower enthusiasts, mountain bikers, hikers, and people that simply want to go see once carpets of pastel colors covering vast stretches of land. In specific areas, where the blooms were lush and vibrant, cars would park on the side of the road. You’d see people balancing a camera on a tripod to get the perfect close up picture of a delicate blazingstar or gilia. Many visitors wore shades and wide brimmed hats because the elevation makes the sunshine strong. All of us seemed to enjoy the brilliance of the yellows and delicate whites that seemed to be tiny sun bursts.
I was able to see painted rock from a distance, but would have liked access to the site. It’s a dream of mine to one day go there and see the site for myself and wander inside letting my mind wonder what took place there. To many tribes this was their frontier. It was a place of encounter, but also a place where you could reflect on the finiteness of life and the enduring might of nature. Yet, in those instances of thought you might glimpse the images etched by people hundreds if not thousands of years ago. Further east is the San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Mountains. From that side of the ranges, stones for making tools were traded, and brought to these places, and used to make arrows and spears. One could only imagine what else could have taken place here.
We drove into one of the unknown roads and headed towards SUVs that could be seen at a distance. The truck was set to four-low and drove it up to a steady speed. It felt magical. The gravel being pulverized by the all terrain tires, and the cloud of dust it made was at times amusing. Wildflowers were on all sides, and at one point I could see a small valley that was covered in varying shades of purple and dark blues, and different hues of yellow and orange. I stopped the truck on one of the roadside stops to take photos. There were moments of silence where all you could hear was the sounds of music emanating from the truck. At other times you could hear the light chirps of the birds that crossed our sights which only made the drive ever more pleasant.
Ending and review:
The drive to Carrizo Plain National Monument varies from whichever side you decide to enter from. The drive will have varied terrain and will showcase a wild landscape that at one point was tamed with the arrival of Europeans. The views of this not so distant past are found across the land which now contains only barbed wire and farm houses that seem on the verge of collapsing. On the other hand an industrial landscape where pumps suck the hidden black gold that is found within the deep layers of rock. On top of all that the plain itself is a wonder of the life that it has sustained, and becomes vibrant every spring. Viewing wild flowers is one good reason to take the drive here, and another is to enjoy a drive through Frazier Park and its different winding roads that quickly make you feel like you are driving on top of the world. You will definitely see a couple of sports cars zoom bye if you take this route. Exploring California is always an adventure.
