Go Now: Carrizo Plain's ‘Good to Great' Bloom Is Nearing Its Peak

The baby blue eyes, goldfields, and fiddlenecks are looking fabulous, but do proceed with caution when exploring the remote area.

Neil Havlik / Carrizo Plain Conservancy

What to Know

  • Carrizo Plain National Monument is located in San Luis Obispo County, about three hours northwest of Los Angeles
  • The rolling grassland plain is known for its springtime wildflowers, including baby blue eyes, goldfields, and fiddlenecks
  • An unusual superbloom in 2017 made national headlines; the 2023 bloom will not be as bold, but purple and yellow swaths are appearing as March ends

Certain sections of the Golden State can seem pretty go-go-go 24/7, but there remain sizable regions of our state that have a finger in quieter, calmer times, those stillness-centered spaces that seem far from our modern hustle and bustle.

Carrizo Plain National Monument may be the King of California Quietude, at least for much of the calendar.

Besides its truly profound peacefulness, the glorious grassland expanse, which sits about 90 minutes southeast of San Luis Obispo, is known for a number of notable things, including one that is utterly timeless and one that is all too brief.

The San Andreas Fault famously runs through part of the monument, a feature that is as old as the eons, while the spectacular wildflowers that spill down the softly sloping hillsides only last a few weeks each spring.

The word "spectacular" got quite the workout in 2017 when an incredible superbloom visited the Carrizo Plain National Monument, creating striking swaths of painterly purples and yellows.

So stunning were these saturated swaths of flowery beauty that the national news reported on the remote area, sending plenty of petal-peepers in the direction of the monument.

As March 2023 ends, the start of peak bloom is colorfully kicking off at Carrizo Plain, with a "good to great" showing, shares Neil Havlik, president of the Carrizo Plain Conservancy.

This means that the coming spring will not be a repeat of 2017, says Mr. Havlik.

Still, the fiddlenecks, goldfields, and baby blue eyes are making beautiful showings as the month concludes.

Yellow flowers are still the happy headliners, while other hues are popping up, here and there.

We've entered "go now" mode for the pretty plain, in short, but if you do make the drive, the conservancy asks that you use caution as area roads are frequently unpaved and "can be muddy, slippery, and maybe not driveable in wet weather."

Rain is also due before April begins, so you will want to keep that in mind, knowing that your adventure could prove too soggy, and the roads too muddy, during the wetter weather.

A "full tank of gas" is a must, and taking chances is never a good idea (the wait for a tow truck can be a long one, cautions the conservancy).

As for where to look for the Carrizo color as April begins? "Probably the greatest color concentration is along Highway 58 near the eastern end of the Carrizo Plain, near Seven Mile Road," advises Mr. Havlik in his March 28 wildflower update.

For more tips on where to look for wildflowers, from Shell Creek near Highway 58 to sections of Soda Lake Road, you'll want to subscribe to the Carrizo Plain Conservancy's helpful wildflower update emails.

And as far as Carrizo Plain wearing the California Quietude crown? The exception is wildflower season, when many people call upon the area with cameras and scopes in hand.

But the monument's gifts, which include great hikes, opportunities to watch for wildlife, and other peaceful pursuits, are plentiful before and after the wildflowers' brief run.

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