Carrizo Plain National Monument Tours

Carrizo Plain National Monument

Carrizo Plain National Monument is home to a number of curiously beautiful sights, both natural and man-made. Among those, visitors can expect to see an ancient rock art site, a creek bed disrupted by the San Andreas Fault and a lake filled with a glistening layer of white salt.


Adjacent to the southwest edge of the San Joaquin Valley, the Carrizo Plain National Monument is a 250,000-acre oasis as well as a diverse complex of habitats for many endangered, threatened and rare species of plants and animals.

Soda Lake covers an area of about 3,000 acres and is one of the most dominant geographic features of the Carrizo Plain. As a result of evaporating mineral-laden surface water, a crust has formed in the lake, creating a glistening white bed of salt that has become a famous attraction for Carrizo.

The Carrizo Plain is traversed by the San Andreas Fault, providing spectacular topography along the eastern edge. Ridges rise sharply from the plain to form the Panorama and Elkhorn Hills. Temporary pools and salt-encrusted ponds appear along the fault, trapping rainwater to create stunning scenery.

Painted Rock, a large, U-shaped rock outcrop just south of the Goodwin Education Center, features what was once an elaborate, multicolored pictograph site created by the Chumash, a Native American people who historically inhabited the coastal regions of California. Commerical photography or video of pictograhs is not allowed.

There are numerous seasonal recreational opportunities for visitors, many of them focused on the plain's abundant birds and wildflowers. Aside from the organized tours available, hiking, hunting, biking, birding, wildlife viewing and scenic drives are all popular activities for guests. All vehicles must be street-legal and stay on roads.

The Soda Lake, Elkhorn, Elkhorn Grade and Seven Mile roads, all combine to offer a stunning 70-mile scenic loop drive, and the nearby Goodwin Educational Center provides interpretive exhibits and other educational programs.  

All vehicles must be steet legal and must stay on roads.

Carrizo Plain National Monument is home to a number of curiously beautiful sights, both natural and man-made. Among those, visitors can expect to see an ancient rock art site, a creek bed disrupted by the San Andreas Fault and a lake filled with a glistening layer of white salt.


Adjacent to the southwest edge of the San Joaquin Valley, the Carrizo Plain National Monument is a 250,000-acre oasis as well as a diverse complex of habitats for many endangered, threatened and rare species of plants and animals.

Soda Lake covers an area of about 3,000 acres and is one of the most dominant geographic features of the Carrizo Plain. As a result of evaporating mineral-laden surface water, a crust has formed in the lake, creating a glistening white bed of salt that has become a famous attraction for Carrizo.

The Carrizo Plain is traversed by the San Andreas Fault, providing spectacular topography along the eastern edge. Ridges rise sharply from the plain to form the Panorama and Elkhorn Hills. Temporary pools and salt-encrusted ponds appear along the fault, trapping rainwater to create stunning scenery.

Painted Rock, a large, U-shaped rock outcrop just south of the Goodwin Education Center, features what was once an elaborate, multicolored pictograph site created by the Chumash, a Native American people who historically inhabited the coastal regions of California. Commerical photography or video of pictograhs is not allowed.

There are numerous seasonal recreational opportunities for visitors, many of them focused on the plain's abundant birds and wildflowers. Aside from the organized tours available, hiking, hunting, biking, birding, wildlife viewing and scenic drives are all popular activities for guests. All vehicles must be street-legal and stay on roads.

The Soda Lake, Elkhorn, Elkhorn Grade and Seven Mile roads, all combine to offer a stunning 70-mile scenic loop drive, and the nearby Goodwin Educational Center provides interpretive exhibits and other educational programs.  

All vehicles must be steet legal and must stay on roads.

Need to Know

Booking Windows

Typically self-guided tour reservations are available starting the end of June for tours from July 16 - Febuary 28. Self-guided tours are available daily during these dates. Once you have your self-guided tour reservation and a gate code, you may visit Painted Rock anytime during daylight hours on your reservation date.

Guided tour reservation are typically available starting in February for tours conducted on Saturdays, mid-March to the end of May.

Changes and Cancellations

Tickets are free. However, a nonrefundable $1.00 reservation service fee applies to each ticket. All sales are final. No refunds for any circumstance.

Contact Information

Mailing Address

17495 SODA LAKE RD California Valley CA 93453

Phone Number

661-391-6121

Available Tours and Tickets

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