Carrizo Plains

[PbdBlue]

Thinking about a trip to the Carrizo Plains this spring. Looking for a place to camp nearby but it seems like slim pickings. 33' Class A - boondpock or RV park ok. Any suggestions?

[PSOUZA]

Originally Posted by PbdBlue

Thinking about a trip to the Carrizo Plains this spring. Looking for a place to camp nearby but it seems like slim pickings. 33' Class A - boondpock or RV park ok. Any suggestions?

Limited dry camping available on site, West of the visitor center. Arrangements unknown. Years ago, camping was available in Cuyama or New Cuyama. Closest other in Taft, not recommended. Best chance for quality site will be to the West along 101.

Beware, during a wild flower bloom, strict traffic control and road closures will be in effect. The pavement ends, from the North, at the visitor center, and the road is impassable after rain from that point South.

Lots of folks love wild flowers...and every one of them will be there....every where, during peak bloom. Think traffic jam.

Walking will be mandatory, from the main road, into the hills, on the closed lateral roads during peak periods, if rains were recent.


A super bloom will be well worth all of that, if you bring back pictures.


We were able to camp, on a small bare chalk hill, right in the middle of the best viewing about 20 years ago. It is a different country now.



Phil

[PbdBlue]

Originally Posted by PSOUZA

Limited dry camping available on site, West of the visitor center. Arrangements unknown. Years ago, camping was available in Cuyama or New Cuyama. Closest other in Taft, not recommended. Best chance for quality site will be to the West along 101.

Beware, during a wild flower bloom, strict traffic control and road closures will be in effect. The pavement ends, from the North, at the visitor center, and the road is impassable after rain from that point South.

Lots of folks love wild flowers...and every one of them will be there....every where, during peak bloom. Think traffic jam.

Walking will be mandatory, from the main road, into the hills, on the closed lateral roads during peak periods, if rains were recent.



A super bloom will be well worth all of that, if you bring back pictures.


We were able to camp, on a small bare chalk hill, right in the middle of the best viewing about 20 years ago. It is a different country now.



Phil

Thanks. As for the crowds I'm pretty aware of that. We get the same here in the local Anza Borrego desert come flower season. Don't even think about driving through Borrego Springs during flower season particularly on the weekends. Total mob scene

[SLOweather]

There is a campground at Santa Margarita Lake https://slocountyparks.com/camp/santa-margarita-lake/ and a nearby KOA https://koa.com/campgrounds/santa-margarita/.


To the south, there are some LPNF campgrounds, and a place in New Cuyama called Blue Sky Center, reservable through Hipcamp. https://www.blueskycenter.org/stay

[hclarkx]

If you want to do more than just drive through the Plain, you will want to get into one of the campgrounds within the Plain. Otherwise it's a long slow washboard drive into and through the Plain. Driving in twice from outside would be grueling. That alone would take most of a day with just a few stops. One really needs two or three days in the Plain to see most of the interesting areas.

One of the campgrounds is hear the road, the other is some miles off the road (all roads being "dirt"). The road into the second one can be treacherous when it rains. Neither have services or water; only an outhouse. They have about a dozen sites each.

Even Google won't show you both of the campgrounds (usually just KCL) but if you dig enough you can find them. The visitor center is at the north end and it's a decent drive south from there to the interesting areas (unless you have a car only and are willing to hammer it on the washboard roads).

[PSOUZA]

While the main road through the Plain, can be unpleasant, for some, the rain has not yet been sufficient for a decent flower display, this year. Getting late in season and the hills are turning brown...again.


Phil

[twogypsies]

KCL Campground looks like it's in a very pleasant oasis but looks like you'd have close neighbors. It even has toilets and water.

https://www.campendium.com/kcl-campground

[hclarkx]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

KCL Campground looks like it's in a very pleasant oasis but looks like you'd have close neighbors. It even has toilets and water.

https://www.campendium.com/kcl-campground

Yes, with most sites you will have neighbors though not KOA close. To the rear on the left is what looks like a horse staging area with some pens. If it were me, and I saw no hosre activity, I'd try backing into that area. The chances of a horse trailer or officious ranger showing up and asking you to leave is pretty slim.

Looking at KCL via Google Earth, it appears that a good amount of blue gravel has been spread on the short road into KCL and throughout the campground and sites. This should help immensely if it rains while you are there. A couple of years ago the rule was to hit the road at the first sign of rain because that road would be impassable in minutes.

To the east just south of the salt lake, Calhoun Road will take you down into, along, and across the fault line created by an 1857 earthquake on the San Andreas fault.