Back to the Main Wildflower Page
Carrizo Plain Area desert wildflower,
here are are some things you should know before you go,
The Carrizo Plain National Monument, located 100 airline miles (160 km) from Los Angeles, is an area by-passed by time. Soda Lake, its centerpiece, is a glistening bed of white salt, set within a vast open grassland, rimmed by steep mountains. The plain is home to diverse communities of wildlife and plant species, is an area culturally important to Native Americans, and is traversed by the San Andreas fault, which has created and moved mountain ranges, carved valleys and is marked by a subtle alignment of ridges, ravines and pools.
This area is very remote and undeveloped, therefore it is recommended that you do not rely on GPS or other mapping programs to lead you to the park. All vehicles must remain on roads. Link to map
Prepare yourself for your adventure. The Carrizo Plain National Monument does not provide any services such as water, food, or fuel. Plan your trip accordingly and ensure you get these items in one of the neighboring communities before you go.
Link to Park Guide and Map PDF
Share Your Carrizo Plain Area desert wildflower Photos & Reports with DesertUSA
Please share your Carrizo Plain Area desert wildflower pictures, including the date and location. We will post your photos on our Wildflower Reports page, so others can learn where and when to view the spectacular displays.
- E-mail your digital photos and reports to Jim@desertusa.com. Use Wildflower Report as the subject of your e-mail. Let us know where you took the image, the date, and how you would like us to give you photo credit (first name, etc.)
- Text your photos to 760-740-1787. Be sure to include the location and the name you want to be credited for the photos.
Note: Spring is one of the most beautiful times of the year in the desert, but it can also be a time for caution. Rattlesnakes lie dormant during the cold fall and winter months and awaken from hibernation in the warm months of March and April. Another reason to stay on the trails. More…
2026 Wildflower Reports Carrizo Plain Area
March 23 2026, Kristen Reports: Carrizo plain, March 19-20. Did not take any pics as we saw zero flowers. Drove via Kittrick to Carrizo and then to Paso Robles. One field of fuchsia near the solar farm. ZERO COLOR everywhere else. The March 18 report we saw said the color was good and would last 2 weeks. Nothing there but green weed and brown hills.
March 22 2026 Allison Reports: Only select areas of the mountain ranges were found with blankets of flowers. The grasses are very tall this year so flowers are hidden, but there! I’ll qualify that we didn’t drive Soda Lake Rd south past Shelby Road and Caliente Mountain Rd. So we focused on Caliente Mt Road. But the flowers are still out and the hills everywhere are a beautiful Leprechaun green.
There was a strong presence of Owl Clover that were a lovely contrasting mass against green. The California Goldfields were not as dense in their normal area at corners of Soda Lake and Shelby Rd, but again the grass nearly towered over them, which lessened the dense bold one normally experiences (thinking back to 2018). Still beautiful and orange Fiddlenecks gathered along the roadside everywhere.
The Lupine bushes were past bloom and we saw only sparse lupine flowers in the thick of grass. It’s definitely not a California Poppy year, though there were a few bunches along the road. The only hillside clustering we saw was just past the two old water stores to the right on Caliente. Looking across the plain it appeared that the Poppies might be out on Elkhorn Rd but we didn’t make the long drive out there to validate.
The hills along Caliente Mtn Road were on full display with a great variety of flower bouquets.its worth a short hike to step out and see up close even in the heat; just start out early or go out later in the afternoon when cool breezes offer a welcome reprieve. Pink Storks-bill, Baby Blue-eyes, white Desert Dandelions, a dominance of blanketing Hillside Daisies, and 3 varieties of Phacelia (don’t touch or you’ll get a rash not unlike poison oak!). My favorite discoveries were the pale lavender Tansy Lead Phacelia hiding in the Owl Clover before the original site of Shelby Ranch and the bold, yet delicate orange and red-eyed Menzelia flowers in one spot along the right-side of the road, going up at the of the start of Caliente Mtn Road. Look carefully as they are so pretty. Some Desert Candles can be found growing in a sporadic line along the south side of ridge hilltops, but most all are past bloom, unfortunately.
Last, while it’s sad to see so many completely burned Junipers at a lower elevation, their ghostly white and charred black remains are quite sticking against the yellow flowers and soft sunset blues and greens of distant hills. Aside from the haze of LA smog to the south, it’s still well worth at least one overnight tent camp to watch the setting and rising sun over these amazing plains. And the dark night sky of planets and stars that one can experience here is breathtaking.
March 17 2026 Craig Reports: Wildflower report–Desert candles at Carrizon Plain. Display may continue for another week or two.
MAXIMUM desert candles location at Carrizon Plain. Start from US101 or I-5, and go along Cal. Hwy 58 to Carrizo Plain National Monument, and the Soda Lake Road entrance. Drive north along Soda Lake Road 15.5 miles to the Selby Campground Road. This road is not paved or gravel, just graded dirt and very dusty, so best to go very slow when passing another vehicle, and very, very slow when going past people camping or looking at wildflowers along the roadside.
And when you get to blind curves, best to honk your horn at those spots to let oncoming traffic know that you are coming around the curve. In places the road is barely wide enough for two vehicles, so if you are going uphill, best to stop and give the downhill vehicle the right of way, so they do not clip and rip off your side mirror as they go by. One of the most dangerous roads in California I have ever driven on, so proceed with caution — by stopping to let anyone pass, and watch very carefully, going around the curves.
Set your trip odometer to zero at the junction of Soda Lake Road and Shelby Road, and when you get to the right fork that goes onto Caliente Mountain Road, continue for a total of 8.5 miles from Soda Lake Road to the microwave tower. Google Maps lists this tower as the “Fellow FAA Vor site”. There is no official signage at the Shelby Road/Caliente Mountain Road fork to give you any clue which way to go– maybe someone could put a sign at that right fork “Desert Candles this way –>>” because we found a few desert candle searchers who were totally lost and had walked for miles, because they were many miles away from the Desert candle “Sweet spot”.
There is a big patch of desert candles, where the photo was take located 0.7 miles before the tower, that would be 7.8 miles from Soda Lake Road. There is a fork in the road there and take the right fork to park on a hill, and walk down. Another spot to park is 0.3 mile past the microwave tower at the summit, with two spots to park along the wide curves, after you go over the summit.
Masses of desert candle plants spaced 1-2 feet apart and when when densely clustered, 10-20 per square foot. If you continue down the road towards Cal Hwy 166, scattered clusters for another 2.6 miles, but the road gets really, really bad at 3.0 miles and beyond, and there must be a washout because it does not continue all the way to 166. DO NOT suggest going beyond 3.0 miles past the tower, because dirt road has not been graded for several years and the ruts even at walking speed, are way too rough. Along with the desert candles, masses of other flowers, as the photo shows. I call this area, “Desert Candle HQ” for all of California.
March 16 2026 Ruth Reports: Google Maps appears to be sending drivers down a road along the power lines into mud which is labeled “Authorized Vehicles Only”. Panorama Road before Soda Lake Road has deep ruts, only suitable for high clearance vehicles. Elkhorn Road views and flowers
March 12 2026 Gina Reports: Drove out to Carrizo Plain yesterday, 3/11/26. Wildflowers are starting to fade in some areas, but I did find a few great spots full of color. Roads are good.
March 9 2026 BLM Reports: Wildflowers continue to bloom across Carrizo Plain National Monument following early winter rains. Visitors are encouraged to plan ahead, stay on designated routes, and enjoy the blooms responsibly.
Carrizo Plain National Monument, Photo by Russ Namitz, BLM.
March 6 2026 Jody Reports: I was out there on 3/5/2026, and there were a lot of yellows… but, based on the superblooms of 2017 and 2023, none of the signs are here this year. Probably not worth the drive. People are still doing foolish things to get themselves buried in the mud, though. This guy was 30 yards off Panorama Rd., in the middle of the meadow, with an Airstream in tow. He won’t be getting out until summer!
March 1, 2026 Marria Reports: Beautiful weekend out at Carrizo Plains National Monument (02/27/26). Flowers are looking good and roads are dry. Most of these are from Elkhorn Rd., which is dry, but there are some pretty rough spots, especially in the south end. A high clearance vehicle is best. This is not like the super bloom a few years ago, but it is decent and worth a drive.
Feb 24, 2026 DUSA Reports: Wildflowers are already beginning to bloom, especially on and around the Temblor Mountains, with yellows and splashes of orange showing now — particularly on the slopes rather than the valley floor. Early blooms are continuing to sprout day by day. This early activity suggests good potential for a stronger wildflower season ahead, with more color likely emerging as spring progresses (typically peaking March–April). Some wildflower enthusiasts and land managers describe the plains already beginning to green up with scattered blooms, though full valley-wide carpets are still developing.
- Persistent wet conditions and mud remain a real issue on dirt roads throughout the monument — some areas are still muddy and potentially impassable for many vehicles.
- BLM and local reports continue to urge caution on unpaved roads; after rain, many of these dirt backroads can become soft, rutted, and unsafe except for high-clearance or 4×4 vehicles.
- Even paved sections (like Highway 58) are doing fine, but once you turn off onto the interior dirt routes (e.g., toward Shell Creek, Simmler Road, or Soda Lake Road), conditions can change quickly with mud, standing water, and slick spots.
- BLM strongly recommends checking road conditions before traveling, staying on designated roads, and ensuring your vehicle is suited for muddy terrain — services are extremely limited once you are in the monument.
A picture from the Facebook page on the Carrizo Plains site, Photo by Hanh 2/22/2026
Feb 15, 2026 DUSA Reports: Rain on the way, should really get things going for the wildflowers this year.
Feb 6, 2026 DUSA Reports: There are lots of good reports coming in on Facebook for the area. It’s still early, but there are some good pictures for this time of year. Looks like this will be one of the hotspots this year. Below is one of the pictures from Facebook, and a link to the Carrizo Plains Facebook page, which has a lot of current pictures for this month. Facebook page
Jan 28, 2026, DesertUSA Reports: Wildflowers: Early, encouraging signs of growth with green grasses and buds emerging. Expect more visible color starting in late February through March, with peak displays mid-March into April if conditions continue to cooperate.
Roads: Some areas (Panorama, possibly Simmler) are still muddy or officially closed and require patience until they dry out. Most major dirt roads (Soda Lake, Elkhorn) are dry and driving is possible with caution.
Carrizo Plain’s rainfall history in the current season shows significant soaking, making it one of the most promising desert areas this year.
Facebook photo by Richard Colorado 1/26/2026 2:00 pm
Wildflower Outlook/2026
- Annual grasses and wildflower communities could show excellent color and density.
- Carrizo’s open landscape typically reveals superb fields of goldfields, tidy tips, and other spring annuals once moisture and warming conditions align.
Other DesertUSA Resources
Wildflower Information & Hotlines