Carrizo Plain National Monument
| Carrizo Plain National Monument | |
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Aerial view of the Carrizo Plain
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| Location | San Luis Obispo & Kern counties, California |
| Nearest city | California Valley, California |
| Coordinates | 35°11′29″N 119°47′34″W / 35.1913582°N 119.7929080°WCoordinates: 35°11′29″N 119°47′34″W / 35.1913582°N 119.7929080°W |
| Area | 246,812 acres (998.81 km2) |
| Established | January 17, 2001 |
| Governing body | Bureau of Land Management |
| Website | Carrizo Plain National Monument |
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Carrizo Plain Rock Art Discontiguous District
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| Area | 1215 |
| NRHP Reference # | 01000509 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 23, 2001 |
| Designated NHLD | March 2, 2012 |
The Carrizo Plain is a large enclosed grassland plain, approximately 50 miles (80 km) long and up to 15 miles (24 km) across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, about 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Los Angeles. It contains the 246,812-acre (99,881 ha)Carrizo Plain National Monument, and it is the largest single native grassland remaining in California. It includes Painted Rock in the Carrizo Plain Rock Art Discontiguous District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2012 it was further designated a National Historic Landmark due to its archeological value. The San Andreas Fault cuts across the plain.
The plain extends northwest from the town of Maricopa, following the San Andreas Fault. Bordering the plain to the northeast is the Temblor Range, on the other side of which is the California Central Valley. Bordering the plain to the southwest is the Caliente Range. The community of California Valley is on the northern part of the plain. The average elevation of the plain is about 2,200 ft (700 m). Soda Lake, a 3,000-acre (12 km2) alkaline lake, is in the center of the plain with the popular Painted Rock containing Chumash and Yokut rock art nearby. As the central depression in an enclosed basin, Soda Lake receives all of the runoff from both sides of the plain. At 5,106 ft (1,556 m), Caliente Mountain, southwest of the plain, stands as the highest point in San Luis Obispo County. The climate type of the Carrizo Plain is semi-arid grassland. No trees grow there and the annual rainfall is around 9 inches (230 mm) per year.
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