Patches of yellow and purple flowers are popping up over the 250,000 acres of the Carrizo Plain National Monument ahead of schedule.
Tom Frantz and his wife said they’ve lived on the Central Coast for years but are just now visiting the national monument for the first time.
“I've been through this area many times, but not really much to look around, so it's about time,” Frantz said.
Carrie and Peter Ritz visited the Goodwin Education Center at one of the park’s entrances. Carrie said she was looking forward to seeing a certain natural phenomenon.
“They have 'super blooms' in years that are real wet and I thought this was a wet year, but [the guide] said it's not going to be a super bloom year, so we'll just be happy with what we have," Ritz said. "It's still very colorful, I think.”
According to the Bureau of Land Management, the heavy winter storms have brought an early bloom to the area. Trayce Pedro said she’s using the extra weeks of colorful flowers to her advantage
“We wanted to catch it before the crowds got too bad," Pedro said. "You can go to, like, Yosemite or some of the national parks and all you see are crowds. This is beautiful and it's wide open and very little people. It's kind of natural California.”
Frantz said the flowers are a unique quality that helps people understand what the West Coast used to look like.
“I think you learn that the earth is somewhat fragile and you see so many other places where people, the influence of human life has really changed the environment," Frantz said. "This place is somewhat untouched and once you see it that way, you can appreciate the efforts to preserve it.”
If you're planning a trip to the Carrizo Plain, the BLM warns to plan ahead and bring enough water, food and fuel, as there are no service stations in the area. When visiting, expect warm conditions in the summer and cool temperatures in the winter.
