Carrizo Canyon Loop #1886

Dogs Unknown

Features Historical Significance · River/Creek · Wildlife

There are restrooms, three campsites and picnic areas at the trailhead. There is no potable water onsite - you'll need to bring your own.

This is an okay trail that provides an opportunity to see petroglyphs and wildlife and enjoy some peace and quiet. It's sparsely used, which is great for people looking for solitude. On the other hand, the trail is poorly marked and not well maintained.

I recommend hiking it clockwise for the first time. Follow the gravel path from the trailhead west to the trail register, then head down the flight of stairs. You'll need to cross Carrizo creek at this point. There isn't a well-defined ford, but the entire creek is pretty shallow and you should be able to cross it easily unless there's been heavy rainfall recently. After crossing the creek, travel north along the path (it's more like a deer path than a proper trail).

After a short distance, there's a slightly better marked path that branches off the main loop and heads west-southwest towards the wall of the canyon. There are petroglyphs along the canyon wall. After viewing the petroglyphs, return to the loop and continue traveling north.

There's a barbed-wire fence across the northern end of the canyon area. Turn east before the fence and look for a ford to cross the creek. You'll need to find your way up a poorly-marked section of rocks to gain the high ground out of the canyon. You can choose to scramble up, or take some time looking around until you find the set of natural rocks that serve as a makeshift staircase and make a gentler path to the top. From here, the trail is pretty easy to follow back to the trailhead.

I saw cattle, songbirds, a heron, ravens, and a fox. There are lots of tall grasses and reeds in the canyon ("carrizo" is Spanish for "reed"). There are mature trees that provide shade for portions of the trail.