KCL Campground

7 regular campsites for car/ RV camping, and about 4-5 or so walk up sites behind the barn for tents only. There is parking at the barn. 

Pretty busy little campground, but if you arrive and all the spots are taken I’d stick around because a lot of picnickers use camping spots for lunch and are gone shortly after. Not only that, but people kind of squeeze in any which way and make a spot for themselves for the night as well, and it was all fine.  The campground was so nice and quiet and peaceful - nobody had kids with them so it was just a mellow calm vibe the whole time, so relaxing.

Very friendly and quiet vibes here, we really enjoyed it. Nice walking trails right from the campground as well.  Amazing wildflower blooms in spring.

Toilets available, as well as water, but the spigot ran dry when we were here in April. 

Zero Verizon coverage, even with the weboost, even from the top of the hill. ATT had good service, good enough for streaming and web browsing. 

We made it here in our 26ft class c. The road coming in was rough but doable.  I wouldn't try coming in anything bigger, as it was we were the biggest giant thing there. We did fit in our spot along the edge but still felt very big.  The middle sites are not level but the ones along the edges were.

Free, 14 day limit.  Ranger came through to check on things.

This rustic campground offers an arid natural beauty with endless walking. It's a popular place for birdwatchers –the resident owls who roost in the eucalyptus trees above the campsites are very vocal and they inspire daily gazers donning binoculars.

During spring there are poppy runs blooming in a couple places close to the campground. Venturing up on the ridges will yield a spare bit more floral variety if you watch the ground.

It's BLM, so amenities are basic – be prepared to bring your own water, the single spigot isn't potable due to agricultural nitrate impact on the water table. Vault toilets are kept clean, but bring your own tp if you arrive after the weekend. Not smelly, the rooms are airy, fairly large and free of flying bugs.

Surprisingly, my TMobile was fairly consistent 90% of the time and I was able to tether my laptop/kindle to my phone on occasion. This allowed me to extend my stay and upload my artwork.

It's an inspiring place for creativity. And I was so happily surprised to hear a group of really excellent blue grass musicians playing from the campsite across from mine during the first few days when I arrived.

Most sites are back-in. There are a few sites that could accommodate RVs-dry camping only, all sites include a gravel tent pad, concrete table, post for hooking up things, and a fire ring. And there is an adjacent lot for the four walk-in sites behind the barn. No fires permitted in the walk-in area.

The 19mile access road from highway 33 can be grueling in places with heavy washboard.

But for the walks, stargazing, creative inspiration and abundant wildlife, the payoff is well worth the driving effort. And there are more remote opportunities in the nearby hills for folks with good tires, who prefer a quieter boondock place to camp.

In late March, I headed to Carrizo Plains for a few days of self-isolation, wildflower viewing and some gravel bicycle riding while CA was just starting to increase its COVID-19 shelter-in-place mandates. I arrived the day BLM closed the KCL campground to comply with the Dept of Interior's direction to close BLM and national parks public campgrounds. But that didn't deter me, or the very few others visiting the Plains, to boondock about a mile down the road from KCL, which was allowed at that time. Getting there with my 16ft Scamp trailer was pretty easy, despite the rough, sometimes washboard dirt road once the pavement ends on Soda Lake Road. However, I do not recommend traveling the dirt roads with a much bigger trailer than mine, and absolutely not during or immediately after a heavy rain storm. The dirt turns to thick mud! I was lucky the rain storm that passed through as I arrived passed quickly before turning the road into muck.

This place is so beautiful in the Spring. Day and nighttime temps were very comfortable. The hills were still green from recent rains, and the wildflower blooms were showing off their amazing carpets of colors. Gravel riding in this area was so fun with the many offshoots of two track dirt roads converging with the main dirt road (Soda Lake Road). 

Love it here, and plan to make this an annual destination each Spring with the intention of exploring other parts of the Plains.

Carrizo Plains National Monument is the largest single native grassland remaining in California in SE San Luis Obispo, and my husband and I have been wanting to visit. We found Kern Cattle & Land Ranch which has now been turned into a campground for people to enjoy.

[ PROS ]

• FREE camping is the best camping! It’s first come first serve, but there was only one other camper there the weekend we visited.
• There are about 12 dispersed sites and all of them are under or near eucalyptus trees that offer really lovely shade from the harsh sun.
• Each sites comes with a picnic table, fire ring + grill, 1 parking spot, and gear pole with hook (for hanging lanterns/trash bags/food/etc.)
• There are 2 gender neutral vault toilets that are clean. The restroom is stocked with toilet paper and there is hand sanitizer available. No sink.
• So much nature to see around! We saw kangaroo rats, bats, hawks, rabbits, ground squirrels (that are going extinct), and lots of fun insects. In the evening we heard lots of coyotes in the distance.
• The evenings here are spectacular -- very little light pollution so you get a clear view of the night sky and all of the stars. The Milky Way was so vivid and we saw shooting stars the entire evening.
• I’ve been wanting to see an owl in nature for so long, and I was able to see one in broad daylight. It was so insane and magical. We heard the owls all night (they are very loud) but I love falling asleep to the sound of nature. The owl sighting was the highlight of my trip!
• There are tons of trails and places to explore. We even got to explore the last standing structure of the original ranch. You can visit the San Andreas Fault Line, Soda Lake, and Painted Rock which are all driving distance.

[ CONS ]

• The drive to and from KCL campground is a little rough. At some point you get on a dirt road that is quite bumpy and has potholes.
• It’s super hot in this part of California during the summer so make sure you pack LOTS of water. There is no water available on the campgrounds or for miles.
• No showers, obviously since there isn’t any water available.
• TONS. OF. FLIES. EVERYWHERE. It’s a little unbearable during the day having to spend the majority of your energy swatting flies. It is so arid out there that flies are constantly landing on every part of your body to lick the sweat off of you. The toilets are clean, but TONS OF FLIES. Not little house flies, but super juicy big fat flies. Luckily they go away when the sun sets.
• No fires allowed! They have fire pits, but you’re not allowed to burn wood. I believe you can use the fire pit with coals since there is a grill provided.
• No gas stations, stores, shops around for miles. Make sure you come prepared with everything you need unless you’re prepared for a long drive on the dirt roads.

Note: Pack in. Pack out. Please folks, remember to take your trash with you and leave the place better than you found it. It was sad seeing beer bottles and bullet shells littering the area. We did our  best to pick up what we could and take it with us, but LNT!!

A small remote site on a BLM land, so it is free but it is a first come first serve site. Not many facilities or gas stations nearby so it may be a good idea to bring extra gas if you plan to explore Carrizo Plains. It is right off of Soda Lake Road, about half a mile from the road at a shady little grove. Went on a windy weekend, but campground was nestled under eucalyptus trees so it helped. There are owls in those trees, so they were hooting loud into the night. Some may like it, but it was pretty loud. There are two restrooms (vault toilets - no water), fire pits and picnic tables. Bring your own water. No trash service so pack in and pack out. Views are nice especially if you get sites facing the open plains. Went in June so it was already fire season so no camp fire was allowed. It was a non-busy weekend, but campers arrived late throughout the evening and it was almost full. Weekdays may be pretty deserted out there. Weather can get very hot so make sure to check weather forecast before heading out.