A photo of Painted Rock

Painted Rock is part of an outcrop area of Early Miocene-age (about 20 million years old) cross-bedded marine sandstone. The sandstone unit is named the Painted Rock Member of the Vaqueros Sandstone (Vedder, 1975). Painted Rock sits in isolation along the western side of the Carrizo Plain. Painted Rock is a large U-shaped amphitheater-like outcrop (about 55 feet high and 300 feet in circumference) with an east-facing alcove in its center. It is considered a significant archeological site in California. Painted Rock is located near the Goodwin Education Center, which is accessible from Soda Lake Road. (Note: Travellers are encouraged to call the Goodwin Education Center or the Bureau of Land Management Office in Bakersfield, California before attempting to visit this remote area. Painted Rock and other areas in and around the park are closed during raptor nesting seasons, unsafe weather and road conditions, for fire safety, and other reasons.)