Experience California’s ranching roots and ultimate peacefulness in SLO CAL

East of Santa Margarita, and stretching from Shandon to Los Padres National Park, Camatta Ranch has roots going back to the Mexican land grant days of 1846. The Morrison family currently owns, and ranches, the land while being stewards of preservation for the future. Their focus is on taking care of and sharing the outdoors, and the ranching way of life, with those who visit the property.

Read on to plan your visit and learn what makes Camatta Ranch a noteworthy SLO CAL (San Luis Obispo County) story that champions sustainability. 

Importance of the Land

"...when you’re on top of a ridge, you look and everything you see is the Camatta Ranch. It’s like a sea of oats out there. It’s a sea of just rolling hills."

At Camatta Ranch you’ll find land caretakers instead of people just taking from it. Sustainability is naturally practiced – always looking ahead and making decisions that will preserve this special place for future generations and beyond.

From rolling grasslands to an oak savannah, and even a long-ago inland lagoon, these 27,500 acres are a sanctuary for local plants & animals, as well as all who visit. This land is also home to six-million year old fossils and approximateley 90% of the threatened Camatta Canyon amole - an indigo, star-sharped lily. Come experience the peace and serenity of the great outdoors where everything, for as far as you can see, is protected open space.

Agrotourism

Camatta Ranch 2"I think it’s really important for agrotourism, for people to come and meet their farmers and ranchers and have that connection."

You might see a surprise while driving on Highway 58 in SLO CAL. Buffalo, who had a key role in Camatta's agrotourism story are often seen here. When visitors asked about the buffalo, Felicia Morrison welcomed them onto the ranch with open arms. To this day guests can take a tour, stay overnight or attend a gathering to learn more about the animals and the farmstead.

The Morrison family work this land themselves. They operate a cattle ranch, maintain an extensive organic garden, manage 250 exotic animals (and their habitats) and run an agrotourism business. And they do so in sustainable ways.

For example, their gardens help grow vegetables for their family and for the animals who call the ranch home. And the cattle at Camatta are still wrangled the old-fashioned way: on horseback. Compared to vehicles, this method is better for the soil and easier on the cattle too.

Lazy Arrow Adventures

Camatta Ranch 3You can find your peace and adventure with Lazy Arrow Adventures. Lazy Arrow, a nod to the family brand, encompasses the ways visitors can experience Camatta Ranch, and the ranch lifestyle.

Choose your own adventure:

  • Schedule a safari tour for your group of two to six. The tour will include sightseeing in the Ranch’s safari truck where your personal guide (a member of the Morrison family) will show you their private collection of exotic animals, lead you on a short hike to view aquatic fossils hills and drive you to the middle of the ranch while sharing history of the land and information about their cattle.
  • Book a stay on the ranch! Choose from a variety of ranch guest houses where lodgers can get involved in the ranch life. Trails and roads on the property are great for hiking, guests can also pick up their own chicken eggs and fresh organic vegetables for breakfast. This is a true getaway – the closest town is about a 30-minute drive.
  • Attend a gathering. Events at Lazy Arrow Adventures are called gatherings, and include things like spring wildflower hikes, swing dancing, concerts, organized mountain bike rides, cowboy action shooting experiences, garden workshops and more!

Book your adventure on Lazy Arrow's website or by calling (805) 238-7324.

Conservation Easement

Camatta Ranch 4"We believe that you don’t really own a piece of land. You borrow it from the next generation."

Working for over five years with the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo, the Camatta Ranch was protected from future developed in 2024. This land will remain a natural habitat of 50 continuous square miles, larger than the size of San Francisco, in perpetuity. This is the second largest conservation easement in the County behind Hearst Ranch.

A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement that limits the development of a private property to maintain its conservation value. This is beneficial in multiple ways: the land owners maintain ownership, while simultaneously accomplishing other goals. In the case of Camatta Ranch, some of these additional goals include maintaining ranching operations, conserving habitat and protecting the land from development and division. The conservation easement is especially effective, because it means that all future owners also must follow the uses specified in the easement document. Learn more about Land Conservancy conservation easements here. 

Other protected land to discover in SLO CAL:

Person picking up shell fossil with more fossils in foregroundTo book your tour or explore upcoming gatherings head to the Lazy Arrow Adventures website. And be sure to follow along on their Facebook and Instagram for ranch, family and other updates. We’ll see you in SLO CAL at Camatta Ranch!

Sustainability is intertwined in the DNA of SLO CAL. Consideration for the area's natural beauty and people can be seen in the artists, owners, wineries, shops and experiences across the region. Other unique sustainability stories in San Luis Obispo County include Surf Gems, creating jewelry from surfboard resin waste, and Couleur de la vie, naturally dying textiles using plant pigment. Learn more about SLO CAL sustainability and plan your visit today.