Long before white men settled the area that is now Lopez Lake Recreation Area, Chumash Indians hunted, fished and gathered native plants in the same hills and valleys. They occupied village sites along stretches of creek now deep below Lopez Lake. The canyons themselves were highways for travel between Indian settlements on the Central Coast and those in the Central Valley. Ideally located between the influences of the Pacific Ocean and the drier inland valley, Lopez Lake supports a diverse flora and fauna. Ocean breezes traveling up Arroyo Grande Canyon provide winter rains and mild temperatures.
Plant growth is rapid and often luxuriant, especially in the canyon bottoms.
Many wildflowers bloom January through May.