The Carrizo Badlands are a broad area of eroded desert terrain in Southern California, extending across eastern San Diego County and western Imperial County, with part of the landscape within Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Set between surrounding mountain ranges, the badlands are crossed by Carrizo Valley, which was shaped by erosion from Carrizo Creek. That drainage continues east into Carrizo Wash, with Vallecito Creek as an important tributary. The region is known for its soft, deeply worn landforms, especially the Mud Caves in Arroyo Tapiado, which stand out as a notable feature of this stark desert landscape.