El Cariso, California

El Cariso is an unincorporated community in Riverside County, California.

It lies along the Ortega Highway, just west of where it crosses the crest of the Santa Ana Mountains a few miles southwest of Lake Elsinore.

It lies within the Trabuco District of the Cleveland National Forest.

It is one of the sites believed to be the location of the 1857 shootout between the gang and a large posse from Los Angeles, and Temecula that found then killed or captured many of the gang.

[1] In September 2024, the community was heavily impacted by the Airport Fire, destroying dozens of homes in the area.