WHERE THE WILDFLOWERS ARE
Each spring, nature wields a paintbrush over the Bay Area foothills and beyond, bringing forth wildflowers that ignite into spectacular displays across the hills and valleys of Northern California.
The spectacle lasts from March through mid-July, with the Bay Area’s big show in late April. Some years, the blooms can start as early as January.
Park rangers, interpretive guides and specialists provide reports on the best sightings: drifts of wild mustard in the foothills and along the coastal hills near Half Moon Bay, bright orange California poppies and fiddlenecks. Timing is everything. The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and California Native Plants offers wildflower forecasts at www.theodorepayne.org. Here are a few reliable spots to see the show.
Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin
County: Chimney Rock can be the No. 1 site in California to see a variety of wildflowers, with up to 90 identified and 20 commonly seen. Look for pussy ears, footsteps-ofspring, violets, Indian and Wight’s paintbrush, a few goldfields, baby blue eyes, poppies, sun cups, buttercups, checkerbloom, sky lupine and seaside daisies. Violet blooms of Douglas iris are common on the Estero Trail, near Limantour and at Abbotts Lagoon. As you drive in on Sir Francis Drake, you may also see lots of iris. Point Reyes National Seashore, Bear Valley Visitors Center. (415) 464-5100. www.nps. gov/pore
Marin Headlands and
Alcatraz: At the Marin Headlands, the popular trails for wildflowers are the Coastal Trail (from the top of McCullough Road) over toward the SCA trail (near the lookout areas off Highway 101). Plus the bay views are awesome. In the interior of the headlands, the Bobcat Trail through Gerbode Valley is also excellent. Or take a ferry to Alcatraz, which pops with color this time of year. Marin Headlands Visitors Center. (415) 331-1540. www.nps.gov/goga.
North Peninsula: For Sweeney Ridge, park at Skyline College in San Bruno and take the Notch Trail. In addition to the views across the Peninsula foothills, you can see displays of coast rock cress and lupines. At Milagra Ridge above Pacifica, park at the north end of College Drive and walk up the staircase to the Rockridge Garden. You get a panoramic view of the coast and a great variety of wildflowers. Golden Gate National Recreation Area (San Francisco/ North Peninsula). (415) 561-4700. www.nps. gov/goga.
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space
District: The best open space preserves for wildflower blooms are at Russian Ridge, Pulgas Ridge, Sierra Azul, Monte Bello, Los Trancos, Windy Hill and Picchetti. Russian Ridge is often the best of them. You hike the short climb up Borel Hill to get the beautiful view west of the coastal foothills and longdistance scope of the ocean, along with up-close wildflowers along the way. The Ancient Oaks Trail is also good for wildflowers. Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. (650) 6911200. www. openspace.org.
East Bay Regional
Parks: Many parks in the East Bay hills have excellent wildflower blooms. Visit Sunol Regional Wilderness, in the vicinity of the Maguire Peaks area, or Rocky Ridge above Del Valle on the Ohlone Wilderness Trail. In Chabot Regional Park, if you hit it right, Grass Valley from the Bort Meadow Staging Area on south can be gorgeous with wild radish, blue-eyed grass and poppies. East Bay Regional Park District. (888) 327-2757. www. ebparks.org
Mount Diablo: The Briones-to-Mount Diablo Trail features pockets with eyepopping rafts of wild mustard, along with occasional explosions of California poppies. Shell Ridge and Castle Rocks on the flank of Diablo can provide similar shows. On the road up to the Diablo summit, you might pass several areas with blooms of poppies. Mount Diablo State Park. (925) 838-9225. www.parks.ca.gov. Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. www. mdia.org Rancho del Oso, Santa Cruz County: Rancho del Oso is the coastal outpost for Big Basin Redwoods, located along Highway 1 a short way south of Año Nuevo State Park. Of 50 wildflowers within short range of the nature center, highlights include buttercups, shooting stars and western wake robin. Nature and History Center, 3600 Highway 1, Davenport. (831) 427-2288. http:// ranchodeloso.org
Sierra foothills: Daffodil Hill — with its 300,000 daffodils and other flowers — is outside the town of Volcano, in the Amador County foothills above the San Joaquin Valley. In some years, the blooms can ignite all at once, making for a spectacular display that lasts from about late March into early to mid-April, depending on the weather. The site is at a historic ranch, with original barn, wagon wheels, and mining and farming equipment from the 1800s. Note: Always call first. No pets. 18310 Rams Horn Grade Road, Volcano. (209) 296-7048. www. facebook.com/ DaffodilHill