IN SEARCH OF WILDFLOWER BLOOMS?
A guide to the whereabouts, rules and courtesies for viewing this year’s bounty
After a series of powerful rainstorms this year, many are hopeful that Southern California will experience a “super bloom” of wildflowers, the first since 2019.
While good news for Mother Nature, this means that more visitors will be flocking to the mountains and flower fields in search of the blooms, which can put the flowers and their environment at risk.
Officials are planning ahead: In an effort to protect the anticipated wildflower blooms in Riverside County, the city of Lake Elsinore is closing the road to a popular hiking trail. In 2019, hopeful flower-seekers crowded the trails and overwhelmed traffic on Interstate 15 and nearby roads. This year, the California Department of Parks and Recreation released a statement urging visitors to take safety precautions and respect the flowers’ habitats.
Here we’ve compiled tips for how to see the blooms safely and courteously, along with other information about where to see them around San Diego County. To learn more, go to the state parks website, where the department will share updates about the blooms throughout the season.
Where to go
Wildf lowers typically bloom across the county throughout the late winter and spring. The Anza Borrego Desert State Park is already experiencing blooms, including sand verbena, desert sunflower and desert primrose in June Wash, Henderson Canyon Road and Coyote Canyon. The Anza Borrego Foundation has printable flower maps on its website, as well as a wildflower hotline you can call to get weekly updates on the park’s blooms: (760) 767-4684.
The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch open on March 1, with flowers typically blooming until early May. You may also see flowers at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and in and around nearby Julian, with a variety