4 Places To Catch California’s Amazing Desert Bloom

28.02.2024 - 19:53 / forbes.com

Following a huge wave of winter storms, the California desert is expecting another spectacular wildflower super bloom.

March and April are normally the peak months, but the bloom can extend into May and even June or July at higher elevations.

Below are four super-sized California desert national and state parks where the spring blooms is always spectacular.

A few rules to remember. Stay on the trail and don’t tread on the flowers. Park only in designated parking areas and not in the middle or on the shoulder of the road. And always adhere to that famous wilderness motto: Take nothing but pictures.

Come for the flowers, stay for the floaties.

With more than five inches of rain falling in the national park since last August, a tiny pond called Bad Water that’s normally the lowest point in North America (282 feet/86 meters below sea level) has morphed into Lake Manly.

Here and there, the transient waterbody is deep enough to kayak, paddleboard, relax in a floatie, or take photos that include the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains reflected in the lake’s surface.

Death Valley boasts a progressive spring bloom that gradually makes its way higher, starting on the valley floors and foothills in between February and April, reaching 3,000-5,000 feet in April and May, and peaking above 5,000 feet between May and July.

Among the typical spring flowers are orange or purple mariposa lilies, desert five spots (with their five red spots), bright yellow desert golds and desert dandelions, and purple sage.

Although some park roads remain closed because of flooding, all nine campgrounds are currently open, as are the Oasis at Death Valley, Stovepipe Wells Village and Panamint Springs Resort.

The third largest unit of the entire National Park System, Mojave National Preserve sprawls across a massive expanse of high desert between Interstates 40 and 15.

Joshua trees are its most iconic plant, but like elsewhere in California’s arid interior, much smaller flora take the spotlight come spring.

Wildflowers suddenly appear in the most unlikely places: the huge Kelso Dunes in March and April; the volcanic Cima Cinder Cones in March and Cima Dome in April; and the park’s higher mesas and mountains in May.

Keep an eye out for more blooming succulents like the yucca, cholla cactus, hedgehog cactus, beavertail cactus, and Mojave mound cactus.

In the wake of the winter rains, some preserve roads are still under repair. Both campgrounds are currently open. There’s no indoor lodging inside the park, however there are plenty of hotel and motel options in the nearby towns of Barstow, Needles and Primm.

From U2 and the Eagles to the late Gram Parsons and Kate Pierson of the B52s, the Joshua Tree region is linked to many rock stars.

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