2024 Super Blooms
The super blooms of California 2024: a guide
Hannah Langley '25
Content Editor
A super bloom is a large proportion of wildflowers blooming in a concentrated area, a rare occurrence and a heavily anticipated part of spring, especially in California. So far, there have been several good signs and conditions for super blooms this year because of the plentiful rainfall and sunny conditions throughout the past few years. Six places in California are either in a super bloom or are expected to begin one:
An extremely popular super bloom site is the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. The blooming season is in mid-March to mid-April this year and the golden poppies, our state flower, although not as vibrant as previous years, is still a sight to see. There are plenty of nice hikes to take around the park and you can see some insane views of the sea of iridescent orange petals. It is a perfect day trip, being only an hour and a half to three hours outside of the Los Angeles area by car.
Joshua Tree National Park is another very popular option; it is a beautiful location with yet another super bloom.They have a large bloom of various desert wildflower species during March and April. The diversity is incredible; the desert flower super bloom is always a unique experience. The scenic drive is about five hours by car, but it will vary in time depending on where or when you leave.
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area does not get talked about enough for how incredible it truly is. The mountains, covered in bright wildflowers, are a sight to see, especially in its typical super bloom cycle in March and April. The beauty of this park is its close proximity, being just a half an hour to an hour long drive. An early morning picnic and hike in the lush Santa Monica Mountains would make a perfect weekend day trip.
At Lake Elsinore, the Walker Canyon Trail leads to one of the most gorgeous hikes, with massive amounts of flowers for miles and a beautiful river alongside. The super bloom typically starts in late February and stretches all the way to April. The three hour drive is completely worth it, with wildflowers galore and a lake for your leisure.
The Antelope Valley poppies in the 2017 superbloom
Chino Hills State Park has beautiful hills where flowers of every color grow. The park has not yet seen large blooms due to gloomy weather, but expects to see more later as the weather warms up. The hour-long drive is well worth the scenic hikes, especially on Bane Canyon Road where a majority of flowers fully bloomed.
The Carrizo Plain National Monument is a treasure and just three and a half hours away. Bursts of yellow and purple cover the hills and mountains, making it look like a waterfall of wildflowers. The bloom is expected to speed up around April and bloom fully in May.
These super blooms do not happen every year, so your best chance at seeing this phenomenon is now. These views will not wait for you, so I suggest going as soon as you can and turning it into a nice hike or picnic moment, as a lot of these parks have great camping grounds too!