Unlike other parts of the United States where the wet winter weather causes a lot of trouble, California thrives in rain. Especially California’s lifeless and arid-looking desert, which is magically transformed by rain into a stunning super bloom of colorful wild flowers.
Unfortunately, the extraordinary California desert super bloom is something quite rare in this barren area. Most of the time, California doesn’t get enough rain, so desert blooms are usually small or inexistent.
But from time to time, after a rainy winter, even the driest desert like Death Valley looks like it has been painted with with color. There is yellow, purple, red, blue and even green in the brown desert.
Overview
Where to See the California Desert Super Bloom
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
The colorful array of wildflowers popping up in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park makes the area look more like a big garden than a desert. According to the park officials, it’s the biggest bloom they have seen in 20 years!
Anza Borego is a really beautiful state park to visit during other times of the year as well. A nice weekend getaway from Los Angeles!
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree is one of the best national parks to visit in March, when it gets its fare share of beauty. There are flowers everywhere: dune primrose, beavertail cactus, sand verbena, chuparosa, mariposa lily and wild Canterbury bells.
At Joshua Tree National Park the super bloom is fantastic! Even the Joshua tree itself is in bloom, a rare and spectacular event that doesn’t happen every year. What is even more interesting about this phenomenon is that it’s synchronized.
The bloom happens in the same year, at about the same time throughout the desert areas. The ocotillo and beavertail cactus are beginning to bloom too.
With such a display of beauty, there is no surprise that people are flocking to see the colors covering the hills and valleys of the California desert. Visitors are coming from as far as Europe, Africa and Asia.
The California super bloom is so rare and so special, that looky-loos seem to forget about the torrid temperatures in the desert and sometimes end up fainting from dehydration.
Joshua Tree is one of the closest national parks to Las Vegas and also within a short driving distance from Los Angeles. So you can visit on a day trip from both these cities.
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When to See the California Super Bloom
Springtime is the best season to see the desert in California bloom. However, this is short lived event that starts late February and lasts till mid march.
But if you want to see a desert super bloom in California you should pray for rain! If we have heavy rains winter, the desert will be out-of-this-world beautiful and the bloom will most likely last till mid April.
The best time of the day to visit the desert is either early in the morning or late in the afternoon, just before the sun sets. Evenings are particularly beautiful in the desert. When the evening breeze starts blowing, the temperature gets cooler and the sweet smell of wild flowers begins filling up the air.
During the day time temperatures in the desert may raise up to 92ºF, making it hard to appreciate the scenery.
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Linda (LD Holland)
We were in California in February and we got a lot of rain. The locals were happy. But we left before the super bloom showed up. I am sure it must have been fascinating to see the desert turn so colourful. And to see the Joshua Tree bloom. So sorry we missed it. We really could not go back in April.
Anda Galffy
That’s too bad, Linda. The desert is more beautiful now that I have ever seen it in 30 years.
cindy
Anda, I’ve avoided looking at this post until now, when the bloom should be over. That may seem strange, but I knew that your beautiful pictures would make me want to head out there and it just didn’t fit into my life this year! I’m so glad you got such lovely pictures though. It’s nice to see how lovely the year was.
Anda Galffy
Thank you, Cindy. Coming from such a good photographer as you, this is quite a compliment. The desert was beautiful indeed this year.
Agness of Fit Travelling
Stunning pictures, Anda! This place is so picturesque!
Anda Galffy
Thanks, Agness.
Kat
The flowers certainly add colours to the dry and arid desert, brightens up the day and your experience! 🙂
Rob+Ann @TravelLatte(.net)
Having grown up in the area, I love the desert anytime. But when the desert blooms, wow! Nothing prettier in the world to my eyes. Thanks for sharing the beauty of the desert that many never see.
-Rob.
Photo(Geo)grapher
Wow! What a wonderful period of the year. What stunning colours! I would like to see it with my own eyes.
Great post and very beautiful photos.
Anda Galffy
California is gorgeous in spring. You can imagine the rest of it if even the desert looks so colorful.
Vidya Kavitkar
Ohh my my! This California desert looks fabulous. I have never been thought such an amazing thing in desert. Photos have turned up amazing. I truly enjoyed reading. Thanks.
Anda Galffy
Thank you, Vidya, I appreciate it.
Anisa
Wow, your photos are amazing – so colorful. I really love wildflowers but unfortunately don’t think I can make it out there to see it for myself. Maybe one of these years!
Anda Galffy
Hope you’ll make it to California during the spring bloom.
Jessica @ Independent Travel Cats
Wow, nice to see some more wildflowers than normal. California was in a drought all of the 5+ years I lived there! Beautiful captures! Also great to see your blog back online!
Lolo
I wish I was home this year to see the blooms! I have never seen them before! Hope next year it’s also the same!
Esther
Wow, these flowers look amazing! Thank you for hosting the linkup
jill
Stunning photos, as usual! I live too far away to just run up for a weekend but maybe someday I can plan ahead when I know there’s been an incredible amount of rain and finally see a superbloom.
Anda Galffy
Yea, you are right Jill. I agree that this rare desert bloom is something you can’t really plan on seeing.
Tomas
Your pics are so beautiful 🙂 How long so you think that it can stay like this? I am asking because we will be there in May.
Anda Galffy
May is way too hot it the desert for these flowers to resist. They predicted the bloom may last till mid April this year.
Mary {The World Is A Book}
I’m so glad you got to visit and see the super bloom too. We really loved seeing all the flowers. We’d love to see the flowers at Joshua Tree. What a great collection you have here.
Anda Galffy
Anza Borrego was so beautiful, but it was way too hot last week when we went there. Hopefully you had cooler temperatures.
Rhonda Albom
Spectacular. I’ve neve seen so many flowers in a desert. I’ve been in the Nevada high desert, around Joshua tree, and through most of the southwest and never saw anything even close to these blooms.
Anda Galffy
This year’s bloom was absolutely unique, Rhonda.