Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Plan Your Trip
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2021

      The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2021

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2021. Read More
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture and Design
  • Plan Your Trip

    Plan Your Trip

    Norwegian Cruise Line Will Require Vaccinations for All Passengers and Crew

    Norwegian Cruise Line Will Require Vaccinations for All Passengers and Crew

    Norwegian Cruise Line hopes to resume sailing out of the U.S. on or around July 4.
    • Travel Deals
    • Attractions
    • BookTandL.com
    • Amusement Parks
    • Festivals and Events
    • Bus and Trains
    • Flight Deals
    • Budget Travel
    • Hotels and Resorts
    • Disney Vacations
    • Airlines and Airports
    • Ground Transportation
    • Travel Guides
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • See All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

LIVE
  1. Home
  2. Trip Ideas
  3. Nature Travel
  4. Winter Showers Bring Desert Wildflowers in California

Winter Showers Bring Desert Wildflowers in California

By Jessica Plautz
February 09, 2017
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Wildflowers, Furnace Creek, Death Valley National Park, Super Bloom, Spring 2016
Credit: ovidiuhrubaru/Getty Images
California has seen serious rain in the past few months, and that's likely to pay dividends in desert flowers.

So where to see them? Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, to the east of San Diego, is a wildflower fan favorite.

“Good rains in December and January have annual plants germinating in the flower fields north of town, and along trails in western canyons,” the state park announced this week. “Desert lily plants are springing up in many locations.”

“Germination is happening,” Ernie Cowan, president of the Anza-Borrego Foundation, told the Los Angeles Times. “If you drive through parts of the desert, you’ll see carpets of green. Plants are growing, and growing well.”

Or consider Death Valley, more known for its record heat than brief natural flower show. While a “super-bloom,” as it's known, is incredibly rare and not necessarily in the cards this year, the rain has our hopes up.

There's also Joshua Tree, made at least partly famous by U2, where flowers start at lower elevations in February and at higher elevations in March and April.

Although it is still too early to predict exactly when this year's wildflower bloom will peak, according to Anza-Borrego State Park, experts say flowers could appear as early as the end of February, and continue through March and even early April.

For updates, check the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park website, call the Wildflower Hotline at (760) 767-4684 (almost as good as the Hall and Oates helpline at (719) 266-2837), or sign up for email alerts from the nonprofit Anza-Borrego Foundation.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the blooms of years past.
Start Slideshow

1 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Wildflowers, Riverbed, Super Bloom, Spring 2016, Death Valley National Park, February 2016
Credit: Rennett Stowe/ Flickr

1 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Wildflowers, Death Valley National Park, Super Bloom, March 2016
Credit: Quinn Dombrowski/ Flickr

2 of 10

3 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Highway 190, Death Valley, National Park, Wildflowers, Super Bloom, Spring 2016
Credit: GaryKavanagh/Getty Images

3 of 10

Advertisement

4 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
March 2016, Death Valley National Park, Wildflowers, Super Bloom
Credit: Mark Boster/Getty Images

4 of 10

5 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Gold Wildflowers, Super Boom, Spring 2016, Death Valley National Park
Credit: GaryKavanagh/Getty Images

5 of 10

6 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Wildflowers, Spring 2016, Super Bloom, Death Valley National Park
Credit: GaryKavanagh/Getty Images

6 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Wildflowers, Badwater Basin, Super Bloom, Spring 2016, Death Valley National Park
Credit: GaryKavanagh/Getty Images

7 of 10

8 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Wildflowers, Super Bloom, Spring 2016, Amargosa Mountains, Death Valley National Park
Credit: GaryKavanagh/Getty Images

8 of 10

9 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Yellow Wildflower, Death Valley National Park, Super Bloom, Spring 2016
Credit: Erik_Eiser/Getty Images

9 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Wildflowers, Furnace Creek, Death Valley National Park, Super Bloom, Spring 2016
Credit: ovidiuhrubaru/Getty Images

10 of 10

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Jessica Plautz

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 10
    2 of 10
    3 of 10
    4 of 10
    5 of 10
    6 of 10
    7 of 10
    8 of 10
    9 of 10
    10 of 10

    Share options

    Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
    Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Sitemap
    • Travel Guide Sitemap

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletters
    Travel + Leisure Group
    Other Meredith Sites

    Other Meredith Sites

    • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
    • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
    • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
    • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
    • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
    • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
    • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
    • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
    • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
    • Health this link opens in a new tab
    • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
    • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
    • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
    • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
    • More this link opens in a new tab
    • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
    • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
    • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
    • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
    • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
    • Parents this link opens in a new tab
    • People this link opens in a new tab
    • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
    • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
    • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
    • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
    • Shape this link opens in a new tab
    • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
    • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
    • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
    MeredithTravel + Leisure is part of the Travel + Leisure Group. Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

    View image

    Winter Showers Bring Desert Wildflowers in California
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.