Typically super blooms happen about once every ten years, but prior to 2017, they were occurring less frequently because of the drought. For dozens of years during the drought, the thirsty deserts waited for rain. As the drought continued to set in, fires ravaged the parched forests. The desert waited for the pernicious El Nino weather patterns to shift back. Only through recent climatology study, have we seen the profound effect of El Nino droughts. In California, it was visible in dry, parched earth. When the rains finally came in, it was the bloom of the decade, and perhaps the second bloom of a decade!
As the blooms erupt, amateur and professional photographers have once more taken to the hills to capture the cavalcade of color. We did our part too, but the more pictures we took, the more we realized the extent of what we were witnessing. A single lens couldn’t capture the bloom of the decade. Instead, we are providing our pictures from California’s epic wildflower seasons along with highlights from some of our favorites photographers. Without further ado, here are the images sorted by location with an interactive map at the end.
Table of Contents
La Jolla Gliderport
Long considered a photographic hotspot, this year the flowers add something extra to the sweeping panoramic shots of hang gliders with the backdrop of La Jolla behind them. Do you know what else is special about the Torrey Pines Gliderport? It’s free and easy to park here. If you’re near UC San Diego with your camera, you should stop by and see if there is a scene worth shooting.
La Jolla Coast Walk
The Coast Walk is a short 1-mile trail that connects La Jolla Shores with La Jolla Cove but best of all, it’s all oceanfront hiking. The epic bloom adds that extra je nes sais quoi to the blue backdrop of La Jolla Shores. There’s a small 2-hour lot on the La Jolla Shores side of the coast walk that’s sometimes easier to park in than the Cove. The good thing about La Jolla Cove is that there is plenty to see, so it’s worth the effort to park. Mile for mile, this is the most beautiful trail in San Diego.
La Jolla Cove / Scripps Park
Scripps Park is the quintessential California coastal park. It sits on a rocky point that runs about a mile from La Jolla Cove in the north to the La Jolla Tide Pools at Hospital Point on the South. La Jolla Cove is home to baby sea lions, and nesting cormorants and brown pelicans. Around the corner from the cove sits Boomers where the high spring tides send waves crashing in an explosion of water and mist. Next is the sheltered cove of the Children’s Pool where you’ll find baby harbor seals. Finally, you reach the La Jolla tide pools. During low spring tides, these pools drain and capture sea life that you’d usually have to snorkel to see. Ellen Browning Scripps Park connects these beautiful views with fields of flowers. Of course, while you’re there, don’t forget to stop for gelato.
Mt Soledad
Mt Soledad sits high above the La Jolla coast offering unparalleled views and panoramic photo ops. Ok, not that high at 823′ but your lens can still catch amazing shots. What’s more, with its proximity to San Diego and free and easy parking it’s a great place to go if the sky looks amazing and a must visit for out of town photo buffs.
Our friend Evgeny Yorobe captured this unique view of wildflowers from Mt Soledad with the marine layer at sunset. We love how he captures light in his work, which plays so well with the super bloom.
San Diego River Valley
The San Diego River connects the mountains of Julian with the Pacific Ocean between Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach. There are many beautiful spots along this waterway, but we choose two for the spring super bloom. The first is at the mouth of the river as it empties into the ocean. This is located within the Mission Bay Park system. The second is along the San Diego River Bike Path that heads up the river. It’s along Via Las Cumbres as it climbed out of the valley. I am sure there are plenty of beautiful scenes like this in every side canyon and field along the river this year. If you’re down this way, check out our Ocean Beach Guide for more fun spots.
The Slot, Borrego Springs
We Googled “Best Wildflower Hike in Borrego” and the google machine spit back “The Slot“. We had to go. We found a cool slot canyon that reminded us of Palm Canyon outside of Coachella. We saw some flowers during our two-mile loop through The Slot, but they were really just icing on the slot canyon cake.
Palm Canyon, Borrego Springs
Borrego State Park had a feeling that bloomagedon was coming and boy did it come. Photographers descended on the park in mass to capture the eruption of blooms. Borrego Springs is the largest state park in the contiguous US, but the flowers tend to mass at the base of the mountains alongside streams. The hike up to the oasis of Palm Canyon crown jewel of the park. Water and wildflowers amped this hike up 10 fold. The 2.8-mile loop hike was filled to capacity when we went, so make sure you start early for this one. Better yet, maybe you can stay in Borrego Springs on a romantic getaway beat the crowds that way.
Palm Oasis, Borrego Springs
At the end of Palm Canyon is the oasis itself. The wildflowers add that little extra punch to the water-filled wonderland. The only thing that would have made this hike better is if we saw the bighorn sheep coming down for a drink.
Walker Canyon, Lake Elsinore
If you’re looking for an alternative to the crowds at Borrego Springs, Tee from Thatsitla has a suggestion – Walker Canyon at Lake Elsinore. She says “Every year I wish for a “superbloom”! With the ongoing drought, it seemed my dream went from bloom to gloom.” The last two rainy seasons put an end to that. Since she is in Los Angeles, she had an alternative suggestion from Borrego for wildflower watching – “If you can’t decide where to go, I would suggest a drive to Lake Elsinore and soon. The flowers are easy to locate, and it’s a reasonable drive versus Anza Borrego which is 3+ hours from Los Angeles.”
Torrey Pines State Park
Alexander Kunz has another alternative to Borrego -“There’s another bloom in town… it may not be as spectacular as the Anza Borrego wildflower “super bloom” this year, but it’s quite a treat for the eyes nevertheless: plenty of wildflowers are in bloom right now at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve – more than I have ever seen there!
The ocean-facing side of the Guy Fleming Trail is particularly nice, where plenty of California Poppies and Common Phacelia create this striking color combination of orange and purple.”
Carrizo Plain Monument
Shimona Carvalho from Sidecar Photo highly recommends Carrizo Plain for wildflower photography because its northern location allows for day trip from San Francisco. Even though the road was a little rough (re: “take a real car”). She also loved the natural leading lines of the flowers, roads, and fences.
“Here’s another shot using a leading line to draw your eye to the painted hills, but this time it’s the road. See how the fence on the left also offers an organic leading line. So rustic.”
– Shimona
Chino Hills State Park
“This year has been such a great year for rain that the waterfalls were flowing and now the wildflowers are blooming. I had heard on the SoCal Hikers Forum that they were pretty impressive in Chino Hills State Park, so I set out to check it out for myself. It was even better than I anticipated, only a short quarter mile from the start of the Bane Ridge Trail.” – Josh from California Through My Lens
Stray Shots and Passing Thoughts
We are reaching the bitter end of the wildflower season in Socal so call before you head out. There is still epic snowpack in the Sierras so the summer wildflower season could be just as spectacular. Not only has social media been blowing up with beautiful shots this year but also with the abhorrent behavior of photographers. We wanted to pass on a few tips on how to shoot the super bloom ethically:
- Stay on the trail – You’re shot isn’t so important that you need to trample the scene for the next guy.
- No picking flowers – This ranges from a fineable offense at Borrego Springs to simple common sense in other areas. If you pick a flower, then it isn’t there for the next photographer or to send out seeds for the upcoming season.
- Pack your trash out – It goes without saying, yet it still needs to be said.
- Park legally – Prime bloom sites get crowded on busy weekends, but that’s no excuse to park in people’s lawns or in fragile protected areas. Leave early, carpool, and look for shuttles.
- Keep your pets home or on a leash – It’s busy times out there. Does Fido really enjoy the flowers that much? Don’t let puppy wreck the shot for the next photographer and for the love of Pete pick up his poop.
- Obey all signs and posted regulations – Show the local law and Mother Nature a little respect. Just because there are flowers out doesn’t mean that it’s playtime.
Perhaps Aliyyah Eniath said it best “Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.” Of course, if you stay on the trail, you might not even leave footprints.
We are excited to share our journey with you
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Epic collection of wildflower locations! Beautiful job on this post, and thanks for including me!
Thank you for letting me use your photography and taking beautiful pictures.
Beautiful pictures, guys! I remember seeing those devastating fires in Cali last year… so good to know it’s a totally different story this year. I wish we had something similar here- the only flower field I’m aware of is man-grown and you have to pay to see the tulips. You have so many locations to choose from! Does it ever get packed? I’d imagine all the photographers would flock here for tons of gram-worthy shots.
I bet you there are some beautiful wildflower hikes up in the mountains over summer. It was packed at Borrego and the Slot for that area that’s usually deserted. We met a couple hiking in the Slot who said before that day, they only saw three people total out there. There was probably forty cars parked there when we went. We came late in the day to Borrego so we had a spot but the park was actually busing people in because the lots where full. That being said, the super bloom puts flowers in places that you wouldn’t always look so there are actually more spots if you want to avoid the famous ones and the crowds.
The pictures are such a beautiful sight to sore eyes, I’m sure it was even more gorgeous in reality. In love with every single place you listed above. It is truely incredible that the superbloom happened after more than decade.
We certainly needed rain here in So-Cal and nature has delivered in spades.
That’s one of the things I love about living close to nature- the wildflowers and the plants. They’re so interesting and breathtakingly beautiful that it makes me think how amazing it is that the earth can produce such amazing things. Stunning photography and post!
Thank you. The weather made gave me a lot to shoot and I had some help from some really good photographers contributing to this post.
What a beautiful and varied area to get some great photos. I had no idea this area had so much to offer the amatuer photographer. I love the way the hang gliders are just hanging around enjoying life.
The Torrey Pines Glider Port is a great place to shoot. Right next door is the ultra modern Salk Institute and at the bottom of the cliffs is Black’s Beach, which IMHO is the prettiest beach in San Diego. With a little work, you can get a paraglider in frame for each of these.
The wild blooms are so beautiful!! I wish I lived in SoCal so I could see this in person! Too beautiful!
The beautiful thing about springs is that it is everywhere. Each place, in its own way, has an amazing spring show.
California photographs so well in Spring time during the bloom. I must say my favourite location from the ones you photographed is Lake Elsinore, this truly is a superbloom, the colours of the flowers are so strong! I never imaged a road trip for a superbloom but after checking out the locations on you map it very feasible!
Technically, that was Tee’s shots from Lake Elsinore. We kept hearing how incredible it was shooting up there but we didn’t make it personally. I am sure with your photography skill the shoot would be amazing.
Thank you, glad you liked the photographs. In dry, Southern California rain is almost always good thing. Especially if it is slow and steady and can soak into the ground.
Beautiful photos. Especially the one from Instagram, it’s my favorite. The sunset is just amazing!
Eve is an amazing photographer. I am mesmerized by the clarity and colors of his work. The funny thing is that he sells his photography on his site and this amazing picture didn’t even make his cut on what pictures people would buy.
Wow this is awesome and I’m going to a wedding in Orange County end of the month, if you only had one or two to choose, which would you recommend doing for the best wildflowers end of April?
I am not sure how long the bloom is going to last so I would definitely call the Borrego Springs flower hotline at (760) 767-4684 and ask them if it is still worth driving out there and what part of the huge park is still blooming. Lake Elsinore is right up in the OC so that is an obvious choice but I would gauge the bloom season on the information from the Borrego hotline. End of April the Flower Fields in Carlsbad (not wildflowers but…) is still open and it’s always beautiful in La Jolla.
So beautiful! I truly miss San Diego. (I lived there for 5 yrs). Its so weird because I literally just watched something on tv how Borrego Springs is having a wonderful little tourism boom because of the wild flowers! They look so beautiful!
Borrego Springs was hopping like I have never seen it that weekend. The good news with the super bloom is that there are more places blooming so you can avoid the obvious choices and still get some elbow room in the desert. Where did you live in San Diego?
I used to live in PB! It was a great time. Made many great friends out there and loved going for a long drive
Us too, we are at Garnet and Ingraham. Literally between Pacific and Beach on Google Maps.
Whoa! I used to live on Garnet, right in the beginning there were some small cottages at the bend and across the street was a small strip mall with a 7-11 and a wash-ateria next to a Taco Bell. Then I moved over to Grand about 2 blocks from Ingraham for a 2 bedroom place! I loved living there but wish I had done more at the beach. Hind Sight 20-20 and all that jazz
Small and funny world. I know the 7-11. We go to Reach Yoga right next door but the Taco Bell is long gone. Sounds like you stayed in the belly of the beast. We are in North PB which is still stumbling distance home from Garnet but quite at night (except for the Sea World Fireworks). If you ever want to come back into town and play with our beach toys hit us up .
Wow these wildflowers are gorgeous! I absolutely love wildflowers – think they are even prettier than more “exotic” varieties. I had heard that this wildflower season in SoCal was especially beautiful. I love seeing these photos – especially those on the coast and in the canyon. Great shots! The map is really helpful too.
Glad I could share some pictures of recent events with you. I have seen a lot of pictures of the inland bloom we are enjoying the coastal bloom as well.
Beautiful photography. I had never heard of superbloom till recently – now I want to see for myself, it looks amazing!
Glad I could share it with you. It has been a fantastic flower season so far.
Your photography is amazing! I love California so much but this has shown me a completely different side of the place. Inspiring post.
The difference between coastal California and the deserts is as dramatic as the difference between Northern and Southern California. The air is fresh and the skies are dark once you get inland. Glad you liked the post.
Thanks for sharing beautiful spring photos! I’m jealous how spring looks like in SoCal! I wish there were so many different and colourful flowers in Alberta in spring that we could enjoy!
It’s ok cat. We wish there were snow capped mountains for us to enjoy.
Do you know that yellow flowers are my favorite thing in the world? This I would definitely do next year! Thanks for the idea!
Any yellow flower in particular or all yellow flowers as a general class?
Stunning photos! Thank you for recommending all of the places to view California’s gorgeous wildflower bloom.
My pleasure. Glad to share.
WOW! This looks so pretty. I’ll be in California in two days and this comes just in the nick of the time. I would love to explore few of these places. Thanks for sharing.
There are definitely still flowers going on in San Diego proper right now.
Love the different flowers across the different landscapes. They are so pretty!
Thank you. We tried to pick some original framing for the flowers
Thanks for sharing what the fuss is all about! I swear, my Facebook feed has been blowing up with friends in the West talking all about the ‘spring bloom’ and I wonder to myself, what’s the big deal? Doesn’t this happen ever spring everywhere? I get it now. Plus, cactus flowers are especially gorgeous, no?
Cacti have the most amazing colors I have seen. In fact, a lot of native weavers use cacti to get their deep purple color. There is a an intermediate step where a little bug gathers all the purple pigment but still an amazing color of purple. Even during a super bloom the cactus flowers in the desert out here pale in comparison to Tucson.
AHHH I love this!!! Chino Hills looks like a DREAM! I’ve been seeing pics of it or somewhere similar on Insta and I’m sooo jealous! I live up in SF so not too far – I need to go next year!
I am surprised that more people don’t just hop on the SW sale fairs and fly down here. (then again, we don’t fly up to San Fran enough) . If you’re coming down, hit us up and we’ll go for a drink or shooting or something.
Beautiful! I’d love to see the southern California coast in bloom one day.
Coastal California is a always beautiful and the spring bloom pushes it up a level.
These wildflowers are GORGEOUS! And having the beautiful Pacific Ocean as a backdrop makes for some amazing photos! I can’t wait to be able to explore this area a bit more in the future (whenever I can find some time to escape from work!)
Thank you. When ever you find that escape from work hit us up. We’d love to show you our hood.
I would love to meet you both and even try floating!! (:
You’re welcome here anytime.
Well I now know the best time of the year to hit the West Coast! These photos are truly beautiful & I love that you’ve captured all different types of wildflowers too. That map is super helpful too, California Superbloom 2018, look out!
Not so fast my friend…. There are so many good times to hit the West Coast it’s hard to choose just one. Spring wildflowers is definitely on the list but the fall shoulder season when the rates are low, the crowds are gone but the ocean is still warm is pretty high on that list.
I love photographing the landscape and these photos are beautiful. Spring is such a good time to get outside, especially after a bitterly cold winter. And it’s even better to get outside with a camera and document the bloom. Great post.
I remember bitter cold in Ohio. Bitter cold in San Diego is anything under 50. Spring flowers seem like a great reward for the toils of winter.
I just have to say that your dedication to hiking and finding all the meanest wildflower blooms is impressive! Maybe it’s not that hard of “work” to get out into the hills and look at the purdy flowers 😉 but I am impressed with the time commitment. Thanks for sharing some shots from the bloom of the decade!
It was addictive to go out and see the flowers. Each location we shot at made us want to go back for more. We finally decided to publish while the season was still “open” and filled in the gaps with some other choice photographers. Glad you liked the post.
Oh it’s that time of year again when flowers are in bloom and I’m so excited! I love hiking in the spring for that reason. I’d love to visit La Jolla Cove if you get to see wildlife AND flowers, sounds amazing!
La Jolla is an amazing place. The world’s best gelato too.
Oh I am so sad we missed this remarkable season of flowers in our home state! Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures. These are some of the best I’ve seen! The map is very helpful too.
Thank you. We wanted to make our post stand out so good picture, more pictures and a map it was.
Love the photos of the many blooming flowers this spring! It’s as if all of Cali’s nature is celebrating the return of wonderful rainfall. We were in La Jolla last weekend and it was just stunning.
Were you here for Concours d’Elegance? They had a lot of tents set up in Scripps park for that. It’s always a good time to visit La Jolla.
Wow! It looks like San Diego really was the perfect place to take in the super bloom. I’ve been wanting to make a trip but all the places listed seemed so far away. Guess I’ll have to keep my eye out for the next one that comes around and book a flight to San Diego.
Yes another reason to come to San Diego 🙂
I would probably own a florist shop if I were in La Jolla. These flowers are so inspiring to create beautiful bouquets for weddings or in any occasion. I hope that I can visit this place someday.
Iza c/o Fill My Passport
Flower shop in La Jolla isn’t a bad dream at all. It’s definitely a beautiful place I hope you can visit some day.
I haven’t had the chance to visit the areas of the superbloom but seeing it from the pictures, it looks so beautiful! I am so happy to see California out of the drought and brought back all the beautiful flowers!
Glad to share it and certainly enjoying the rain. We have needed this for a long time.
Oh my gosh the poppies at Lake Elsinore were beautiful, I can’t believe I missed them!
It was a fantastic spring bloom. What I heard is that the popular poppy patches are almost always productive. They are visited for good reason. The super bloom let the marginal fields bloom. If you follow the Borrego Springs website, they give good reports for the flower season and it’s close enough to Lake Elsinore that you can plan an outing.
I went out to Borrego, it was beautiful. I actually live about 40 minutes from Lake Elsinore… I have no excuse :/
Sounds like we are in the same neck of the woods. We live in Pacific Beach San Diego. If you’re ever down this way hit us up and we’ll take you for some local eats.