Feeling chronic FOMO after missing last year’s superbloom? Don’t fret. Sure, 2017’s torrential rains caused an eye-popping flower event and put “desert wildflowers” on everybody’s must-see list. This year is drier, which means a more typical bloom pattern and a break from the Instagram-frenzied crowds.
Superbloom or not, California’s deserts offer a travel-worthy wildflower display every year from February to April. Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Anza-Borrego State Park, and the Mojave National Preserve are all prime destinations. And if you can’t get to the desert, find splashy springtime color at Fresno’s Blossom Trail, Oroville’s Table Mountain, San Luis Obispo’s Shell Creek Road, or Marin County’s Point Reyes National Seashore.