Best Places To See The Super Bloom Near Sacramento
With the Super Bloom happening and hiking season approaching, I thought I’d delve into the best spots to see these wildflowers within a 2-hour drive of Sacramento.
*Remember that wildflowers are protected by law in national parks. Please don’t pick the wildflowers or crush them by straying off the trails.
Point Reyes National Seashore
Time from Sac: 2 hours (97.7 miles)
Best time to go: February – August
Dogs: Not allowed
Point Reyes is a hot destination for wildflower lovers across California. Amongst the beautiful backdrop of the seashore and Douglas Fir forests, are a multitude of flowers ranging in every color and size. The best place to really take in the flora is the park’s Chimney Rock Trail, with flowers include poppies, tidy-tips, calla lilies, forget-me-nots, and many, many more (see here). Abbotts Lagoon and Tomales Point are also popular spots to view the blooms earlier in the season.
North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve
Time from Sac: 1 h 40 min (79.5 miles)
Best time to go: Mid-March – May
Dogs: Allowed on leash
This 3,300-acre park is a favorite stop for flora-hunters starting in mid-March. Walking through the large open fields you’ll discover an abundance of flowers, including lupine, foothill triteleia, Sierra primroses, blue dicks, purple owl’s clover, and, of course, poppies.
South Yuba River State Park
Time from Sac: 1 h 27 min (73.3 miles)
Best time to go: Beginning of March – End of April
Dogs: Allowed on leash
Near Nevada City, the riverside trail at South Yuba River State Park, features spectacular wildflowers during the months of March and April. Take the Buttermilk Bend trail and enjoy the view of poppies, pipevine, fiddleneck, and the ever-popular lupines. For a full list of the wildflowers check out Nevada County’s Wildflower Guide here.
Mount Diablo State Park
Time from Sac: 1 h 56 min (85.6 miles)
Best time to go: March – May
Dogs: Not allowed on trails
The park surrounding this 3,849-foot peak is made up of low, rolling hills and broad, flat valleys, so the view from the Summit is really something special. During clear, sunny days you can see almost 200 miles out. There are a variety of trails to choose from and plenty of flowers to see, check out the updated list of blooming flowers here.
Eastern Sierra
Time from Sac: Bridgeport Valley – 1 h 25 min (70.4 miles)
Best time to go: Late May – July
Dogs: Depends on the trail
The Eastern Sierra is home to wildflowers in every hue in the color wheel. Depending on the trail you’ll see flowers including orange tiger lilies, yellow mule’s ears, golden mustard, scarlet gilia, to name just a few.
Lake Tahoe
Time from Sac: 2 hours (100 miles)
Best time to go: Late Spring – Early Summer
Dogs: Allowed on leash
The Tahoe Basin is home to extraordinary local flora. The wildflower hikes range from short to long, and offer walks for families to do together. Once the snow melts the mountains pop with lilies, buttercups, lupines, and many more.
Happy hiking!
With my love of all things design and food, it was only natural for me to start a blog. I want to share with others my adventures as I travel, eat, read, photograph, and discover my way through Sacramento. As a Realtor, it’s important to me to know what’s happening in my community. And why not share that with you?