Everything to Know About Wildflower Season in Southern California
We may not get a superbloom in LA this year, but the hills, bluffs, fields, and trails will still pop with gorgeous wildflowers this spring
After several wet winters in a row followed by springs of fantastic wildflower superblooms in Southern California, LA went through a historic dry spell last year—city officials recorded only 16 inches of rainfall in downtown LA between May and December of 2024. But over the last few weeks, that arid streak has finally broken. Atmospheric rivers rolled over the region, bringing much-needed rain to the parched and charred landscape of Southern California.
Now that we’ve gotten our precipitation, wildflowers will be sprouting in the coming weeks and months of spring. It may not be a superbloom, but the hills will nonetheless burst with polychromatic blossoms, from purple and white petals popping up along freeway embankments to undulating blocks of California poppies turning hillsides the color of crushed ice at the bottom of a cup of Orange Bang.
To help make the most of this special season, we’ve put together an explainer on the best places to see a superbloom around LA, from great local hikes to desert drives. And we’ve got some tips on ensuring you’re an ethical, responsible, and wise flower finder, too.
When will wildflowers bloom in LA?
The Theodore Payne Foundation opened their beloved Wild Flower Hotline on March 7, so the season has technically begun, but it’s still a little too early for most LA-area flowers. If you absolutely must see some now, though, head to the Central Coast to catch the first buds of the year.
Typically, wildflower season in Southern California runs from mid-March well into May. And if that doesn’t feel like long enough, flowers will continue to bloom in the Sierras through the summer.
What are wildflower projections like for this year?
Unfortunately, due to the uncommonly dry fall and early winter, it doesn’t look like we’ll get a superbloom in LA this year. Flower volume is expected to be below normal levels for the season across Southern California. But don’t despair: the Central Coast, Northern California, and the Sierras had wetter than average seasons, so you can always take a quick road trip to catch some of Northern California’s best blossoms if our subdued bloom doesn’t scratch the itch.
What types of wildflowers will there be in Southern California?
Southern Californians have access to a wide variety of subclimates. There are deserts, mountains, and coastline, each of which has its own set of wildflowers that will bloom this spring.
California poppies are the highest profile wildflower around here, but there are plenty of other native flowers in the greater LA area. Southern California lilacs are always lovely, as are Owl’s Clover. Sky Lupine are favorites in the foothills and over towards the coast, and the California Primrose are a cheerful sight spread across the Southland. For a more comprehensive listing that’ll help identify which flowers you might be seeing, check out Calflora’s invaluable database and plant finder tool.
What flowers should I boo and hiss?
In recent years, a bright yellow blossom has grown to dominate certain hillsides. It’s beautiful, it’s eye-catching, and it’s evil: Brassica nigra, otherwise known as black mustard, is an invasive species with a long history in California. Pretty though it may be, it’s a net negative for our native species, our ecology writ large, and for fire danger across Southern California. For more on this gorgeously cursed plant, check out our full report from last year.
Where to see wildflowers around LA
If you’re staying in town or only want to do a quick day trip, there are tons of great places to see wildflowers close to the city. Take heed though; several great hiking areas were devastated by recent wildfires, and some parts of the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains remain closed. Here are a few of our other favorite hikes:
Charmlee Wilderness Park
Malibu
With cooler temperatures and gorgeous ocean views, the coastal bluffs around Malibu are some of the most beautiful places to see wildflowers. Charmlee Wilderness Park covers some 532 acres of hiking trails, picnic areas, and open space off of Encinal Canyon Road overlooking the spectacular coastline. The hiking is pretty easy and trails are well-established, so it’s a great place for a casual hike on your way to or from the beach. And you absolutely cannot beat the smell of Pacific Coast plant life, sage and brush mixed with salty ocean air.
Cherry Canyon
La Cañada-Flintridge
If you want a quick hike in close proximity to LA proper, the hills above beloved Descanso Gardens are a great choice. Flowers grow along the moderately steep and winding paths through the Verdugo Mountains, and even if it’s not the most colorful year for blossoms, there are still epic views that stretch from the San Gabriel Mountains out to the ocean. And you can always head down to Descanso for some more manicured greenery thereafter.
Placerita Canyon
Santa Clarita Valley
Head north through the San Fernando Valley to Placerita Canyon for a peaceful hike through oak groves and chaparral. The nature center is a good base of operations, and along nearby trails at peak season you can expect to see peonies, purple nightshades, and more. The Ecology Trail is a pleasant and short stroll, and the Canyon Trail is also lovely this time of year.
Chino Hills State Park
San Bernardino County
The LA-adjacent side of the Inland Empire is known for asphalt sprawl, but Chino Hills State Park is an emerald jewel in the southwest corner of San Bernardino County. The park has about 90 miles of hiking trails, and in the spring the hills burst into bloom with all of the native wildflowers the basin has to offer. You are likely to see poppies, of course, and also lupine and sunflowers among many others. Make a hike in Chino Hills State Park as challenging or as chill as you’d like, from mellow Telegraph Canyon to the more strenuous South Ridge Trail up to San Juan Hill.
California Botanic Garden
Claremont
Head out to Claremont to visit the California Botanic Garden for a concentrated burst of native plants. The garden covers around 86 acres, with about 2000 species of plants, so you’ll get fully immersed in the incredible breadth of our native flora in one place. The entrance is $15 for adults, but it’s well worth it to support this excellent institution.
Where to see wildflowers if you want to make a trip out of it
If you have a little more availability in your schedule—or a little more patience for time spent in the car—there are great places to see wildflowers a few hours outside of LA, too. Though, again, blooms are a little less intense this year overall, and fires have really wreaked havoc across the region, there are still beautiful flowers to find and natural landscapes to admire.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Eastern San Diego COunty
The vast desert park has grown particularly famous for wildflowers after the true superbloom of 2017, but even when things don’t rise to that level, there are gorgeous blooms to be found here. It’s about a three-hour drive from LA, and it’s worth checking their website to see which parts of the park have wildflowers and what conditions are like before you set out. It may be pretty dry out there so far this year, but that can change.
Carrizo Plain
Eastern San Luis Obispo County
If you’re looking for the full kaleidoscopic majesty of a superbloom, Carrizo Plain is usually your best bet. The arid plain is about three hours north of LA in the San Joaquin Valley. Though it’s dry and dusty for much of the year, it explodes in color when we get wet winters and provides a little glimpse into what the greater Central Valley may have looked like before becoming the modern-day center of industrial agriculture. Carrizo Plain flies under the radar relative to some other spots, so it’s a great, uncrowded option if you’ve got the time to get out of the city. Unfortunately, as of this writing, reports indicate that there aren’t any flowers yet, and it’s not clear whether any are coming. However, it’s worth keeping track of the situation as we hopefully get a little more March rainfall.
Case Mountain Recreation Area
Tulare County
According to the Theodore Payne Foundation’s invaluable wild flower guide, this recreation area in the Southern Sierras may have some solid wildflower sighting opportunities. It’s about a four-hour drive away from LA, in the foothills above Visalia and on roughly the same latitude as Sequoia National Park. There was more rainfall in the region last year, so hopefully that means more flowers—and a longer-lasting bloom—than we’ll get around here.
The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch
Carlsbad
If you're ok with flowers that are a little less wild, you'll find a truly spectacular display down in Carlsbad. There is a massive 55-acre field of multicolored Tecolote Giant Ranunculus flowers, which are in the buttercup family. They're not native and they're not wild, but it's a hell of a sight and a local icon. There are also other things to do on the property, including a butterfly pavilion, a greenhouse for orchids, smaller gardens, food vendors, and more.
How to make sure you’re responsible and ethical when searching for wildflowers in LA
Thrillist spoke to Evan Meyer, who was then the Executive Director of the Theodore Payne Foundation and is currently the President of the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island in Washington, in 2023, on exactly this topic.
Meyer told us that searching for wildflowers “is a really incredible and special event, and it’s something that makes it wonderful to live in Southern California,” but there’s one important caveat: “It’s also something that we have a responsibility to do ethically.”
To that end, Meyer has a few general rules for ethically, sustainably, and responsibly seeing wildflowers in Southern California:
- Always stay on trails. As Meyer puts it, “These plants are very sensitive to being walked on, and if you go out to get the perfect selfie you’re going to kill a bunch of plants, diminish the next superbloom, and diminish this year’s for everyone else.”
- Don’t pick flowers. “The flowers are creating the next superloom this season,” Meyer says. “This mass bloom of flowers means a mass production of seeds, and at the end of the season those seeds are going to fall into the ground to await the next year to redo the whole cycle. So if you’re out there picking flowers, you’re removing seeds from that environment, and if a bunch of people do that it’s going to have a really detrimental effect.”
- Be a good visitor. It’s important to remember that people still live, work, and spend time in these places year-round, so when you drive out from the city into a more remote area, keep the essentials in mind: “Be respectful, carry your trash out, just basically be a decent human,” Meyer says.
And for the latest updates on all things wildflowers, the Theodore Payne Foundation’s Wild Flower Hotline is live for 2025. Each Friday into late May, the foundation will post a recorded message detailing the status of wildflowers at various locations across Southern and Central California, from local LA spots to destination fields all over the region. All you have to do is call 818-768-1802 extension 7 to get the latest intel, or check them out on Spotify or their website.