Anticipation ran high and rumors began before the rainstorms stopped. Is this the year for desert wildflowers Superbloom? Winds, hard rains, and long years of drought have stymied the annual desert blooms over the last few years. So we waited to see if the conditions were right for the desert wildflowers to pop and finally got lucky.
Watch this video about the desert wildflowers road trip:
Careful timing and preparation for a desert road trip can save your life
The area can be scorching with temperatures regularly over 105 degrees for a good part of the year. Make sure your car is topped out with antifreeze and water whenever you go. There’s a steep climb to navigate over the mountains from the San Diego region. It’s also one of my favorite drives. The boulders surrounding the summit are formidably beautiful and the views as you emerge from cloud-filled peaks are breath-taking.
Wind conditions
When heading east along the southern route, it’s also good to know what the wind conditions are. Take extra precautions or another route if you have a high profile vehicle. I’ve seen trucks blown onto their sides and it can be a long wait for assistance in the remote area.
We set our trajectory to the timing of the first desert wildflowers reports. Wildflowers emerge first in the south just north of the Mexican border. We headed there guided by various tracking sites (see the list below.) There’s a wash on a side road from the freeway that leads to Calexico and it’s been our lucky spot.
From there we reversed our route driving north along Highway 78 towards the town of Ocotillo Wells. Before we crossed the freeway we made a pit stop for coffee at the Ocotillo Wells Chevron truck stop. A great discovery was the freshly made coffee in individual Keurig-style machines. We also discovered some pretty unique snacks on the counter (and left them there!)
Ocotillo Wells is a tiny town but worth a slow cruise. The locals keep it light with creative yard art. It’s also where off-roaders find repair and body shops. We cruised through on our way to lunch in Anza Borrego. (Read more in my earlier post about desert nomads and where the locals eat)
Campers and weary road warriors often stop at the Agua Caliente Hot Springs. The pools are managed by the county, so this isn’t a spa experience. The adult-only indoor pool has jacuzzi jets and the outdoor pool is family friendly. There are lockers, changing rooms and a few other amenities.
Once you’ve entered the Anza Borrego Park bee-line to the Visitors Center. It’s natively landscaped and a carefully-positioned building full of interactive exhibits, trail experts, and information about where to go. Movies will entrance the kids and the gift shop is a fun diversion too. The Visitor center packs its calendar with lots of events whether desert wildflowers are out or not.
Borrego Springs – First Dark Sky Community
Star-gazing is wonderful year round in the Borrego Springs area. As the first Dark Sky Community in California, airplanes flying into the small airport angle their lights down and lights are modified on streets, businesses, and homes. Check out star-gazing opportunities if you are staying in the area.
Sky Art
Make sure to save time to see some of the immense metal sculptures that dot the desert landscape. Sculptor, Ricardo Breceda planted his ‘Sky Art’ in the open reaches of the area. Most evolved from his imagination (A giant sea dragon crosses the road!) to Plio-Pleistocene animals and dinosaurs. Spanish explorers, turtles, fantasy creatures and bighorn sheep make great photo opps. In fact, on busy weekends, you might have to wait in line to get your shot. (See link to map below.)
The flowers drew us to the desert this year and we weren’t disappointed. So many plants were in stages of blooming and the desert floor had a low mesh of green growth that I’d never witnessed before. Nature wasn’t wasting a moment to take advantage of the rainfall. Our bonus as we headed home and up the incline into the cloudy summit was a full rainbow.
***Check out my earlier post about the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve north of Los Angeles for more wildflower encounters.
Tips for finding desert wildflowers:
- My go-to site for desert wildflowers is Desert USA, which covers more than the Anza Borrego region.
- The Anza-Borrego Foundation has information and daily updates during desert wildflower season.
- The Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce also has info on what to see and do year round.
- A Package of information about what to find in Anza Borrego is available from the Desert USA Store
- Don’t miss seeing the gigantic metal sculptures. Here’s a guide to finding the 130 sculptures scattered throughout the desert region.
I love wildflowers and these road trips seem so much fun, Elaine!
I’m so lucky to live close enough to the phenomenon to make it a road trip from San Diego.
I keep hearing and seeing the beautiful flowers on social media. But now seeing this post is feeding my urge to just get up and go! Ive heard many great things about Anzo Borrego but I didn’t know there are 130 Art sculptures there. Have you seen them all?
I haven’t seen all the sculptures yet. They’re worth the trip in themselves.
We visited two weeks ago and really loved seeing the super bloom. It was a bit crowded but definitely worth the trip out. My kids enjoyed all the metal sculptures too. Loved how the desert is painted with so much color!
So glad you got out into the desert. I was lucky to visit very early in the morning and before the major crowds arrived.
Your post reminds me that I’d love to re-visit Anza-Borrego. Maybe next year at this time. My sister is in Death Valley right now for that bloom. Many people like to return to these places every year.
I love to explore the desert and this year has been one of the best this decade.
We’re seeing some wonderful blooms here in the Sonoran Desert, too. So beautiful. Ocotillo Wells looks like a quirky little town. I’ll be sure to cruise through slowly next time on the way to Anza Borrego Park. Great pics and video of your road trip.
Thanks, Cathy. I’d love to see more of your desert one day. Let’s do a trade!
Flowers add to the grandeur of the landscape. We would love to explore this place. Having said that, we do not have the guts to try those Larva and Cricket snacks. Love the pic of your shoes.
Wow, trucks blown onto their sides? Crazy! Also, that photo of the rainbow is epic. What a fun road trip!
It was an incredible day trip. So glad we got a glimpse of the early blooms. They’ve gone crazy now.
What beautiful flowers they are when they are in bloom! Those snacks don’t look at all appetising though haha!
The flowers were our lure. The snacks a chance encounter. Not that appetizing to me either!
My dad lives in Phoenix, and we usually fly into LA and get a car to drive there. I think we should plan our next trip around the wildflowers, although it will be tough to get the dates right with such a short season. It is so beautiful this time of year. And as for the snacks, did you try either of them?
I hope we have another great bloom in less than ten years! No, I didn’t try the snacks, just documented them.
I grew up camping at Aqua Caliente and swimming in the pool at sunset while the bats swooped over the water to eat the bugs on the top of the water.
That sounds heavenly! I, oddly enough, love bats!
There are few things prettier than desert spring wildflowers. Almost magical. I haven’t seen the wildflowers in Anaz Borrego, but when we’ve wintered in Arizona I’d look forward to seeing spring wildflowers in areas around the greater Phoenix area. Some years were better than others depending on what winter weather had been like. And during our travels into California last spring, I did manage to see a few poppies at the edge of Antelope Valley.
Antelope Valley is one of my favorite spots for blooms. I’ve heard that Phoenix gets great blooms too.
Love this post, Elaine! The desert is indeed an amazing place when it is in full bloom. We have not seen a full on bloom, but have certainly caught some of it on a past visit and I can appreciate the excitement you felt when seeing it in full bloom. I especially love the desert art!
Thanks so much, Doreen. The desert art is a real surprise out there. The tall piece was in a remote area adjacent to an abandoned railroad track!
We have just done our own wildflower tour – in Western Australia. There is something magical about flowers in the desert.
There is indeed something magical. So cool that the same phenomenon happens in Western Australia.
I am seeing a lot of posts about the wildflowers in the desert. I had never thought about wildflower season being now in March, up until now. This looks like such a fun road trip. You found fun sculptures, flowers and even a rainbow.
It’s a superbloom year. If I could I’d be camped out in the desert someplace to watch the transformation unfold.
I’ve been seeing a bunch of news articles about the super bloom and what a lovely coincidence to find your post. Your post reminded me of Fall in New England, when we carefully track foliage before making weekend trips 🙂 You sure are lucky to witness this phenomena! The post is very useful too, I sure hope to see a super bloom in my lifetime.
Thank you, Supriya. Tracking wildflowers is a favorite pastime. Glad you found this useful and I’m jealous! Never made it out to see the fall foliage at the right time.
I never knew there was such a thing as a Superbloom. I never thought that such beautiful flowers could grow in the desert either, even if it was for only two weeks. I would definitely like to spend the day exploring Anza Borrego and the beautiful desert wildflowers.
It’s pretty cool to witness.
Its so great that you got to see a variety of desert flowers in bloom – even if you shoes did end up covered in their pollen! The indoor adults only Jacuzzi pool sounds like a good pit sop, however I think I’d have to skip the desert snacks – I’ve never really been a fan of grubs and insects!
I’m with you about the grubs and insects. I’d need to be very, very hungry.
I would have left the larva and crickets there too. I like to try new foods, but that is a little too much for me. 🙂 The flower displays are amazing! I’d stop at the hot springs too, as I love hot springs and can deal with a more rugged setting. I’ve heard great things about the flower bloom in Eastern Washington. Seeing your experience has got me thinking I need to make time for a trip closer to home. Would love to see it in Cali too.
Your comment makes me so happy, Lara, if you’re inspired to see more of beautiful Eastern Washington.
I’m down in Orange County this weekend and kicking myself for missing the desert bloom. Thanks for sharing the tips on Anza Borrego and the yard art. I still plan on venturing out there when I’m down here in the future.
I hope you get the opportunity to visit the desert area and when it’s not too hot!
Beautiful photos, and your timing is perfect as I’m headed to see the wildflowers this coming weekend! #theweeklypostcard
More will be in bloom by the time you get there!!
I’ve heard about the Desert Superbloom this year. It would so spectacular to see this in person in such a lovely place. The Dark Sky preserve is a bonus attraction for star lovers!
It’s quite the phenomenon. There’s so much to experience in the desert region.
Those are definitely not snacks I would even think about trying. Awesome that you caught a rainbow.
The snacks didn’t appeal to me either!! The rainbow was a really wonderful bonus.
I love looking at all those photos of the desert. Are those Spider Lillies in the main photo? The desert art is pretty cool too. Who’s that scary looking dude in the third last photo?
Glad you liked the pictures, Christina. I’m not sure about the name of the lilies. The desert art is always surprising. The scary looking dude is one of over 120 sculptures in the Borrego Springs area. Best I can guess, he’s a Mayan dancer.
I was reading about the super bloom on Thursday and though about going to the desert this weekend since I was free on Friday. I decided not to go since it was very last moment and it is about 150 miles from where I live. I may not see the superbloom this year but I hope to see some nice displays in the Lancaster area. #WeekendWanderlust
You are closer to the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve, Ruth. I’d head over there after checking on the blooms. I’ve heard that will be spectacular too.
I love seeing wildflowers, they are so pretty. My favorite is the bluebonnets in Texas, though guess I am a bit biased. I love that in the desert you can also see the sculptures. Thanks so much for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
Thanks, Anisa, I’d love to see your bluebonnets one year too.