Super bloom. Have you heard of it? I hadn’t until this year, when news started reporting about California deserts having these blooms due to record rain falls.
Beginning in March, beautiful flowers have been blooming in various deserts across California.
Seeds stored in the desert sands for 5-30 years have sprouted, creating fields of yellow, white and purple flowers.
Anza Borrego Desert State Park has been reported as having the largest bloom in California this year.
This past weekend, my family made last minute plans to go see the super bloom we’d been reading about. Anza Borrego Desert Park hasn’t had blooms like this in 12 years.
Per Wikipedia, Anza Borrego Desert State Park is located within the Colorado Desert of California. With 600,000 acres, the park is the 2nd largest state park in the US stretching from Riverside County to the Mexican border. It takes up 1/5 of San Diego County. I had no idea!
As we drove south from Palm Desert to enter the park, the landscape looked desolate and a bit “Mars-ish” to me.
But a bit further into the park, the terrain turned from gray and brown hardscape to beautiful colors of flower pedals. The following pictures show the different types of flowers we saw.
We drove around to the different areas of the park for a few hours. Here is a short video to show you an example of our view.
Had we planned better beforehand, we would have hiked the 3 mile loop in Borrego Palm Canyon. This trail leads to a palm oasis which is tucked away in a rocky V-shaped gorge.
Source: briandearth.com
Many times, hikers can spot peninsular bighorn sheep, which are an endangered species mostly found in this state park.
Source: Wildnatureimages.com
There are a few more weeks to see the blooms before the caterpillars deplete them. If you live in the LA area and want to plan a visit, I recommend staying in Palm Desert and driving south 90 miles to the park. There are limited options for lodging as you get closer to the park.
Beautiful, isn’t it? We had a great family weekend exploring this area. Who knows when there will be another super bloom? It’s a worthwhile experience to go see one.
Thanks for sharing your pics. Enjoyed see the landscape with flowers blooming.