Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Super Bloom

Following a rare wet winter, the deserts of Southern California came alive in a vibrant Super Bloom of wildflowers.  Thousands of people flocked to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to witness this beautiful display of nature.  It has been years since the last bloom and my wife and I weren’t going to miss out.  We hopped in the car early Saturday morning and made the drive to the one of the hottest places on Earth.  I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve been out to the desert, but I can tell you that this was an entirely different experience right from the get go.

As we came over the mountain ridgeline and began to drop into the valley, the surrounding landscape wasn’t the typical sun baked sand and rock.  There was actual grass and vegetation.  It was a field of green.  The mountain sides were in full bloom with patches of yellow and purple.  A super bloom of fresh wildflowers turning a bleak landscape into one of vibrant color.  After weaving around the people walking in the highway or parking in the curves of the mountain road, we finally arrived in the town of Borrego Springs.

After a quick stop for water and snacks, we made our way to the  Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association.  Here we were able to ask questions about the area and pick up a map of the valley.  Once we had a pretty good idea of where we wanted to go we left to explore the desert.  According to the map, the fields of wildflowers are spread throughout the valley, but a few spots were absolutely brilliant.  Most note worthy was this giant wash filled with desert sun flowers.  A giant yellow carpet stretched out as far as the eye could see.  It really was surreal walking through the sandy dry desert surrounded by wildflowers. Vibrant green plants literally growing out of the bone-dry Earth.   

Hopefully we continue to have wet winters so the Super Bloom natural phenomenon can be enjoyed again