Good areas for Super bloom in SoCal?

Kawaiithulhu

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Borrego is mentioned in the media a lot, which leads me to think that easily accessible areas might be very crowded on weekends.

Are there any other good, flowery desert areas to recommend?
 

HiHoSilver

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The tulip fields that grow in Camp Pendleton marine base. I've always gone through by bicycle & been struck by the colorful fields.
 

Perry Way

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I know this is years late, but I just got here Anyway if you're looking for a good area to photograph you could pick the Carizzo Plain National Monument located in south east San Luis Obispo County. John Muir said this was the most beautiful wildflowers he had ever seen before. And that's saying a lot. You can literally see flowers nonstop for 40 - 60 miles. Traffic is a problem on the main road through which is Soda Lake Road. That road is dirt for most of the distance and nearly impassible in super wet season without really locking 4WD, large underinflated tires.
 

Edgy01

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We always have golden California poppies and blue lupine near Figueroa Mountain in Santa Barbara County. End of March. Reliable.
 

Sirius Glass

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Edgy01 said:
We always have golden California poppies and blue lupine near Figueroa Mountain in Santa Barbara County. End of March. Reliable.
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Do an internet search for the poppy reserves in Los Angeles county. It does not get as crowded as the one in Orange County and is about the same size.
 

btaylor

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I do love the Anza Borrego area, and I have read about traffic jams getting in there on weekends. I try to visit during the week and have never encountered too much tourist activity. Room rates are significantly lower as well.
 

DREW WILEY

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There are dedicated California Wildflower websites with annual predictions and updates for numerous specific areas. Superblooms are less likely this year due to the heavy rains running relatively late; but we'll see. I'll never disclose my favorite areas; but some of those are not accessible by motor vehicle, thank goodness. In the desert, however, you'll need road updates as well; a lot of damage gets done to roads by these big storms, some of which might take years to repair.
 

BrianShaw

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Sirius Glass said:
Do an internet search for the poppy reserves in Los Angeles county. It does not get as crowded as the one in Orange County and is about the same size.
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The poppy reserve near Lancaster is a complete mess during the height of the season. Worse than Disneyland during a school vacation break. Traffic, crowds, and too many irresponsible grownups misbehaving.
 

DREW WILEY

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All the publicity about the Carrizo Plain hasn't been good either. Never really crowded there; it's way too big for that. But jerks driving
through at high speed in trucks, deliberately stirring up dust, have shown up on weekends, and at a few spots, people are hazarding side roads in ordinary sedans where they risk getting seriously stuck. Some roads are impassible to even 4WD when wet. Last year's superbloom wasn't anywhere near as big as the previous one; but again, I won't state exactly where I found both solitude and incredible color. One should not dismiss the vast almond blooms of the San Joaquin Valley slightly earlier. Just be careful where you turn out. A lot of those big farm trucks speeding down small roads have careless drivers.
 

Sirius Glass

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BrianShaw said:
The poppy reserve near Lancaster is a complete mess during the height of the season. Worse than Disneyland during a school vacation break. Traffic, crowds, and too many irresponsible grownups misbehaving.
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I was unaware of that. Thank you for the information.
 

DREW WILEY

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Poppies like a little drier conditions. As you head further north than the desert, too much rainfall, especially late in the season, can actually hinder a major poppy bloom because sirius grass can grow up too fast and conceal it. That was the case last year many places. The Antelope Valley Poppy reserve outside Lancaster is one of the last places I would ever go. I'm surprised there aren't corn dog stands and T-shirt shops on every turnout. Way too many people.
 

Trail Images

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As a side note to Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, a photographer I knew several years ago was there and within feet of where he setup was a chunky Mojave Green coiled up flicking it's tongue. He shared a few digital shots of the snake that he shared with us. His main concern was at the same time children were running freely throughout the entire reserve. I'm not so sure they allow the frolicking in the reserve as in the past.
 

DREW WILEY

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If poppies are out, so are rattlesnakes. But if possible, rattlers like to be near water sources and lush grass where the most mice are. Otherwise, ground squirrels and kangaroo rats. The latter know how to defend themselves against snakes. They kick sand into their eyes.
 

Sirius Glass

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On more than one occasion I have seen Mojave Greens in the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. Whether they are very young or large and quite mature, they give plenty of warning with their rattles, since they really would not rather deal with us. However even though I have warned people not to go further on a trail because one was just ahead and all in the area could hear them, some still took the time to roll in the poppies anyway.

Mojave Green Rattlesnake - Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

​
 

DREW WILEY

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Here our small coastal rattlers are relatively benign, but not if you step on one! But up in the foothills of the deep Sierra canyons, where the poppy displays can be especially spectacular, you can get some huge diamondbacks napping in the sun, especially alongside streams, and they have a downright nasty disposition, and might even try to chase you. There were always a few hanging around our favorite swimming hole.

My brother and I killed a 7-footer, and as a prank, fried it and coiled it atop a casserole, and took it to a farm potluck dinner that night. We put a lid on it, and would sit back and watch some lady lift the lid, go pale, and walk off with nothing on their plate. I don't know why some people bother to deliberately eat those things - just like a big long chicken neck.
 

BrianShaw

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We put them on the charcoal grill and baste with barbecue sauce.
 

MattKing

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BrianShaw said:
We put them on the charcoal grill and baste with barbecue sauce.
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The children, or the snakes?
 

Trail Images

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S.G. that's a healthy looking dude. Although the debate about the venom potency is ongoing with regular rattlers, western diamond backs mostly, I was never one to want to find out. As a kid we dodged diamond backs every time we ventured into the local outback. I recall a lady in Tucson a few years ago walking her dog at dawn and was bitten by a Mojave and she never made it home.
 

Sirius Glass

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Mojave Greens are supposed to be the most venomous snake in North America. Its venom kills the tissue that it comes in contact with and leaves a void in the tissue when it heals.
 

DREW WILEY

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The diamondback fatalities where I grew up were mostly boaters from the city. They'd pull up on shore, wander off naively through shoreline grass in swimsuits, get bitten, then panic and run. Worst thing you can do; it spreads the venom fast. But if a local happened to get bitten, a very rare occurrence, they'd calmly walk down to the water, keep the bitten limb cool, and send someone for help. Of course, that might be hours away, either pre cellphones or outside of coverage area even today.

My nephew was with a couple of his high school pals way down a remote side canyon on one of the Indian Reservations, when one of them decided to show off and prove he could pick up a rattler faster than it could bite him. I don't need to actually state who won that speed contest. But the creek was right there, so they had him keep his arm in the water. Meanwhile, my nephew walked the five miles or so uphill back to the car, and then drove an hour to the nearest phone. The overall rescue took around 8 hours, and meanwhile, that kid's hand became as big as a baseball glove. He spent two weeks in the hospital; but at least his hand and arm were saved, and he made a full recovery, no doubt quite humbled by the foolish experience.
 

MattKing

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As moderator, it never ceases to amaze me how far a thread can end up wandering off "into the weeds".
 

Sirius Glass

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MattKing said:
As moderator, it never ceases to amaze me how far a thread can end up wandering off "into the weeds".
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The subject is about walking around in the weeds taking photographs. On the other hand we are not talking about smoking weeds.
 

DREW WILEY

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Well, going out walking in a superbloom site and forgetting something critical to your photo kit might be annoying; but being unaware of snakes potentially has far more serious consequences. Like I said, the poppies and the rattlers tend to appear at the same time.
I once had to yank away two small children playing mere inches away from a baby rattler nest, while their parents just sat there completely unawares. Those baby rattlers are the most dangerous kind since they can't warn by ratting yet, and haven't learned to meter their venom either - they inject their full load. Oh, and afterwards I did take a flattering reptilian portrait due to their kindness in not biting yet.
 
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