SAN DIEGO — Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is seeing its best bloom in years and it's drawing plenty of visitors to the area.
“We do not see this every year. This is really special and we're super excited about it,” said Julie McClanahan who works at the park.
As far as the eye can see, white, yellow and purple wildflowers cover fields off Henderson Canyon Road, one of several areas inside the park where you’ll find wildflowers.
McClanahan said it’s the biggest and brightest bloom they've seen since possibly 2019 thanks to a combination of favorable conditions.
“It's heat, it's rain, it's wind, it's frost - those all play a factor into our flowers,” said McClanahan.
When to see the bloom
In other words, they’ve received the perfect balance of all conditions needed for flowers to bloom.
March is typically the best time to see wildflowers in the desert, but due to the extreme climate out here, they could be gone as soon as April.
“We're not certain how long they'll stay around. Those are based on environmental factors, but if you want to see beautiful blooms, they are here today. They are here right now,” said McClanahan.
They've been especially vibrant over the past few days. That brought an influx of visitors over the weekend.
If you want to beat the crowds, come early, or on a Monday, like one couple CBS8 met from Nevada.
“I think this is the best bloom I've ever seen and I've been to the Death Valley super bloom. I've been going to the desert all the time. Went here two years ago. There weren't even flowers on that side of the road,” said Cathy Sheehe.
“Well, we lived in 29 Palms and are familiar with the wildflower blooms in the desert, but this is off the charts better than anything we've ever seen,” said Mark Butler.
Where to see the bloom
Remember that Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is a thousand square miles, so you'll have to know where to go to see the best blooms.
You can get updated information on the park's website, their social media pages, or you can call their wildflower hotline.
There are also QR codes you can scan posted inside the park.
Some other tips - picking the flowers is illegal, and dogs are not allowed to walk through the flower fields.
Also, watch out for certain animals, like a pair of rattlesnakes McClanahan pointed out, huddled in a burrow close to where visitors walk.
“There are many critters here so we want visitors to be aware of that.”
Rattlesnakes aside, while there are other places to check out wildflowers, there's something extra special about seeing them in this quantity, for a limited time, amid a desert backdrop, especially when it's in your own backyard in San Diego County.
“It's almost like Grand Canyon, which is my favorite. Just something you have to see if you have a chance to do it,” said Harvey Levine.
Click here for helpful information before your visit.
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