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Where To See Flower Blooms Without The Crowds
California poppies bloom at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve on Thursday. California's biologically diverse landscapes are home to more than 7,000 species of native plants, including the California poppy, also known as golden poppy.
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Frederic J. Brown
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AFP via Getty Images
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You're probably already familiar with the hotspots in Southern California to see the superblooms of flowers in the spring — places like Walker Canyon in Lake Elsinore ...
The poppy bloom in 2019 in the hills of Walker Canyon near Lake Elsinore.
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Mario Tama
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Getty Images
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... or Anza Borrego out in Borrego Springs. Check out this incredible photo sent to us by LAist listener and photographer Todd Johnson:
Flower blooms in SoCal's famous hotspots like Borrego Springs are in full effect in 2023.
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Todd Johnson
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Todd Johnson Photography
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In fact, this year's blooms have been so vibrant that even NASA satellites have been able to capture them from space.
Winter 2023 brought unusually intense rains to Southern California, which was followed by a magnificent bloom of wildflowers.#Landsat 9 captured a detailed view of these flowers 🌻 pic.twitter.com/nh3zjJ5o2R
— NASA Landsat Program (@NASA_Landsat) April 14, 2023
But for as beautiful as these desert bloom hotspots and others like them can be, they're also hotspots for big crowds of tourists and admirers trying to snag that perfect Instagram-worthy photo. Walker Canyon was closed to the public earlier this year in anticipation of large crowds that created traffic and public safety issues in the past.
Locals will tell you to go check out the superblooms in the desert, but with all of the different types of flowers and plants that are native to California, there are bound to be some beautiful blooms to check out right in your neighborhood ... or maybe even in your own back yard.
Last week on LAist's public affairs show "AirTalk," which airs on 89.3 FM on weekdays from 9-11 a.m., host Larry Mantle asked listeners to call and write in to share the best places to see spring flowers. Below are some of their recommendations.
Diamond Valley Lake, Hemet
Flowers bloom around Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet.
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Genevieve Isidro
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Listener Genevieve Isidro shared this photo from a recent hike she took around Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet. She adds it was $11 to park and $4 to walk the path, and they even hand out a brochure to help identify California wildflowers.
Find it: Visit the Diamond Valley Lake Marina at 2615 Angler Avenue in Hemet or go to their website for more information about hiking, fishing and more.
Sara Wan Trail, Malibu
LAist listener Maya Levinson shared these photos from Malibu's Sara Wan Trail, which is accessible via a trailhead along the Pacific Coast Highway — just about a 10-minute drive east of Malibu proper. The hike will take you through Corral Canyon, which as you'll notice when you scroll through Maya's photos, is rife with blooming flowers.
Flowers blooming on Sara Wan Trail in Malibu.
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Maya Levinson
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Sara Wan Trail in Malibu
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Maya Levinson
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Purple and yellow wildflowers in bloom along Sara Wan Trail in Malibu.
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Maya Levinson
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Fog settles over a canyon along Sara Wan Trail in Malibu.
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Maya Levinson
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Find it: The trailhead can be found at 25623 E. Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Click here for more information from the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.
Seaview Park, Laguna Niguel
Not to be left out, Orange County's Seaview Park in Laguna Niguel is also sporting some beautiful wildflower blooms this year, according to LAist listener Lily Amadi, whose family recently hiked there.
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A group of people walk down some stairs during a hike in Seaview Park in Laguna Niguel.
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Lily Amadi
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Los Angeles International Airport
Ok, realistically you're probably not making a trip out to LAX just to see the wildflowers. But, if you happen to be on a flight into or out of the airport, you might be treated to a surprisingly robust bloom as you take off or land, as LAist listener Andreas Karrer discovered has he was landing recently.
LAX may not be your first destination for flowers, but you might just catch a bit of the poppy blooms along the runway if you happen to be flying in or out.
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Andreas Karrer
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Cheeseboro Canyon, Santa Monica Mountains
LAist listener Al said he was surprised to see lush blooms of wildflowers at Cheeseboro Canyon. They might not be immediately visible when you enter, but if you bike or walk for a few miles, you'll have quite the treat.
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San Pedro Coastline
LAist listener Kyle called in to recommend a beautiful flower-filled walk: from the marina in San Pedro's coast all the way up to Point Fermin and the Korean Friendship Bell, along the cliffs by Paseo Del Mar. The nearby White Sands Nature Preserve is seeing lovely blooms this year.
Korean Bell in San Pedro.
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Ryan Stavely
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Flickr
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Listen to the conversation
Listen
• 23:49
Hidden Bloom 04.13.2023
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