Superbloom 2019 – Flowers galore at Carrizo Plain National Monument

It’s starting to warm up folks, so you don’t have much longer. If you want to see the amazing superbloom that the rains left in Southern California, the time is now. A perfect spot is Carrizo Plain National Monument, located just two hours north of Los Angeles. At such distance, it can be perfectly done in one day, but if you can make it a full weekend, see some hotel ideas below.

The pictures you see here were taken on the last weekend of March, but according to the park’s Twitter account, the bloom is still going strong as of this week.

My recommendations:

Start early in the day, before the crowds arrive. Then you’ll be able to see yellow fields everywhere, without a human in sight.
Start on the south side. We drove up on the 5 Freeway and followed the 166 to Maricopa. It’s just minutes from there to the south entrance of the park. It’s easy, there’s no charge, no lines, just flowers everywhere.
We went by car, a small sedan, had no problem whatsoever with the roads.
Take a hat or sunscreen. It warms up as the day goes on.
Take water, perhaps something to eat. You won’t find anything within the park.
There are bathrooms at the visitor center, closer to the north entrance of the park.
It’s dusty, so take appropriate footwear.
Take lots of photos, and don’t step on the flowers!
Do step on Soda Lake. It’s salt!
If you want to spend the night, consider Maricopa. We stayed at Motel 8. It was cheap, clean, but don’t hold your breath on the Internet connection. Taft, a town just 10 minutes north of Maricopa, is a bit larger. You’ll find more hotel options there, as well as restaurants.