18+ Enchanting Flower Fields in California + Best Seasons To View Them

Sunflowers as tall as your head, purple lavender, red poppies, rainbow super blooms, white almond blossoms, curated Ranunculus flowers, pastel tulips…

There are so many stunning flower fields in California you can visit. Year-round, too! One of my favorite things to do on a free day is to hunt down a beautiful flower field nearby to photograph. I’m constantly discovering a new flower field, but in this post we’ll explore the best flower fields in California. 

Find out exactly where to find them, what season is best to visit and tips for each location based on my personal experience of living in California for 10 years. 

18+ Enchanting Flower Fields in California + Best Seasons To Visit

Wildflowers are all over California. There’s yellow wild mustard that thrives in wine country vineyards. There’s little purple flowers that grow on short shrubs at almost any rugged coastal beach. Cacti have flowers even. 

But, there are specific regions with specific flowers (wild, farmed, and in gardens) with specific seasons to see them. And I’m sharing all the information for you in this post! 

Flower Field Etiquette

Before I chat about where to see flower fields in California, let’s quickly go over etiquette. No matter if you are visiting a ticketed managed farm like the Flower Fields in Carlsbad or viewing wildflowers in Joshua Tree during a super bloom hike, don’t be a dick to mother earth & be respectful. I really can’t believe I have to say this, but as always:

• Don’t pick wildflowers, they aren’t your property. It’s also illegal to pick poppies in California. 
• Don’t step directly on a flower (they may not be able to grow back next year.)
• Don’t fly your drone unless you have permission (it’s illegal on other people’s property and in all state + national parks.)
• Always check visitor information when heading to parks to see if they are open, have any updated safety information, events happening, etc. 

Ok, let’s get started on all the best places to view flowers in California!

Rows of sunflowers, purple lavender fields, orange poppies… these are the best, most enchanting flower fields in California, where to find flower fields and the best season to view the blooms!

Best Lavender Field in California

I discovered the best lavender field in California a while back! I’m still searching for more to add to the list, but this one has everything you need for the best experience including an opp for a private photoshoot!! 

Lavender Fields in Dixon

Location: Araceli Farms in Dixon
Season: May – First Week of July (varies)

Tips: This is the cutest little lavender farm run by a woman of color, too! Running from Mid-May to early July (season varies each year), Araceli Farms is open to visitors for just a $5 ticket fee. There’s also usually things like lavender ice cream and sometimes live music happening on the weekends.

OR, you can book a private photoshoot session starting as early as 6am for $80. This is what my friends and I did since we wanted to take photos before the crowds and harsh light / heat set in.

PS to nail a lavender farm photo shoot, I recommend finding a white dress in your style, you’ll really pop against the purple!

Best Sunflower Fields in California

Sunflowers are a must see while visiting the Golden State! These are my favorites that you can’t miss if you’re seeking out some golden sunshine! 

Sunflowers In Yolo County

Location: Yolo County (Dixon, Woodland, Winters)
Season: About June-July (sometimes as late as August)

Tips: There are a LOT of flower fields near Sacramento since it’s a grower’s region. My favorites are the sunflower fields and I visit every year.

You can spot some patches from Hwy 80 – you can’t miss them as they glow brightly in the sunshine!
This area of California gets HOT HOT HOT in the summertime (easily over 100 degrees) so I prefer to visit and shoot sunflower fields at sunrise or sunset. The temps are cooler and the light is less harsh. 

Sunflowers in Half Moon Bay

Location: Andreotti Family Farms in Half Moon Bay
Season: September

Tips: If you missed out on the summer sunflowers in Yolo County, head to Hald Moon Bay in September! This coastal town is cooler and foggy, thus their sunflower season is a bit later than the Sacramento Area.

Andreotti Family Farms offers U-Pick sunflowers. $5 flowers for 5! Their sunflower sometimes grow 6-7 feet tall, they’re crazy cool.

Come back to Half Moon Bay in October because this town is famous of pumpkins. There’s a huge festival each fall, but I usually come down one day with my husband to visit the pumpkin patches and stock up on pumpkins for the season!

Best Wildflower Fields in California 

No doubt you’ve heard of the California superbloom, but there’s so many places to see different kinds of wildflowers throughout the state.

 Joshua Tree Super Bloom

Location: Joshua Tree National Park
Season: February (through March or April at higher elevations)

Tips: Catching the purple, yellow and white wildflowers blooming along the desert landscape is truly magical. I had a chance to visit Joshua Tree a few Februaryas ago during a Super Bloom, so the wildflowers were poppin’ off in an extra way.

The flowers are all over the park, just start driving around and you’ll spot them against the brown desert rocks! Usually, their bloom season is around February, though varies depending on the rainfall and weather in the winter.

Nearby Death Valley National Park also has some really fantastic desert blooms you should visit! 

Poppies in Lake Elsinore

Location: Lake Elsinore / Walker Canyon Trail
Season: Around March

Tips: You probably recognize the name Lake Elsinore from a few springs ago during that massive super bloom. Everyone and their mother (literally) from Southern California flocked here to see the millions of orange poppies bloom.

Aaannnddd many people chose to go off trail to stomp on the flowers or pick them, which are illegal and as I chatted about ago, bad because when the poppies are stepped on, they don’t bloom the next year.

Just because these poppy fields had an Instagram-famous moment, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit. You should – just remember to stay on trail!

Calla Lily Valley in Carmel

Location: Calla Lily Valley inside Garrapata State Park near Carmel / Big Sur
Season: January – Late March

Tips: Picture this: a small valley full of white lilies leading into the blue waters of the ocean. It looks magical like a place fairies live. We went at sunrise one morning & had the whole place to ourselves. I can’t believe these are naturally growing California lilies!!

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve

Location: Outside Lancaster
Season: Mid-February through May

Tips: This Mojave Desert Grassland habit contains a bunch of different wildflower varieties, but the most popular by far are the poppy fields. This is a ticketed state park with rules and regulations, so make sure to check the park’s website before visiting.

Another top Southern California poppies spot is Malibu Creek State Park! 

Lupine Near Sacramento

Location: Folsom Lake
Season: April-May

Tips: Every spring lupine pops up all around the state, but nowhere is as concentrated as Folsom Lake’s Lupine blooms. And, if you’re lucky, you may catch a super bloom!

These purple lupines cover the entire shores of the lake and are best visited on a weekday (the weekends get crowded!) They’re in a state park, so be prepare to pay an entrance fee.

Agapanthus Blooms at Montara

Location: Montara State Beach on Hwy 1 Near Pacifica
Season: August

Tips: Agapanthus flowers bloom around August each year on Montara State Beach. They’re purple and white and almost as tall as a grown human.

This beach is free and there are tons of coastal bluff trails with these flowers blooming right off the paths. They’re so beautiful!

Wild Mustard At Half Moon Bay

Location: Half Moon Bay
Season: March

Tips: If you ever see a field of yellow flowers in California, it’s wild mustard! These yellow flowers are actually usually considered invasive weeds, but I think they’re beautiful. You can find a big patch in front of the James Johnston House each spring in Half Moon Bay and also near the ocean by the Ritz hotel. This house is a historical house that is sometimes open for tours inside.

BUT, since these are invasive flowers, I know of fellow local photographers who have got in contact with local farmers and have been able to shoot in their fields, drones and all. If that’s your thing, do some research and go wild. 

Wild Mustard in Wine Country

Location: Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley (& other Northern California roads)
Season: February – March

Tips: Around Valentine’s Day each year through March, if you go wine tasting in Northern California you’ll probably find yourselves driving through endless rows of yellow mustard and other wildflowers in between the vineyards.

It’s easy to pull off on these country roads safely to snap pics. Make sure your car is fully off the road, first! This is wine country aka people are known to drink and drive up here.

PS another mustard field spot is Chino Hills State Park but I haven’t been yet! 

 Magic Carpet

Location: Half Moon Bay or Big Sur
Season: May-June

Tips: Magic Carpet flower blooms are some of my favorite. They bloom on coastal beaches along Hwy 1 and are AMAZING to spot from the road side.

I really love when you’re heading down the coast to Half Moon Bay or Big Sur, green hillsides to your left, blue ocean to your right and then all of a sudden BAM, a stunning pink flower fields ahead of you. That’s magic carpet. See my full guide here! 

Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Location: Borrego Springs
Season: Feb-March

Tips: Anza Borrego has some of the best scenic wildflower spots in the state. Some of the best California poppies, dune evening primrose, baby blue eyes and other wildflowers are here. They’re very easy to find, too, and are just outside Borrego Springs without much hiking required. 

That being said, sunrise is the best time to go photograph these flowers. I lucked out on my trip to Borrego Springs and got a rainbow during my sunrise photoshoot! These flowers bloom differently each year so it’s best to keep tabs on their blooms status before driving over.

Carrizo Plain National Monument

Location: San Luis Obispo County
Season: Feb-April

Tips: Some of the best yellow and orange flower fields are at Carrizo. This park is huge and vast. It’s best to stay somewhere around San Luis Obispo as there aren’t hotels within the park. 

Best Flower Farm Fields in California 

Visit a flower farm field for guaranteed blooms! These human planted and maintained fields are some of the most iconic places in California. 

Flower Fields in Carlsbad

Location: Carlsbad Flower Fields near San Diego
Season: March 1st – Mid May

Tips: Rainbow rows of Ranunculus flowers at Carlsbad Ranch stretch as far as the eye can see…..These Southern California spring blooms are some of my favorite and one of the best California flower fields to visit. They’re also one of the only spots on this list that have formal ticketing to enter.

It’s not cheap but I think worth a visit to see the famous flower fields in person. The farm is really organized with sections you can stand so you aren’t harming flowers. They also have a nursery, bathrooms, etc so it’s a great place to bring kids. I recommend coming early in the morning or right before closing for the best photos.

Check out my huge travel guide for things to do in Carlsbad (other than the flower fields!) for ideas of local activities after your flower visit!

Almond Blossoms in Yolo County

Location: Yolo County (Dixon, Woodland) and Fresno
Season: Mid-February through Mid-March

Tips: The almond blossom orchard blooming season is short, just about a month long but they’re really unique “flower fields” to see in California.

The best time to photograph almond blossoms fields is at sunrise or sunset when the light is diffused in the morning, or rich in the evenings. The sun is low enough in the sky to not cast crazy long shadows down the orchards or make splotchy patches of light, which can be hard to shoot around since the trees are tall.

Tulips in Golden Gate Park

Location: Dutch Windmills in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Season: February – March

Tips: On a sunny winter evening, one of my favorite things to do is walk over to the North Dutch Windmill for a sunset stroll around the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden. Just a block over is Ocean Beach and this Californa tulip field is flooded with stunning, warm light. It always reminds me of being in the Netherlands, not San Francisco.

The Dutch Windmills used to be functioning and were a vital tool for pumping water into the dunes that were eventually transformed into Golden Gate Park. Now they are pieces of history and, each spring, a place to view stunning tulips.

Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco

Location: Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Season: March – August (varies)

Tips: Another great spot to view breathtaking flower fields is outside the Conservatory of Flowers inside Golden Gate Park. They have flower patches of various kinds of flowers in front (pictured here) that tend to be blooming around March and April.

But, come mid-summertime the Dahlia Fields start blooming! These are located to the right of the conservatory. Of course, there are flowers blooming pretty much year-round in Golden Gate Park but the Windmills and Conservatory are my favorite spots.

Most Unexpected California Flower Spots 

While these aren’t your traditional flower fields in California, I still had to add them to the list! 

Bougainvillea Flowers

Location: Bay Area (primarily San Francisco & Sausalito) + Southern California around LA
Season: Year-round, peaking in late spring / early summer

Tips: Not flower fields BUT pink bougainvillea flowers are one of my favorite homeowner style trends in California. This house pictured here is in the Marina in San Francisco and their Bougainvillea covers almost every part of the front of their house. STUNNING.

It blooms year-round, too, so you are almost always guaranteed to find some. That being said, they tend to be at their fullest in the late spring / early summer.

Wisteria In San Francisco

Location: Potrero Hill
Season: End of April-Early June
Tips: Gosh I just LOVE Wisteria! This purple vine flower is romantic and smells just as whimsical as it looks. There’s a few houses in San Francisco that are covered in these beautiful flowers.

Not exactly a flower field, just close enough! Read my full guide on where to find Wisteria in San Francisco here! 

Other California Flower Fields To Visit

Again, this entire state is basically covered in flowers. That being said, there are a few flower fields in Southern California that I’ve heard whispers of but haven’t been able to visit personally to confirm their awesomeness. 

• Gorman Hills flower fields: Somewhere in Venture County, I think this area is known for wildflowers and the city is considering making it an official reserve. 
• Hearst Castle Gardens: This National Historic landmark castle has expansive gardens on the grounds. They’ve been closed for a while due to the panny but on my bucket list for next year! 
• Death Valley National Park: I still haven’t been to Death Valley in the spring but I hear they have wildflowers and desert blooms worth the trip down. 
• Point Mugu State Park: The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Southern California offers rugged trails and stunning coastal wildflowers in spring. 

@whimsysoul some of the best flower fields in California 😍 #flowerfield #flowers #california #cottagecore #naturevibes #ThisIsBliss #sacramento #tiktoktravel ♬ Dark Paradise – Parov Stelar Remix – Lana Del Rey

So, those are my 18+ favorite places to spot flowers in California. I’m sure this list will keep on growing over the years as I explore more and more of the Golden State. 

Do you have a favorite place to view flowers or gardens in California? Leave a comment below so everyone can see! Got questions? Comment below or DM me on Instagram @thewhimsysoul and I’ll try to help.