San Diego super bloom

Photo Credit: Claire Trageser

The endless rains this winter have led to an extra super super bloom this year. Locals have been enjoying rainbows of flowers sprouting up across the county, with pinks and yellows and oranges carpeting fields, cliffs, and even medians on highways and roads.

But the super bloom can also lead to super crowds and super traffic as visitors drive to the desert and spots like the Carlsbad Flower Fields to take in the sites.

Luckily, you don’t have to travel very far at all or brave any crowds to take in flowery sites. There are plenty of places across the county where you can see wildflowers. The warmer elevations get the blooms first, so while the desert may have peaked, there are still plenty of blooms to see in the San Diego region, according to Erika Weikel, senior park ranger for the city of San Diego.

If you’re headed out to any of these sites, Weikel stresses that picking the flowers is a really bad idea, because if you pick them this year, they won’t create seeds for next year. So picking them now means fewer blooms next year. Also, those seeds are food for native birds and other wildlife, so if you take them, that hurts those populations.

And while some of the pictures Weikel has seen on social media include mustard, radish and wild chrysanthemum blooms, none of those are actually native plants to San Diego. Native plants bloom at different times of year, providing a year-round food source. To help restore areas and allow for room for native plants to grow, park rangers have removed some of the non-native plants.

Another tip? Stay on the trails to take photos. If you go off trail, that creates footprints that others may follow, and before long the plant life has been decimated. “Before you know it, there’s a whole new trail, and we don’t want that,” she says.

Without further ado, here are some of the best places in San Diego to see super blooms without having to deal with a flurry of crowds:

Mission Hills Open Space

Photo Credit: Erika Weikel

Mission Hills Open Space

You can enter the park from Titus Street and wander the small park to take in views of wild cucumber, blue-eyed grass and the California sunflower.

Rancho Mission Open Space

Photo Credit: Erika Weikel

Rancho Mission Open Space

This small canyon trail near Mission Trails has an entrance off of Navajo Road. You can hike down among the canyons and see San Diego sunflowers, fish hook cactus with Dudleya and wild hyacinth.

Tecolote Nature Center

Photo Credit: Erika Weikel

Tecolote Nature Center

In Bay Park you can visit the native plant garden behind the nature center on Tecolote Road. Follow the Battle Trail to see natural plant restoration sites in full bloom.

Otay Valley Regional Park

Photo Credit: Erika Weikel

Otay Valley Regional Park

In South Bay, check out the trail at the Otay Valley Regional Park at 2369 Beyer Blvd. You can park at the ranger station on Beyer Boulevard and hike the entire eight-mile trail, or just a section to see seas of yellow San Diego sunflowers.

The San Diego River Trail

Photo Credit: Claire Trageser

The San Diego River Trail

This trail in Mission Valley offers a paved and shaded path with lots of views of flowers. Check out the San Diego River Garden along Camino Del Rio North with winding trails through tall fields of flowers.

Mission Trails

Photo Credit: Claire Trageser

Mission Trails

The trails through this park have endless options to explore with everything from California bush monkey to gooseberry and caterpillar phacelia. Try the Grasslands Loop trail for a fairly flat two-mile loop with lots of colorful flowers along the river and near the Old Mission Dam.

Sunset Cliffs super bloom

Photo Credit: Claire Trageser

Sunset Cliffs

The park and trail along the ocean are filled with San Diego sunflowers, making the cliffs almost look like they’re glowing yellow.

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