Belonging to Lupine Fields and Super Blooms
Secret Superblooms: Northern California's Hidden Wildflower Wonderlands
This place was heaven on earth.
Super blooms are special.
They are like lightning in a bottle: blooms will be there one day and gone the next. That is their magic. It might be a little early to be talking about wild flowers in peak winter at the moment, but I dream about some of the fields I have visited (see full recommendations for trails below). I wanted to share a story and some inspiration to prepare your next wild flower adventure to kick off the year.
What is a super bloom?
“A super bloom is a rare and spectacular natural phenomenon that occur when a large number of wildflowers bloom simultaneously, creating a breathtaking carpet of color across a landscape”. With a perfect combination of rainfall, healthy seeds and a lot of other scientific information that I will not pretend to know, a super bloom comes to life.
Lupines are some of my favorite wild flowers that I discovered while living in northern California. Their vibrant purple hues blanket the meadows and hillsides. It is indescribable bliss that feels like a Windows XP background.
I used to try chasing wild flower blooms.
I would follow social media and see pictures of the blooms and that cliche picture of people standing in field looking free. The craving for vastness, for being lost in a sea of flowers, felt like magic. But, later on I realized I was in the wrong.
I headed to a popular spot in Southern California (Temecula), where California poppies blanket the rolling hills in vibrant yellows and oranges. When those hills come alive, everyone knows. It's impossible to miss while driving the freeway.
When I got to my destination, hundreds of people were there, wandering through the poppies, taking pictures. Within days, the poppies were gone. Scrolling through social media, posts boasted of FOMO and with captions similar to the sentiment of "sorry you missed the party".
I had it all wrong.
I thought I had the right intentions. I wanted to experience the flowers and the feeling of vastness in the landscape with them. I wanted one of those stupid “freedom flowy dress” pictures almost like a political ad, so a picture could capture my “spirit”. Being basic is ok, sometimes! We all do it, but this was the mistake.
I went there to capture a moment, not experience it.
This is a disease beyond chasing super blooms. Sometimes we focus too much on capturing a moment on our cameras, we miss what's right in front of us. It's as if we are never really there at all. We snap a photo before we truly take in what is right in front of us (as if there is scarcity and pressure). The prioritization is documentation vs. experiencing the moment.
The spirit of adventure is about being truly present (as if it was your last day on earth tomorrow).
Taking in each breath like the last one, and ensuring that nature—and others—have a chance to experience it too.
Stumbling upon these lupines was a surprise.
I love when nature surprises me. When we lived in Truckee, my partner and I would camp almost every weekend. In an instant, we could find ourselves amidst dense forests and alpine lakes. We would off road in an open top 1989 4Runner into the forest and set up camp in remote places.
It was July and just another weekend where we threw everything in the car and headed out. As we were exploring, we stumbled upon a lakeside clearing, and our jaws dropped. Carpets of lupines stretched out for miles.
I have never seen anything like this in my life and it was just the two of us. After we set up camp we walked out to the edge of the field of lupines with glasses of wine. And we sat next to the field for hours in awe of how nature can be surprising, generous and beautiful.
The next morning, we woke up to our surprise to the sound of propellers and saw this guy (link) fly straight into the meadow with his iconic yellow plane. He got out of the plane as we watched from our tent. He took a quick picture and he was off. It was like the three of us had a secret.
The following week we drove out again. They were gone.
Plan a little, have 0 expectations: The best blooms I've seen have been completely unexpected—stumbled upon during hikes and camping trips. There are websites and social media accounts dedicated to tracking blooms, and those can be helpful starting points. But blooms are inherently unpredictable and fleeting. Plan some general areas you'd like to explore, do a bit of research, chat with locals, and check for updates. But most importantly, let go of the expectation of getting that perfect Instagram picture. Embrace the adventure, the chase (we all love to play hard to get), and the possibility of discovering something truly beautiful. Park websites are a great resource for bloom updates and advisories.
Timing: Timing is all based on that season’s precipitation that year. In 2021 I saw very little wild flowers in the Truckee region, but in 2022 it was hard to escape. Hipcamp provides a great general outline for wildflower seasons in California, but keep in mind that blooms can appear as early as May and last until August in the Sierras. It really depends on the winter and spring precipitation / snow pack:
Central California Coast: Mid-March to mid-April
Los Angeles and San Diego: Mid-March to early April
The Sierra Foothills: Mid-March through April
The Bay Area: Late April to mid-June
The Eastern Sierra: Late June through July
If you want to avoid crowds: Some of the best blooms I've found were near popular areas. Surrounding areas from popular spots often experience similar bursts of color too. Nothing is guaranteed, but with a little exploration you can find incredible displays with minimal crowds. Embrace the element of surprise and keep your expectations flexible.
Don’t walk on the flowers (just don’t): I am guilty here and I have made this mistake. I'm not always the perfect environmental advocate, and I'm constantly learning and striving to do better. I learned that stepping on wildflowers doesn't just damage them—it can also prevent them from seeding and returning the following year. When we found the field, we saw tracks of someone who drove over the lupines. So, hold me accountable to my impact and also, yourself. Don’t be that guy(picture below).
It’s never too early to think about spring/summer hiking (at least for me).
As much as I love looking out at the snowy fields and cross country skiing across meadows right now, I am excited for the surprise and discovery of when these places will be filled with color and magic again next spring/summer. Wildflowers reignite my soul and remind me of nature’s ability to always surprise us with its rebirth.
Happy New Year and fingers crossed for more super blooms.
If you are looking to practice being more present in nature…
A first step: remove distraction. This is usually my phone. Turn your phone on airplane mode or knowing I'm weak when faced with temptation, I sometimes leave my phone in the car to ensure I stay present (and of course, bring my SOS system). I'm not going to lie: there are times I regret not capturing a picture. But I've also learned to enjoy that moment and that moment is a moment shared between me and whatever is in front of me. And that is our secret. I will share a longer article on this in the future.
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