Wildflowers are bursting out all over - viewing sites for spring wildflowers - Best of the West

Sunset, April, 1995 by Bill Crosby

Time to grab your camera and Peterson field guide and head for the backroads: the wildflowers are back! The wet winter should mean fine displays this month around the West. Here are your favorite spots for viewing wildflowers, broadly defined here to include blooming dogwood, which seemed too intriguing to rule out on a technicality.

Nancy Andersen of Wilsonville, Oregon, relates the following tale: "We were driving up Interstate 5 in California. When we got between Shasta Lake and Dunsmuir, we looked across to the hills on the east side of the Sacramento River and were struck by the incredible beauty of dogwood trees in full bloom. It was like spills of white all over the side of the canyon. Since that trip I've never been able to catch the blooms at the right time. I've been tempted to call the Dunsmuir Chamber of Commerce to have them tell me when the trees begin to bloom. It would be worth the drive to see that sight again." Well, the chamber of commerce will let you know; call (916) 235-2177 toward the end of the month.

For displays of wildflowers more along the lines of ground-hugging annuals and perennials, several readers recommended Table Mountain, just north of Oroville, California. Reader Kathrine Lemke Waste of nearby Chico even sent pictures "so that you can see for yourself what a spectacular show we get every spring." From State Highway 70, take the Nelson Avenue exit east. At Table Mountain Boulevard, Nelson becomes Cherokee Road. Follow it to the top of the mountain, about a 30-minute drive. The land is private, but the road is public access.

Down in Steinbeck country, Diane Uchytil of Watsonville, California, likes to explore Toro County Park on horseback. This Monterey County park, 5 miles west of Salinas on State 68, has equestrian facilities (but no rentals), and trails are shared by hikers, mountain bikers, and riders. "In the spring the lupine are so brilliant in the backcountry that the fields turn purple - even my horse has to stop and stare."

Jennifer Ketcham-Roeser of Independence, California - almost due east across the state - says that "without a doubt, the best spring wildflowers are in Lower McGee Canyon by Lake Crowley. What makes it so special is the variety of wildflowers set against the spectacular backdrops. The canyon is very glaciated, with the old and new Sierra (red and white rock) contrasting sharply. It's a rather unknown place, not often visited by the throngs that go to Mammoth or Yosemite." The road up McGee Canyon is 12 miles south of Mammoth Lakes or about 6 miles north of Tom's Place off the frontage road that parallels U.S. 395 to the west; look for signs to McGee Creek Campground.

Bakersfield, California, reader Karen Polkinghorne sends us up the Kern River Canyon (on State 178) between Bakersfield and Lake Isabella. "The road is windy, the river treacherous, but when you see the rainbow of wildflowers scattered over the hills and rocks, you see a different side to the canyon. The flowers aren't there long because of the hot summers, but for that one moment in time the river, hills, trees, etc., say, 'Here, these are for you.'"

"Thinking toward spring and all it brings, I think of Lancaster wildflowers and especially poppies," reports Garden Grove, California, reader Elsie Pierpoint. To catch the peak bloom, call the visitor center's bloom hotline at (805) 724-1180. From I-5 north of Los Angeles, take State 14 to Lancaster, then go west on Avenue I (which becomes Lancaster Road) to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.

For Silver City, New Mexico, reader Barbara Smith, Arizona's Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument tops the list. The Desert Botanical Garden hotline can give you bloom information on sites throughout Arizona; call (602) 481-8134. To reach the monument, head south on State 85 out of Phoenix or west on State 86 out of Tucson. When you get to the town of Why, head south on 85; it's 28 miles from there to the visitor center.