Here are the 14 best places to see wildflowers in the U.S.

When to go: April–June

What you’ll see: Sun Valley may be known primarily as a winter destination for its excellent skiing and snowboarding, but the area blooms to life in the spring and summer. Watch as Proctor and Bald Mountains are blanketed with varying shades of color, like the vibrant yellow of Arrowleaf Balsamroot, vibrant pink Fireweed and white Western Spring Beauty. 

How to keep up with the bloom status: Follow Visit Sun Valley’s Instagram to get timely updates of lupines doing their gorgeous thing.

When to go: February–March

What you’ll see: Superblooms have caused Anza-Borrego Desert to go viral in years past, which is why the state park falls toward the top of our list for wildflowers. When it’s in bloom, visitors to this SoCal desert are likely to see desert gold poppies, phacelia and a variety of tiny belly flowers flourish. As for where to see them, each canyon—Borrego Palm Canyon, Henderson Canyon Road and Coyote Canyon—offers different varieties.

How to keep up with the bloom status: Follow California State Parks to see tantalizing images of wildflowers across the state when they’re in bloom or sign up with the Anza Borrego Foundation to get wildflower updates by email. This year’s bloom arrived a bit early, in January, so we’ve already passed the peak.

When to go: Mid-March through summer

What you’ll see: If you want rushing waterfalls and scenic backcountry camping along with your wildflowers, then look no further than Shenandoah National Park. A trip along gold-view-guaranteed Skyline Drive makes for the perfect intro to the wildflower scene—a wash of bloodroot, trillium, violets, geraniums, and pink lady slippers—before you set off to explore some of the 500 miles of trails mapping the wilderness.

How to keep up with the bloom status: The National Park Service has made a wildflower calendar that names around 60 of the more than 850 flowers and the month you can expect to see them.

When to go: Mid-March to early May

What you’ll see: Poppies are beautiful when they cover the desert hillsides in orange flowers. But poppies are also fickle. The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve can only expect a moderate poppy season if there’s too much rain. Too dry? Not a great bloom either. Additionally, windy weather can cause the flowers to close up their petals to protect them. But that doesn’t mean you won’t see other wildflowers. If luck and timing are right, though, these sprawls of orange flowers touched by sunlight are genuinely life-affirming. A paved accessible trail makes this a spot welcoming for everyone.

How to keep up with the bloom status: Track the progress of poppies with near-daily updates in season here. Alternatively, see for yourself on the state park’s live webcam.

When to go: Late March through mid-April

What you’ll see: Every spring, Texas turns blue. As in bluebonnets. Across Hill Country, you'll see 800,000 acres of highway median blossoms, but for the best wildflower vistas, you'll need to stay in the car. Try the Wildflower Scenic Route and pay a visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center established by a former First Lady who worked to restore the spring bloom in this area.

How to keep up with the bloom status: The Facebook group Texas Wildflower shares information about wildflower blooms. 

When to go: Late March to mid-May

What you’ll see: Known by the nickname Wildflower National Park, the Great Smoky Mountains is home to 1,778 species of animals (the most of any park), more than 2,600 different plant species and an incredible 1,500 wildflower varieties! You can spot trillium, lady slipper orchids and violets in the spring, while summer brings black-eyed Susans. The annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage takes place April 22 to 25, 2026, when visitors can enjoy guided walks and photography workshops.

How to keep up with the bloom status: Keep an eye on the park’s Instagram feed. This year, some spring wildflowers normally expected in March (like long-spurred violet, star chickweed and sweet white violet) arrived four months early, in November 2025!

When to go: Late March to early May

What you’ll see: This 80-mile-long river canyon—which winds through the Pacific Northwest and spills into the Pacific Ocean—is stunning year-round, but come spring, it really shows off. With more than 800 species of wildflowers, the most prominent are soft-purpled lupine and bright yellowed hawkweed. Seeing dramatic snow-covered Mt. Hood with wildflowers blooming at flatland meadows is incredible. 

How to keep up with the bloom status: With such a large area and countless hiking trails, it’s smart to check the online map that tracks where wildflowers are blooming before you head out to see them. Or, follow on Instagram where you can see recent photos of purple wildflowers already blooming in early March 2026.

When to go: Early June

What you'll see: The small village of Sugar Hill, New Hampshire—tucked away in a quiet corner of the White Mountains—becomes a tourist attraction for one month every year for one very specific reason: lupines. Every June, the town’s vast fields, farms and gardens overflow with large purple and pink flowers, and the annual Lupine Festival celebrates that bounty. 

How to keep up with the bloom status: The festival’s Instagram feed keeps you up to date when the time nears.

When to go: June–July

What you’ll see: Established in 1910, massive Glacier National Park (it takes up more than one million acres) is older than the national park system itself and boasts one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes—and that includes wildflowers. Every summer, more than a thousand species of wildflowers take over the aspen groves, alpine tundras, lowlands and steep mountain slopes that make up this gorgeous park. Keep your eyes peeled for purple asters, Indian pipes, geraniums and buttercups.

How to keep up with the bloom status: Glance at the webcam for the park headquarters where you may be able to glimpse beargrass blooms (but right now it’s nothing but snow!)

When to go: Mid-February to late-March

What you’ll see: If i’'s seeing a super bloom that you’re after, head to Death Valley National Park on a good year. And by good year, we mean a year where weather conditions have been perfect enough to create the stunning wildflower displays that occur here ever so often to much fanfare. This year, it’s the best superbloom in a decade, according to EarthSky.org—and it’s already underway. 

How to keep up with the bloom status: Click on Hipcamp’s 2026 Superbloom Forecast, created out of analyzing more than 150,000 iNaturalist observations.

When to go: May through early September

What you’ll see: The Wildflower Capital of Colorado lives up to its name with hills full of lilies, primrose, honeysuckle, iris, marigolds and hundreds of other blooms. The 40th anniversary of the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival happens July 10 to 19, 2026, but in the meantime use the festival’s alpine and subalpine field guides to scour the hills for colorful buds yourself.

How to keep up with the bloom status: Check out the bloom locator for suggestions on peak times and places to catch your favorite flowers.

When to go: Summer

What you’ll see: The lack of roads in Fort Pierre National Grassland makes it even better for rewarding wildflower panoramas. Lace up your hiking boots and you'll be rewarded with various flowers, including purple prairie clover, bluebell and silver bladderpod. And watch for other wildlife that calls the grasslands home, such as black-tail prairie dogs, badgers, coyotes, rattlesnakes, burrowing owls, raptors, jackrabbits, mule and whitetail deer and antelope.

How to keep up with the bloom status: Travel South Dakota posts images on their Instagram page.

When to go: July–August

What you’ll see: This 236,381-acre park in Washington state happens to encompass an active volcano, but since it last erupted in the 19th century, chances are nothing will happen if you go—nothing, that is, except experiencing breathtaking views of Mt. Rainier itself, along with glaciers, waterfalls and meadows filled with wildflowers. Head to Paradise Meadow to peek bellflowers, bog orchids, bleeding hearts and cinquefoils.  

How to keep up with the bloom status: Right now the social media feed is nothing but snow, but watch soon for bloom shots!

When to go: Late spring

What to see: The entire state blooms with purple lupines that you can see driving along roadsides starting in late spring. The flower features in the children’s book Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, inspired by the real-life Hilda Hamlin, a.k.a. the Lupine Lady, who scattered lupine seeds across the Maine coastline. The results of her labor mean that lupines are a beautiful legacy, as connected to Maine as blueberries (and the bears that eat them), lobsters and moose. In the photo above, a bear approaches a lupine patch on Route 161 in Madawaska Lake.

How to keep up with the bloom status: Follow Visit Maine’s Instagram to be in the know.