The Desert in Bloom

The Sonoran Desert really comes to life this time of the year, as plants and cacti begin to display their beautiful, colorful blooms. Winter showers make for spring wildflowers, and 2019 is expected to be a prolific year for wildflower blooms due to the abundant rain the Valley received this past winter.

Here in the central part of Arizona, we’ll see our best floral shows in March – so get your cameras ready, put your hiking shoes on, grab some sunscreen and head out to capture one of our desert’s most picturesque performances!

You can most certainly find vibrant flowers on any hiking trail in the Valley. There you’ll see cacti in bloom such as barrel cacti and saguaro cacti, flowering plants and groundcover such as verbena and lantana, and wildflowers such as the California poppy or desert lupine.

However, if you’d like to make a day trip of it, there are a few spots in central and southern Arizona that are known for their dazzling displays.

Lost Dutchman State Park, at the base of the Superstition Mountains southeast of Scottsdale, is expected to be phenomenal this month. Several trails lead from the park into the mountains and surrounding Tonto National Forest.

Picacho Peak State Park, just off the I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson, is often referred to as the best spot in all of Arizona to see wildflowers. Here you’ll find a campsite and hiking trails, and a good possibility you’ll see gorgeous blankets of yellow and purple flowers carpeting the ground.

Since the abundance of flowers can change quickly due to weather, check out AZStateParks.com before you go to either location, to get live updates on how bountiful the blooms are on any given day. Or, follow either park on their Facebook page for regular wildflower updates. Enjoy!