USA Today reader polls declare a High Desert flower festival one of the best in the nation

McKenna Mobley, Victorville Daily Press
·2 min read
Donna Drover and her boyfriend, Russ, visited the area near the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve near Lancaster, where they saw a sea of orange, purple, yellow and blue colored flowers.
Donna Drover and her boyfriend, Russ, visited the area near the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve near Lancaster, where they saw a sea of orange, purple, yellow and blue colored flowers.

California's wildflower superbloom gives Coachella a run for its money as the most popular seasonal event in the desert.

Bright orange, salmon, crimson, and yellow flowers fulminate over the arid Southern California desert each spring with the California state flower: the poppy.

The High Desert took this year's trophy as one of the "10 best flower festivals in the U.S." according to USA Today reader polls. Ranking in at No. 9, the California Poppy Festival in Lancaster celebrates the state's best blooms with a three-day festival during Earth Day weekend each year.

Located in the Mojave Desert's Antelope Valley, the flower festival features carnival games and rides, live entertainment, animal exhibits, food and alcohol booths, and over 200 vendors selling their local crafts.

Donna Drover and her boyfriend, Russ, visited the area near the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve near Lancaster, where they saw a sea of orange colored poppies.
Donna Drover and her boyfriend, Russ, visited the area near the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve near Lancaster, where they saw a sea of orange colored poppies.

Mid-Spring update

We may be nearing the middle of the season, but California wildflower blooms are still upright and healthy for the time being. Besides the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve in Lancaster, superblooms await at these California locations:

  • Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

  • Chino Hills State Park

  • Red Rock Canyon State Park

  • Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area

  • Picacho State Recreation Area.

With climbing spring temperatures and no rain predicted anytime soon in the Southern California desert, residents hoping to view wildflower blooms should do so sooner rather than later.

They don't happen every year either, making now the perfect time to practice landscape photography at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, only a little over an hour from Adelanto.

California State Parks safety tips

California has slowly been climbing out of drought status since Spring 2019. Semi-steady spring showers since then have led to the first sights of superblooms in decades. As a result, a new generation of previously deprived California locals go crazy for their wildflower blooms.

The California State Parks service recommends specific safety procedures be followed to preserve the delicate flowers at overcrowded parks.

  • Respect the landscape. Stay on designated trails and tread lightly in the desert.

  • Flower picking is prohibited. The California State Parks service urges viewers to take only photos of the flowers, not roots.

  • Dogs must remain on a leash at all times. Dogs are only allowed on established trails and campgrounds to avoid trampling the flowers. They are not allowed on hiking trails or in the backcountry at established wildflower sites.

  • Leave no trace. Leave the landscape better than you found it by packing out what you brought in.

McKenna Mobley is a Daily Press reporter and can be reached at mmobley@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: High Desert flower festival declared one of the best by USA Today