California Road Trips - 50 Life-Changing Adventures - 47

Desert Flowers
Given the right conditions come spring, California's deserts turn
into a hot spot for colorful fields painted with bright wildflowers

T H I N K " D E S E R T PA L E T T E ," A N D M O ST P E O P L E P I C T U R E
subdued browns and dusty tans. But each spring, California's deserts
get a flashy color upgrade as wildflowers pop up from the sand.
Sunflowers unleash themselves in bright-hued frenzy. Spiny cacti lure
pollinators with come-hither petals, and gravel washes flaunt pink
bouquets of sand verbena. But desert wildflowers are capricious.
Their abundance depends on three factors-rainfall, timing, and
elevation. Mother Nature supervises the rain, but you control the rest.
For optimal petal peeping, plan your trip in February, March, or April,
and follow this itinerary, which spans from below sea level to above
5,000 feet. Remember to respect nature's beauty along the way-stay
on designated trails and don't pick the wildflowers.
Begin in Death Valley, where the bloom often begins by Valentine's
Day. From Furnace Creek, wind south on Badwater Road, watching
for fields of desert gold, dune evening primrose, and purple notchleaf phacelia, especially near the ruins of Ashford Mill. Zoom south on
CA-178 and 127, keeping an eye out for desert five-spot, its quintuple
crimson spots lighting up lavender petals. As you exit Death Valley,
stop in Shoshone for a chili size and frosty beer at Crowbar Café and
Saloon. Search for sunflowers off the Old Spanish Trail Highway, then
pull into Cynthia's in Tecopa to sleep in a luxurious tepee.
On day two, get up early to hunt for blossoms near the Amargosa
River. Stock up on nut bread at China Ranch Date Farm, then work
your way south to Baker, home of the World's Tallest Thermometer.

WA LKER CA N YON

East of Baker, leave the bustle of I-15 for solitude on Cima Road.
Mojave National Preserve's high-desert terrain creates perfect
conditions for the comically angular Joshua tree. Hike to Teutonia

vast solitude of Mojave Trails National Monument, slowing down for

Peak to see hundreds of Joshuas and their quirky cousin, the Mojave

sightings of desert primrose and lavender Mojave aster.

yucca, dangling bunches of creamy white flowers. Stop in at the Kelso

botanizing in Joshua Tree National Park. You'll find a smorgasbord

Dunes' rippling, pink-white sand. Bright yellow blossoms add color to

of foliage on the 49 Palms Oasis Trail, including school-bus-yellow

California's second largest dune system, which soars 650 feet high.

brittlebush and barrel cactus sporting crowns of yellow flowers. Indian

Exit Mojave on historic Route 66, the "Mother Road," where

PHOTOGRAPH: AIDAN TELFER-RADZAT

Kick back for the night in Twentynine Palms to rest up for

Depot Visitor Center for bloom updates, then climb up the Kelso

Cove is another hot spot, offering a chance to see beavertail cactus

generations of Americans got their kicks. Next stop is Amboy Crater,

flaunting magenta blossoms and vivid orange globemallow. If the

a 1,500-foot-wide cinder cone that's one of North America's youngest

bloom isn't "on" at these spots, swing by higher-elevation Black Rock

volcanoes. Hike across lava fields dotted with desert lilies and purple

Canyon. Chasing wildflowers can make you hungry, so fuel up on the

sand verbena, then ascend the crater's rim for panoramic vistas of

way in the town of Joshua Tree with black-bean burgers at Natural

the Marble and Bristol Mountains. Cruise Amboy Road through the

Sisters Cafe and a cold brew at Joshua Tree Coffee Company.

3
days

S TA R T Furnace Creek, Death Valley
F I N I S H Joshua Tree

M O S T OT H E R WO R L D LY S I G H T Amboy Crater

339
miles

I N S I D E T I P The wildflower
environment is a fragile one;
help protect it by staying on
designated trails, properly
disposing waste, and leaving it
just as you found it.

California Road Trips - 50 Life-Changing Adventures

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