03/09/2026
For a few short weeks each spring, coastal cliffs and grassy hills around the Bay explode with blooms — from California poppies and lupines to tiny golden violets. The timing changes every year depending on rainfall, but March–May is usually peak wildflower season across Northern California.
Here are a few beautiful places to see them:
📍 Near the Golden Gate Bridge (Marin Headlands / Golden Gate National Recreation Area)
Near the Round House Café, the hillsides often fill with tall purple spikes of Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans), a striking coastal plant that blooms in early spring and attracts tons of pollinators.
📍 Mori Point
Spring brings a mix of yellow coastal blooms including California goldfields and yellow coastal tidytips, covering the hillsides overlooking the Pacific.
📍 Shark Fin Cove
Coastal bluffs near Santa Cruz often host lupine, California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), and seaside wildflowers thriving in sandy oceanfront soils.
📍 Wilder Ranch State Park
One of the best spots near Santa Cruz to see coastal prairie wildflowers along the ocean bluff trails in spring.
Best spots for California Poppies:
📍 Coyote Hills Regional Park
📍 Mount Diablo State Park
📍 Sunol Regional Wilderness
Please leave no trace and stay on marked trails! Avoid picking flowers so these blooms can continue returning each spring for everyone to enjoy
What’s your favorite wildflower spot in Northern California? 🌸
