Overview
- The National Park Service reports the park’s strongest wildflower year since 2016, with lower elevations peaking now and higher elevations projected to flower April through June.
- Nearly a year’s worth of rainfall since October, including a record‑wet November of 1.76 inches, activated long‑dormant seeds and set up the display.
- Carpets of yellow desert gold dominate alongside purple phacelia, brown‑eyed primrose and pink desert five‑spot, especially along Badwater Road, Highway 190 and near Ashford Mill.
- Rangers and ecologists urge visitors to remain on designated routes, avoid trampling or picking blooms, and watch for skin irritation from purple phacelia.
- Visitor interest is rising as other California deserts also show strong blooms, including Anza‑Borrego Desert State Park, Red Rock Canyon State Park and Carrizo Plain National Monument.