2026 Death Valley Wildflower Reports
Wildflower Outlook
- Improved winter rainfall sets the stage for increased chances of desert annual displays, particularly in basins and bajadas.
- While a true superbloom — a synchronized explosion of flowers — remains rare and dependent on continued rain and cool spring temperatures (a phenomenon only seen in select years), conditions this year are much better than in recent drought-era springs.
Feb 15 2026, DUSA Reports: More rain is forecast for the area. This should get things going.
Feb 11 2026, Death Valley Reports: We are having a good bloom year. Sprouts have been spotted in many areas of the park, including washes and on hillsides. Low-elevation flowers have started blooming and will likely persist until mid-late March, depending on the weather. Higher elevations will have blooms April-June.
Current Bloom Locations:
North Highway: Phacelia, Desert Gold, Suncups
South Badwater Rd (near Ashford Mill): Desert Gold, Sand Verbena, Five Spot, Brown-eyed Primrose
Highway 190 (between Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek): Brown-eyed Primrose, Phacelia, Desert Gold, Mojave Desert Star
Feb 09 2026, DUSA Reports: An early bloom photo from the Basin & Range Watch Facebook post looks like it could be a good year in Death Valley.
Feb 06, 2026, Death Valley National Park Reports: We expect a strong bloom year. Sprouts have been spotted in many areas of the park, including washes and on hillsides. Some isolated flowers have started blooming. Brown-eyed primrose is blooming along Highway 190 between the junctions with Beatty Cut-off and North Highway. Low-elevation flowers will likely bloom Feb-March and higher elevations will have blooms April-June.
01/04/2026 DUSA Reports: Recent precipitation patterns across the desert interior, including Death Valley, are now above typical seasonal norms in many locales — a rare but encouraging sign for wildflowers. Death Valley has an extremely low average annual rainfall (≈2.36 inches) under normal conditions, so any widespread rain is significant for biological activity.
Jan 01, 2026 Angelo Reports: Plenty of large Hairy Desert Sunflower specimens along HWY178, East of Poison Canyon, near Searles Valley. Date 12/12/2025
Share Your Wildflower Photos & Reports for Death Valley with DesertUSA
Please share your wildflower pictures for Death Valley wildflowers, including the date and location. We will post your photos on our Wildflower Reports page, so others can learn where and when to view the spectacular displays.
- E-mail your digital photos and reports to Jim@desertusa.com. Use Wildflower Report as the subject of your e-mail. Let us know where you took the image, the date, and how you would like us to give you photo credit (first name, etc.)
- Text your photos to 760-740-1787. Be sure to include the location and the name you want to be credited for the photos.
Note: Spring is one of the most beautiful times of the year in the desert, but it can also be a time for caution. Rattlesnakes lie dormant during the cold fall and winter months and awaken from hibernation in the warm months of March and April. Another reason to stay on the trails. More…
Maps and more information on where to stay and what to see in Death Valley
Photos tips: Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function – usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
Mojave Desert Wildflowers – This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page for each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More…
Desert Wildflowers and Plants Field Guide Kindle Edition
Other DesertUSA Resources
Wildflower Information & Hotlines