Joshua Tree NP and Nearby

Wildflower Reports

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Maps, places to stay and other information about the park.

2019 Joshua Tree National Park and nearby

May 31, 2019 Mark reports: I visited Joshua Tree National Park on 5/23 and 5/24. Between the South Entrance and North Entrance, there were scattered flowers. I visited the California Hiking Trail near the backcountry parking lot at the North Entrance. Most bladderpod bushes, desert willows, palos verdes, and mesquites were flowering. Many cacti were blooming. A few ocotillos, creosote bushes, and Joshua trees were flowering.

May 3, 2019 Mary reports: What a wonderful surprise to see a widespread upper elevation bloom at Joshua Tree National Park that was as thick and colorful as the lower elevation bloom earlier this year. Along Park Boulevard some of the best trails I found for flowers:  The Split Rock trail had Desert Onion, Wishbone Bush, Larkspur, Rock Live Forever and Hedgehog Cactus. Jumbo Rock Trail had similar flowers plus Desert Paintbrush. The Boy Scout Trail (from the Park Blvd. end) was a desert garden with Wallace’s Woolly Daisies, Purple Mat, Desert Calico, Tidy Tips, Hopsage, Desert Dandelion, Larkspur and Mojave Mound Cactus.  The trail from the Quail picnic area went to a sand dune that was covered with blooms including Sand Verbena and Mojave Hole-in-the-Sand Plant. I tried just a few of the trails at the Black Rock Canyon campground in the NW corner of the park, and they were lined with flowers. For drives, the road to Key’s View and the Queen Valley Road had good flowers. In Wilson Canyon and inside the 29 Palm Entrance, the annual bloom was faded, but there were still cactus and bushes blooming.  In total, I counted over 50 species in bloom in the park including the allusive Mariposa Lily. Photos April 27-29, 2019

April 26, 2019 Trace reports: We were camping at Jumbo Rock in Joshua Tree NP lots of wildflowers. 

April 12, 2019 George reports: Between Hidden Valley and Sherp Pass on Tuesday, 4/9....

April 12, 2019 Ashley reports: 4/9/19 near Jumbo Rocks

April 10, 2019 Ashley reports: Most of these are from between the North Entrance Station and the right hand turn to head toward the West Station. The ranger at the West station entrance told me to find wildflowers along highway 62 - east of the visitor center. I drove for a bit but because of the wind today (extreme) and speed on that road, I didn’t stop to find anything. The park areas I found seemed perhaps better than that area. 

April 8, 2019 Diane reports: Joshua Tree National Park, Friday, April 5.  While the beautiful peak bloom at the southern entrance by I-10 (Cottonwood Spring entrance) is now past, the main road leading through the park from there to Twentynine Palms has an abundance of colorful blooms on both sides of the road and up the hillsides.  We noted 29 different species along this road.  At peak bloom and plentiful were desert dandelion, Canterbury bells, sand blazing star, chuparosa, purple mat, desert chicory, ocotillo, Joshua trees, Mojave yucca, and bladder pod.  Beavertail cacti were blooming along the hillsides, and sacred datura along the roadside. It was a beautiful drive!

April 6, 2019 Pam reports: Having spent several days wandering the north end of the park between Joshua Tree and 29 Palms, the best and only place with an abundance of wildflowers was between the 29 Palms entrance on Utah Trail and Park Blvd.. In fact, just 1/2 mile from the 29 Palms park entrance, at the very first pull out on the right (west) side (which is the unmarked trailhead to Contact Mine) is the very best display I found. A fantastic array of many different types and colors of wildflowers as far as the eye could see.

Mexican poppies, lupines, desert lily, desert dandelion & marigold, sand verbena, milkvetch, purplemat, chia & more. We walked in the wash and on part of the trail, wandering for 2 hours, amazed by the beauty. I saw many buds so there should be a good display here for a couple of weeks.

Then just across the street down a short grated dirt road is the trailhead to the North Entrance of the California Riding and Hiking Trail. This has a large parking area and there was also an abundance of wildflowers, albeit not as thick. The elevation in this area is 3000 feet. Other areas at higher elevation (approx 4000 - 4500 feet) in the park where I've normally found wildflowers such as Wonderland of Rocks wash near Ohlson House (AKA Wonderland Ranch) and the "real"

Hidden Valley (west side of the loop trail) were nearly void of them except for a few strawberry hedgehogs and bevertails, however, I did see buds and wildflowers just starting to grow from the dirt so I think the higher elevations will have some blooms in 2+ weeks and probably even some late displays into May.

April 6, 2019 Mary reports: For several miles in from the TWENTY-NINE PALM ENTRANCE the blooms are tightly packed and fresh, including Poppies, Chia, Desert Dandelion and Coreopsis. The ground is covered in places with mats of Desert Star, Purple Mat, Wallace’s Woolly Daisy and even a few tiny Desert Calico. In WILSON CANYON just before MM 5 there is an area of thick poppies. PINTO BASIN, around the Turkey Flats exhibit, there are Desert Sunflowers. Overall, I counted over 40 species in bloom in the park.

April 5, 2019 DesertUSA reports: 70 seconds of wildflowers on Cottonwood Spring Rd.

April 5, 2019 James reports: A couple of miles north of the cholla area, south side of the road. 

April 5, 2019 Brian reports: Desert lillies and flowers along Hwy 177 near the JTNP Park border and the Desert Lilly Sanctuary.  North of the Chuckwalla Racetrack.  Tons of desert lillies. 

April 5, 2019 DesertUSA reports: The wildflowers are in full bloom in many part of the park.

April 3, 2019 Nhi reports: Found lots of flowers along Pinto Basin Road in Joshua Tree, 3/31

April 2, 2019 Teri reports: I was in Joshua Tree this weekend.  Came in at Cottenwood entrance  and drove to Oasis entrance. Just the ride east of Riverside to Joshua Tree on the 10 was amazing! The flowers this year were 1000 times better than the superbloom in JT 2 years ago.

April 2, 2019 Mary reports: Unbelievable stands of Mojave Poppy and Canterbury Bells around Burro Wash Trail in Joshua Tree. Also spotted Desert Larkspur, Bigelows Monkeyflower, Sand Blazing Star, Chia, Dandelion, Chichory, Phacelia species and more! Observed March 31st.

April 1, 2019 Jim R reports: I spent last few days at Joshua Tree.  Flowers are not everywhere, but where it’s good, it’s very, very good.  Hot spots: the south end most of the way to Cottonwood (but go soon, the bloom is getting mature), the rise just north of where the Pinto Basin Road crosses Porcupine Wash, Wilson Canyon (from 2 miles north of Cholla Garden to 2 miles south of White Tank), about a mile either side of the 29 Palms entrance station, and the walk back to 49 Palms.  I was especially happy to see all the great big Phacelia campanularia (desert bells), with those huge blue flowers.  I saw these from the Porcupine Wash area south and on the way to 49 Palms, but not in Wilson Cyn. or near the 29 Palms entrance.  Most of the Pinto Basis flats are fair at best.  Very little is going on the Joshua tree forest up top along Park Blvd or the Keys View Road.  The Joshua trees themselves have big, big buds but haven’t quite opened yet. (Google Map Link)

March 29, 2019 Mark reports: On 3/26 in the south part of Joshua Tree National Park, desert lupines had faded from the Bajada Nature Trail but were still blooming elsewhere. There were still good brittlebush, chia, desert dandelions, and other flowers between two and ten miles’ drive from I-10. Canterbury Bells were blooming in washes and on roadsides. Small white flowers, desert dandelions, a few yuccas, and creosote bush bloomed along much of Pinto Basin Road especially in Porcupine Wash. Many white sphinx caterpillars.

March 29, 2019 Cindy reports: Photos 3/27/19 in Joshua Tree just past the south entrance.  We didn’t have to drive very far once in the park to see flowers. The whole floor of the desert was covered. It was spectacular. I truly stood in awe of nature.

March 29, 2019 Nancy reports: Photos were taken along Pinto Basin Road north of the Cottonwood Visitor Center.

March 29, 2019 Amy reports: March 26 on Pinto Basin road north of Cholla Cactus Garden.

March 28, 2019 Doug,reports: oshua Tree NP 3/26/19.   Cottonwood Canyon Road near I-10.  Lupines are fading.

 

March 25, 2019 Marineguana reports: Copper Mountain/Sunfair area 29 Palms 3/22/19

March 25, 2019 Kris reports: The area from the 10 freeway to the southern entrance of Joshua Tree is off the charts right now.  Massive bloom of many different wildflower species the whole way.  Along the 10 in that region is also excellent.  Within the park there are areas of great bloom as well as sparse areas.  I took only the main road from the southern entrance out through 29 Palms.

March 24, 2019 PPR reports: Joshua Trees in bloom.

March 22, 2019 Ana reports: Wednesday March 20 2019 at Joshua Tree National Park on Pinto Basin Road going towards Cottonwood Spring.

March 21, 2019 Terry reports: Surveyed the Pinto Basin Road, Cottonwood Spring and Bajada nature trail. Fields full of Mojave poppy, Bajada and Mojave lupine, desert chia, fiddleneck, pincushion, purple mat, blue phacelia, and brown-eyed evening primrose. Other species included Bigelow's monkeyflower, bladderpod bush, Booth's evening primrose, brittlebush, button brittlebush, California tickseed, chuparosa, creosote bush, cryptantha, desert bluebell, desert chicory, desert dandelion, desert five-spot, desert globemallow, desert lavender, desert linanthus, desert rock pea, desert senna, desert star, devil's spineflower, Joshua tree, Mojave suncup, Mojave yucca, ocotillo, Pacific blazingstar, pygmy poppy, redstem storksbill, sand blazingstar, Schott's indigo-bush, star gilia, Western tansy mustard, whispering bells, white tackstem, woolly daisy, and yellow evening primrose.

March 16, 2019 Shane reports: Joshua Tree Cottonwood entrance.

March 15, 2019 David reports: Hidden Valley, 3/9/19. Dew flowers blooming but many unopened flowers in the Skull Rock and Hidden Valley areas. 

March 15, 2019 Doug reports: Joshua Tree NP near I-10 entrance 

March 15, 2019 Diane reports: Visited Joshua Tree National Park March 13, 2019 – starting at the Cottonwood entrance, off I-10, south of the Visitor Center.  Both sides of Cottonwood Spring Road and the Bajada Nature trail were filled with purple and yellow blooms.  26 different species were noted, including lupine, desert dandelion, notch-leaved phacelia, brittle bush, purple mat, Booth’s primrose, Canterbury Bells, indigo bush, chuparosa, globe mallow, sacred datura, chia, ocotillo, Joshua tree, and desert trumpet.

March 12, 2019 Davd reports: Extensive fields of poppy, lupine, brittle bush, daisies and desert dandelions off of I10, south of east entrance to Joshua Tree.

March 12, 2019 Beverly reports: All photos were taken in Joshua Tree National Park on the Bajada Nature Trail or between there and the Cottonwood Visitors Center. (Google Map Link)

March 9, 2019 Stephanie reports: These photos were taken on March 8, 2019 just south of the Cottonwood Visitor Center. The whole area is just an explosion of purple and yellow flowers. (Area map)

March 8, 2019 Nancy reports:  Cottonwood road, south of Visitors Center. (map)

Park Photo  

More 2019 on Page 2

Spring Blooming Periods

Lower Elevations: 1,000 – 3,000 feet

Yuccas—March and April
Annuals—February, March, and April
Cacti—March, April, and May

Higher Elevations: 3,000 – 5,000 feet

Joshua Trees and Yuccas—March and April
Annuals—March, April, and May
Cacti—April, May, and June

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