Traffic jams. Trampled flowers. "Disneyland size crowds."
The recent wildflower "super blooms" in Southern California — and the legions of selfie-hungry Instagrammers they've attracted — have caused the kind of stir not usually associated with botanical events.
Yes, the term “super bloom” is most commonly used to refer to the spectacular explosions of native wildflowers that spring up in desert areas like the Mojave Desert. But according to Modern Hiker, the phrase is actually a recent invention, made up in the last few years to mean “a bunch of flowers.” So why not thumb your nose at our SoCal cousins and their traffic jams by visiting one of these colorfully floral Bay Area spots below — to catch a sort-of-super bloom of your own?
Bear in mind that according to Visit California's 2019 Super Bloom guide, the Bay Area’s peak wildflower season is a little later than Southern California’s (late April to mid-June). So, several of these spots below won’t actually be blooming yet, and when they do, the saturation can really vary from year to year.
What's more, a lot of the Bay Area's blooming hillsides — as shown in the photos submitted by readers below — are actually due to invasive species like wild mustard, not native wildflowers. Vibrant (and Instagrammable) riots of color they may be, but the proliferation of these flowering plants is actually one of the reasons the Bay doesn't get true "super blooms" of native wildflowers.
