Fields of bright orange poppies, blue skies,
and spectacular mountain-top views…
The most glorious vision of Spring in the Bay Area!
Does it seem as though Southern California gets all the glory for Superbloom flower fields? They have multiple unbelievably stunning Spring wildflower fields that are so popular that they draw people from all over the state to admire them. I mean, who can resist these gorgeous fields of bright orange California poppies? In fact, I was one of those people who drove hundreds of miles from the Bay Area to the Antelope Valley to see this phenomenon for myself during the Superbloom of 2017, and it was indeed spectacularly breathtaking!
But does the Bay Area have similar fields of Spring wildflower glory? Do I have to drive hundreds of miles to see poppy fields again? I was determined to find some wildflower fields closer to home, and I ended up finding gold at Mt Diablo State Park! The best part for me is that it’s less than 15 minutes from my home. If only I had known about this sooner!
March 21, 2021 Field Report: the poppies have arrived for the season! We spotted many areas along North Gate Road with small to medium fields of bright and vibrant poppies!
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Poppies and Wildflowers at Mt Diablo State Park
What I found at Mt Diablo State Park was nothing short of spectacular! Not only were there multiple areas covered with bright orange poppies, but many other types of wildflowers throughout the park as well. All from the highest mountain in the area with sweeping views of the Bay Area below. Even better, they are accessible to visitors who are short on time since many of these wildflower fields, including those pictured in this post, are right next to the main road!
When to See Spring Wildflowers at Mt Diablo State Park
Unlike some Superbloom flower fields (such as this one at the Carrizo Plain that we visited a couple years ago), poppies and many other Spring wildflowers bloom at Mt Diablo State Park every year! According to the local tourism agency Visit TriValley, Mt Diablo State Park is home to “endless fields of California Poppies, Daffodils, Dove Lupine, and dozens of other varieties of wildflowers” even on years when there isn’t a Superbloom. Depending on the timing and amount of rainfall during the winter, poppies and other wildflowers typically show up at the park between March and May.
This past March and April, we visited the park several times to watch for these poppies and were finally rewarded in mid-April with amazing fields full of cheerful orange California poppies (which are now my favorite flowers by the way, aside from my garden roses of course)! The fields of orange flowers and the stunning mountain-top views make for a most beautiful combination! These flowers lasted for several weeks and we were able to go there several times to enjoy them since the park is so close by.
Of course, we brought our beloved Nikon D750 (new model D780 here) full-frame camera with us to capture these pictures!
We were also lucky that it was not that crowded when we went, but it was definitely more crowded on the weekend vs a weekday. Only a few other cars joined us there when we visited during the weekday.
Outfit Details
Lack of Color straw hat at Saks Fifth Ave | Dolce Vita Sandals at Amazon | Cole Haan white sneakers at Amazon | Zara dress
Where to See the Wildflowers in the Park
Poppy fields and other wildflowers have been reported throughout the park, including along North Gate Road, the area around the Summit Visitor Center, Rock City, the road past the South Gate Entrance, and the Mitchell Canyon – Eagle Loop.
All of the pictures on this post were taken along North Gate Road leading to the Summit Visitor Center, entering from the North Gate Entrance. Within 5 minutes past the entrance, we started to see hillsides dotted with bright orange poppies, with many more within 15-20 minutes past the entrance. It was so tempting to stop every time we saw poppies! The best spots have both poppy fields and panoramic views. Please note – it does tend to get windy up there even on sunny days, so hang on to your hat! Otherwise you may end up chasing after it like I did!
If you want to continue exploring the area, the entire drive from the North Gate Entrance to the Summit Visitor’s Center takes approximately 40 minutes (without stops), and much of the road is very twisty and curvy. As I mention in my Big Sur post, if you’re prone to car/motion sickness as I am, I recommend getting a good night’s sleep, having a good breakfast, and avoid looking at the phone if you’re a passenger. I also use a motion sickness wrist band, which helps me a lot.
For more information on wildflowers at Mt Diablo State Park, including a “What’s Blooming Now” report, head over to the Mt Diablo Interpretive Society’s website.
By the way, if you love flowers as much as I do, you might be interested in my post on the Most Beautiful Flower Books (it’s one of my most popular posts!). I also design flower-themed notebooks and journals you might like! Here’s an example on Amazon.
About Mt Diablo State Park
Mt Diablo State Park is a huge park in the San Francisco East Bay. Huge as in over 20,000 acres! It has spectacular panoramic views of the Bay Area at the Summit Visitor’s Center and also from the road up to the summit. On a clear day, visitors can see for hundreds of miles from the peak of Mount Diablo.
The park is located in Walnut Creek, about 28 miles east of San Francisco. It’s a 40-minute drive from San Francisco to the North Gate Entrance of the park without traffic. Please check the park website for current status before going.
For 2021, the vehicle entrance fee is $10.00 for the North Gate Road Entrance, or free if you have the California State Parks annual pass.
Mt Diablo State Park’s Fascinating History
Mount Diablo has a fascinating history as a sacred place for Native Californians. It was historically home to many tribes and was recognized as the birthplace of the world (!). It’s believed that most of those who lived in the area a couple of centuries ago made a trip here as a pilgrimage at some point in life. Learning this history of the mountains makes this place feel even more special to me!
Learn more about the park from the State Parks website and from Wikipedia.
California Spring Travel
If you’re looking for more California Spring travel ideas, check out my posts on the Most Beautiful Spots in Big Sur, the Purple Ice Plants of the Monterey Peninsula, the spectacular Flower Fields of Carlsbad Ranch and the beautiful Spring Peach Blossoms in the East Bay!
All of my California travel posts are here!
Explore More of California!
If you love nature, wildflowers and exploring as much as I do, then I think you’ll love these books from Amazon too!
Hi, I’m Pansy!
Hello, thanks for stopping by! I’m Pansy, California-based travel + lifestyle blogger, photographer and lover of ALL the pretty flowers! If you browse through my blog, you may notice that most of my travels, DIY and photography center around flowers and nature! 🌸🌼🌿
In addition to this blog, I also design flower-themed journals + notebooks, available now on Amazon! More info on my Fleurette Press website!
I hope you found this post useful, and I hope you have a wonderful day!
Pansy ❤️
Serene, cute and relaxing. Admiring much your article!
Thank you so much Maria! So glad you enjoyed it!
So pretty! There is something so special about a field of flowers. I didn’t know about this park and now I need to add it to my
California bucket list.
aw thank you so much Nicole! California has so many beautiful places I’m sure you’ll love it when you visit!
Talk about memories. This was so much fun to read and look at your beautiful photos. When I loved in the states, I lived in Walnut Creek for a few years. It was a long time ago, and I had nearly forgotten about Mount Diablo and the wildflowers. I still remember riding my bicycle up and then quickly back down.
oh what a coincidence!! it really is lovely there isn’t it? I’m so glad these brought back happy memories for you!!
Wow!! Gorgeous photos!! This looks so lovely!
Thank you so much Merrie!! Hope you have a wonderful day!
Hi Pansy! These photos of you and the California poppies at Mt. Diablo are absolutely gorgeous!! Would you be okay with us resharing to our social media accounts @ Stay Pleasant Hill with credit to you to promote our destination in the Mt. Diablo region? We can link to this blog post, and also credit your social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter). Let us know if that would be okay! Thanks.
Hi! Yes, that would be OK to share on IG & Facebook. For IG, please tag and credit my IG @postcards.from.pansy. For Facebook, please credit “SF Bay Blogger Pansy” with link to this post.
Thanks! Pansy
Thank you so much! We will credit to the appropriate accounts thank you for including them here!