According to The Weather Channel, the national park is currently exploding with vibrant colors following the record rains last fall and winter. The last time this part of California experienced a similar phenomenon was 10 years ago, in 2016.
This bloom isn’t an isolated event. It follows the early flowering of Joshua trees and the first sightings at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, signaling a potential massive superbloom across all of Southern California for 2026.
Where and when to see the superbloom in Death Valley
While there are plenty of desert areas seeing a bloom this year, the National Park Service has crafted a list of current places in the Valley where you can spot the different kinds of flowers in the area.
- North Badwater Rd (between CA190 and Badwater Basin): Desert Gold, Brown-eyed Primrose
- 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
- North Highway: Phacelia, Desert Gold, Suncups
To catch blooms at different elevations, California State Parks and the National Park Service recommend this rough schedule:
- Through mid-April: Lower elevations and foothills
- Through early May: 3,000–5,000 feet, including upper desert slopes, canyons, and higher valleys
- Through mid-July: 5,000–11,000 feet on mountain slopes
When you visit, just take photos and soak in the view, don’t pick the flowers, and make sure to leave no trace. Keeping the flowers intact helps future visitors experience this rare spectacle too.