Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve

I went here for the first time and we liked it. We loved that the trails lead you back and no chance to get lost. Though cold, there are flowers especially on the side that does not have much wind. It’s beautiful. Fresh air. Greatfull to experience nature.

There's no puppies this year but if you love nature you still enjoy visiting this park. You will be amazed by the variety of other flowers you will see. The tiny tiny chamomile gives the hills that vibrant yellow color that you will love.

Poppy's were not in complete bloom but absolutely beautiful to see the hills colored in yellow and orange. Highly recommend stopping by and doing the walk around the reserve. The staff is incredibly friendly and plus we even caught some of the eclipse there

I’m so lucky to live only 40 minutes away from this beautiful place, obviously it’s known for having some of the most amazing displays of wildflowers ( Poppies mostly ) I have a YouTube channel @lopezexplora and I’m always posting updates so make sure to check it out and subscribe!!
I’ll leave you some clips from Tuesday April 9, 2024. Enjoy it!!

I think last time we were there was more poppies but this time because of the rain or cold weather was not that much poppies that we expected, but other than that was a nice experience! Try to go afternoon around sunset to see the sunset and skip the traffic! The bathrooms were so dirty, try not to go. The parking is $10, which you can park of the road and walk up there if you can, in overall was nice!

Incredible hiking trails full of all of the wild flowers you could imagine this year! We got there at 730am and the park was already busy. $10 to get in and worth it in every way. Definitely stay on the trails as to not damage the flowers or disturb any wildlife.

We flew in all the way from Washington to see the poppy fields. When we got to the reserve, we didn’t see any poppies, but there were poppies blooming out side the reserve. If you go east on Lancaster road, about a mile away from the reserve, you will see an unmarked open parking on the right. You won’t see any poppies from the parking area, but if you follow the trail after you park and keep walking south toward the valley you will see a huge field of poppies and some pink flowers blooming all over the valley. It was an unforgettable sight! There are also other poppy fields that you will see along Lancaster road if you keep driving east, but the poppy fields that hidden in valley is the best and the most picturesque!! P.S poppy fields and valley has no shade, so make sure to wear a hat or put on a lot of sun screen and bring enough water.

Beautiful trails to walk. Flowers galore when we went. It's windy, bring a jacket. There is a visitor center that has neat info on the area and interesting displays. There are volunteers and rangers available for questions as well. No food or drink is sold in the park, so bring your own.

An amazing place for a date. Nice scenic drive, beautiful rolling hills and gorgeous flowers! 10/10 fully recommend.

There are a LOT of bugs so I would bring bug spray. Also plenty of hiking trails ranging from easy to difficult, so if you are into hiking definitely bring hiking gear.

It’s a beautiful reserve center. The staff are very friendly!

The admission fee is $10 each vehicle, VISA or MASTER CARDS only.

We came in late March and it’s still very cold and windy. Not much blooming but it’s a great park with easy trails.

First went here to watch the superbloom in 2023, and I was MIND BLOWN. Not just because of the flowers but because of the miles and miles of undulating hills, clean air and tranquility. You HAVE to visit, be it during spring when the flowers are in bloom or any other time of year!

We arrived around 10:30am on Friday April 7. Parking was available but fee collection at the entrance built up a queue of 20 minutes or so. It was early in the season for the expected super bloom but it worth the 4 hours driving from Bay Area. We spent 4 hours in the Reserve. One can easily make it a 2-3 hour fare.

Don’t forget to check around outside of the reserve: there are excellent wild flowers along Lancaster Rd and along CA 138 near 140th street intersection

I have never ever seen so many flowers, not even wildflowers in one area. Horizon to horizon wildflowers, predominantly California Poppies of course. This place gets packed in Springtime and especially with the recent Super-bloom. Be sure to stay on the paths!

Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous.
After such abundant rains 🌧 the flowers are in FULL BLOOM.
I can't believe I've lived out here for 25 years and am just now seeing these beautiful flowers up close.
The line to get into the reserve is pretty long so I would suggest stopping at different spots along the way (plenty of poppies and photo opportunities) before entering the actual reserve (save $10 😉)
Photos are nice but there is nothing compared to the capture of the human eye 👁. I just wanted to stand there amongst the flowers and take it all in...no camera could do that justice. Definitely worth the drive for locals and others outside of the Antelope Valley. I would definitely go back before the bloom ends (around May). It's worth it. 😊

If you’re looking for a light hike, I highly recommend! Even pictures don’t do this place justice.

A few tips for your consideration:
- Pack lots of water and some light snacks. There is no shade up there and that heat can really start to get you, especially if you decide to do the trails.
- Which brings me to my next point, be aware of your surroundings and the wildlife (mainly rattlesnakes). There are signs posted but just keep that in the back of your head.
- Lastly it is wheelchair friendly, HOWEVER, some of those hills can get steep and narrow if traffic is going both ways.

Parking is also pretty full so be prepared to park on the road.

But at the end of the day still recommend. Just bring water, sunscreen, and your favorite person! Hope you have fun.

The poppy flowers are asleep on cold morning and wait for the perfect temperature to rise up. Here are some images I took while waiting for them to wake up and some when they fully awakened. Such a beauty

Beautiful park. We went in February end and there were no poppies and the visitor center was closed too. I heard it opens in March and the flowers start blooming in late March. So, don’t visit before that for watching poppies. But now is a great time to do hikes and watch all the scenic hill tops

$10 to park

Keep an eye out for areas on the way there that can have huge blooms. I found a spot aling the side of the road that was a small hike out but had beautiful blooms! Only good for a few weeks a year, so take advantage when you can!

Even when there aren't poppies blooming, this is a fantastic place to find and ideal for birding. There are numerous trails. We saw plenty of horned larks, meadow larks, and lark sparrows. If you take the money trails, you can get solitude even in the middle of the day. There are bugs in some areas, even when it's windy, so long sleeves and long pants are better. Strangely, the bugs seem to favor light colors.

Beautiful blooms of California Poppy and various other wildflowers. (March 2022). Despite it not being a super bloom year due to the lack of rain, it is still very impressive. Seven miles of trails around the hills, easy to walk around and find space for your photos without fighting off crowds of people, but if you don’t want to walk far the entry area has lots of poppies. The entry was $10 for the car, bring the correct cash to make it easier for the attendants. There are a few basic toilets at the car park. The small visitor centre has a nice selection of poppy-related products at fair prices. Check their webcam before you visit to see if the blooms are still around. Note that it can be extremely windy.