California poppies

Eschscholzia californica

California poppies bloom first at Walker Canyon, best around early March; from there the season works its way on across the map, finishing at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, late March. Here are both regions we track, in the order they open.

Each rung is one region's usual window; the deeper stretch is its best weeks. A rung lit violet is in bloom right now. Based on reports from iNaturalist naturalists.

Region by region

Walker Canyon and Lake Elsinore California · early February – early May, best early March into early April
Antelope Valley California · early March – early May, best late March into early April

What's blooming this week, by state →

Based on reports from iNaturalist naturalists. We name public reserves, parks, and roads only — never exact pins, never private land.

Updated August 14, 2026. Bloom timing shifts with the year's weather — each region page carries that region's week-by-week curve and how this season is running.