Paintbrush in Albion Basin

Castilleja

Paintbrush usually blooms from late June to mid-August in Albion Basin, with the best color from mid-July into early August.

late June – mid-August Best: mid-July into early August In bloom now

The bloom is underway and past its best weeks — still worth it, but don't wait long. Reports are coming in early this year.

Based on reports from iNaturalist naturalists. 161 flowering reports from Salt Lake County shape this curve. The shaded band marks the best weeks; the dashed line is this week.

Where to see them

Twenty minutes of dirt road above Salt Lake City ends in meadows of scarlet paintbrush under the Devil's Castle wall. Late July is the money week; parking fills by 8am.

Albion Basin (Little Cottonwood Canyon, Alta)
Cecret Lake Trail (Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest)

We name public reserves, parks, and roads only — never exact pins, never private land.

Updated August 14, 2026. Bloom timing varies with the year's weather — the curve shows the usual rhythm, and in-season updates sharpen it.