Trending Now - Death Valley Sees Vibrant Wildflower Bloom, Best Since 2016

WHO:

Matthew Lamar, park ranger at Death Valley National Park

Jackie Gilbert, Las Vegas resident

Loralee Larios, plant ecologist at the University of California, Riverside

Tiffany Pereira, ecologist and associate research scientist at the Desert Research Institute

WHAT:

Death Valley is experiencing a superbloom of wildflowers, the best since 2016.

Death Valley received nearly a year’s worth of rain since October 2025.

The wettest November on record for Death Valley was in 2025, with 1.76 inches of rain.

Wildflowers include desert gold, purple phacelia, brown-eyed primrose, and pink desert five-spot.

Fields of wildflowers are expected to remain until mid-to-late March 2026 at lower elevations.

WHERE:

Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada

Just north of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center

South along Badwater Road

Ashford Mill, an hour’s drive from the visitor center

WHEN:

The superbloom is occurring in March 2026.

The fields of flowers are expected to last until mid-to-late March 2026.

Higher elevations will blossom from April through June 2026.

WHY:

The superbloom is attributed to steady rainfall and warm temperatures over the last six months.

HOW:

Long-dormant seeds buried in the soil have germinated due to the recent rainfall.

Ecologists note that desert plants have adapted to survive long periods without water, waiting for optimal conditions to germinate.

(UPDATED March 10, 2026 11:14 UTC)

Death Valley National Park is currently experiencing a stunning superbloom of wildflowers, the best seen since 2016, thanks to nearly a year’s worth of rain since October 2025. This remarkable event, featuring vibrant blooms like desert gold and purple phacelia, is expected to last until mid-to-late March at lower elevations, with higher elevations set to blossom from April through June. Ecologists attribute this superbloom to the combination of steady rainfall and warm temperatures over the past six months, which have finally coaxed long-dormant seeds to germinate.