The poppy fields near Lancaster, California, are a place that I’ve wanted to visit for sometime. They are open from dawn until dusk and there are several hundred acres to explore. Some parts of the reserve are accessible by OHV, along unpaved sandy roads. The best parts of the park are supposed to be down these roads. It was a 3 hour drive to get here, and I left just before sunrise.
There are plenty of places you can see poppies in the socal, but the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve is known to be one of the best. It is situated north of Los Angeles, near Palmdale and Lancaster. It’s a beautiful desert area, but not a place most people think of as a getaway, except during the superbloom.
Driving through Palmdale and Lancaster there are a mix of warehouses, suburban areas, intermingling with abandoned, and dilapidated properties, strewn with trash. There is a somewhat eerie vibe in visiting forgotten places like this. Little Rock seemed sort of charming, with it’s multiple murals. There were stretches of what felt like no man’s land on the drive out, filled with Joshua Tree’s, which were sort of unexpected. The only other part of the Mojave I had seen these was in Joshua Tree National Park.
I had heard that some of the main OHV roads through the reserve were Soda Lake Road, Elkhorn Road, and Beam Flat Road, and Panorama Road. People had remarked that the best parts of the reserve require travel down unpaved roads, which I was prepared to do if possible. None of these roads mentioned in a travel blog, would be the way I ended up exploring the reserve. In fact, I did not even travel these roads on this trip.
As I edged closer from Lancaster, I could see the orange hills of the poppy filled area, off in the distance, so I headed for the hills.
As I closed in, I could see they were aglow in shades of yellow and orange. The most intuitive way into the reserve seemed to be from the north, to head towards the blooms. This was different from my directions to the state park. I sometimes go my own way, and try to find that road less traveled.
I made a right, driving north, along a road lined with power poles. I noticed several OHV roads, branch off on my left, leading into the reserve as I headed north.
Suddenly, the fields along both sides of the road were completely filled with poppies. I had finally made it to Antelope Valley for a superbloom!
It was a Monday morning, and not the peak time for visitors. Poppies are not a morning flower and need full sun to open up. That is one reason I did not come earlier, at sunrise. Late morning was decidedly the best time to see wildflowers, when the sun was up.
I was banking on coming at an off time to guarantee a bit more solitude while here. I kept noticing more empty, unmarked, unpaved roads, and was now considering taking my car up one of these. How bad could it be was the question. My car is not high clearance or 4wd, so I needed to be careful. I made a left near Avenue D on the north end of the reserve. It was 10 am when I stopped to enjoy the poppies here for the first time. I was just ten feet off the road, but was surrounded by them, along with power poles. I knew there was much more, if I ventured further in to the reserve.
So I continued on further, noticing a series of hills, referred to as Fairmont Buttes, on the north side of the reserve in what alltrails has marked as the “Poppy Scenic Area.” I wanted to find the best way to climb these hills, and an accessible trail. This reserve has so many un-named trails, and many not marked on alltrails. I switch to using the alltrails version of Google Earth to find the trails which were OHV roads for the most part.
As I explored along the north edge, the road seemed to get rougher. I came to a juncture where this was some sort of building, and turned right, after some deliberation, down a narrow more rocky unpaved road. It started to narrow more and become more rutted, so I decided I would soon turn back.
But first I exited my car, to enjoy the views from here a moment, noticing not just poppies but several other distinct wildflowers in bloom: Mojave Suncups, Sky Lupine, and Hillside Daisies.
I then continued back to the initial road I took into the reserve, making a right, eventually finding a wider parking area, near to a steep trail leading uphill.
This was decidedly the climb I was in the market for. I have been gravitating toward steep hills lately, now that I can hike steeps, to get in a good workout, and practice my hill climbing. I still think I will do a repeat of Villager Peak, and perhaps Iron Mountain. Then there are more steep desert climbs on my radar. But to hike steep hills, you need to practice, and push yourself, so I welcomed this small hill challenge.
It was around 10:30 as I began the hike up, greeted at first by a small Painted Lady Butterfly.
After making my way halfway up the wildflower covered hillside on a trail as wide as a fire road, I was completely surrounded by tiny yellow Hillside Daisy’s, and Orange California Poppies, dotted by Sky Blue Lupines.
Off in the distance were hues of orange, purple, pink, and yellow, the colors of spring, of a California superbloom.
It only took about 10 minutes to climb the steep hill, and my watch read around 250 feet of gain at that point. Now I was on the ridge, which was not quite as high as it appeared from afar.
But there were more successive hills along this ridge, each exceedingly taller than the next, so I hiked on along a narrow ridge trail, not wide as a fire road any longer.
My next stop was a rock formation up ahead.
As I trod along surrounded by yellow flowers, I kept wondering how there was no one out here. In the distance was a solar farm, an eyesore, with its stark black panels.
About 5 minutes later I was wandering amongst massive boulders, enjoying another scenic vista and rock outcropping.
I had this trail all to myself, along with these boulders.
There is something so soothing about walking among flowers.
Up ahead I could see a beautiful rock formation and beyond it was a tower of some sort on a distant ridge.
I hiked along the rolling hills, on the lookout for unusual flowers I had not seen before.
The trail along the ridge to the buttes was a bit rocky, but manageable.
By 11:30 am I had hiked about 1.7 miles to what that tower in the distance. It was the concrete remnants of something, but it was not clear what it had been.
There were beautiful views from way up here, but I needed to get back, to explore the main parts of the reserve.
So at this point, I headed back, taking a different trail down the mountainside to the right, which would take me back to my car.
On the way back down the hillside to the valley below I came across new wildflowers, such as the yellow Bigelow’s Tickseed, a variety of Coreopsis, which I had not yet seen before.
There were plenty of Purple Owl’s Clover, along with yellow Hillside Daisies, and Sky Blue Lupines.
Even more beauty awaited in the orange hued hills in the distance. I knew I had to visit there as well.
Off to my right was the remnants of an old mine.
I hiked down toward the unpaved road, seeing a pool or lake up ahead.
I made a left, along the road. There were thick patches of brush, intermingling with the wildflowers.
It was so beautiful here in Antelope Valley. There were even more new wildflowers to discover here along the road, such as Desert Dandelion, and Cream Cups, a member of the poppy family.
A Common Buckeye Butterfly, a Desert Dandelion, and Lacey Phacelia.
I noticed a Joshua Tree in bloom, flowering.
Just beyond it, was a relic of target practice, of rusted metal, surrounded by shotgun shells. I was in the wild west!
I made it back to my car and headed back to the road
I was not done exploring the preserve, but going to a different entrance, on the other side, to see the more popular side of the state park.
I drove around the reserve, seeing what there was to see along the edge of the reserve. There were more and more poppies. This section was not quite as scenic as where I first explored it.
I arrived to see a practically full parking lot, and about seven cars waiting. I entered the state park, and parked, after a brief wait. I showed my state parks pass, which saved an entrance fee of $10. Had I come here on a weekend, there is no telling the crowds one might find here. I was grateful to be here on a Monday, and also on a day where it was not too hot. The high was 72 degrees, and the weather was perfect for enjoying the reserve in full sun, as poppies are best viewed. The park was very clean and so were the pit toilets. I began my hike along Lightning Bolt Trail, taking the east loop, intent on tackling the biggest climb of the loop first.
These trails were incredibly well-maintained and roped off. There was little room for error here, or getting lost.
There were plenty of Poppies, Hillside Daisy, and purple Lacy Phacelia, among others.
The wind had started to howl, and I could barely hold on to my hat as I made my way to Antelope Vista Point. It was way to windy to do an even longer hike today, so I continued back on the South Loop.
This part of the reserve was had an abundance of wildflowers as well. It had multiple benches there for contemplating the beauty all around, and having a quiet moment. Still those moments were somewhat short lived, and there was an absence of that alone feel you get, when you hike solo. It was the opposite of the area I first explored earlier that day.
I continued on the South Loop of Antelope Trail, before taking the Vista Point turnoff, and heading back to my car from there. I decided to skip the west loop, since the wind was way too intense, blowing a solid 30 mph, with 40 mph gusts. Sometimes you just have to call it. Otherwise I would have explored the entire 5.6 mile loop. From what I could tell, it would have been more of the same, and I had definitely had my share of poppy viewing for one day.
I was grateful to walk surrounded by an abundance of wildflowers, more than I had ever experienced before. This truly was an amazing
Here are the flowers I found:
Silverpuffs – white
Fremont’s Pincushion – white
Chrysanthemum
Red Maids – fuchsia
Lacy Phacelia – purple
Mojave Suncup – yellow
Sky lupine – blue
Desert Dandelion – yellow
Cream cups – white, member of the poppy family
Bigelow’s Tickseed – yellow, a variety of Coreopsis
Hillside Daisy
Purple Owl’s Clover – fuchsia
Narrowleaf Goldenbrush
Pitted Onion – white
Ashy Leaf Buckwheat
Butterflies and Moths found:
Painted Lady Butterfly
Common Buckeye Butterfly
I hope you enjoyed reading this, and it is helpful in knowing what to expect, should you decide to visit here.
The Essentials
Just be sure to come prepared, bring the 10 essentials, leave it as you found it and Pack Out Your Trash to keep the wilderness pristine for future hikers.
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I’m Serafina! I’m a writer and California girl who loves to go exploring. Hope you will get outside today, breathe some fresh air, and be happy!
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