Taking In the Death Valley Superbloom
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Known for being the hottest, driest and lowest place in North America. Death Valley National Park is typically a landscape of salt flats and barren rock. But every so often, the valley floor undergoes a transformation that changes the whole landscape: a superbloom. These superblooms tend to occur once a decade, with the most recent superbloom years being 2016, 2005, and 1998, so this spring there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to see it for myself. That being decided, on March 1, we drove to the park for a day trip to enjoy a day of hiking and taking in the rare botanical phenomenon.
As we drove into the park light splashes of color along the sides of the road began to make their appearance. Having driven to Death Valley a number of times, these little sights were exciting enough, but when we arrive in the park itself, the abundance of flowers made the park look like an almost different landscape than usual.
Driving along Jubilee Pass Road and Badwater Road, cars lined the roads, people walking through the fields of flowers to get the perfect photos and take in the vibrant colors. While normally seeing an influx of crowds makes me cringe, it was actually nice to see so many people innocently enjoying the sight of flowers and surprisingly using caution when traversing through them. To avoid the bulk of the crowds however, we parked at the Ashford Mill Ruins and were treated with rolling carpets of desert gold, desert chicory, sand verbena and brown-eyed evening primrose.
Even despite the abundance of yellow and vibrant purples, my favorite flower was the desert chicory which looks like an arts and craft project made from plastic sporks.
What is a "Superbloom"?
While small patches of flowers appear in Death Valley every spring, a true superbloom is a rare climatic event where a massive number of dormant wildflower seeds all germinate and bloom at once, ultimately carpeting the valley in vibrant yellows, purples, and whites.
According to the National Park Service, this occurrence takes a very specific series of events to trigger the millions of seeds to germinate at once. If even one part is missing from the equation, the seeds simply stay tucked in the sand, waiting for another year.
Well-Spaced Rainfall:
Believe it or not, it’s not just about how much rain falls, but when. A single flash flood isn't enough to allow the moisture to reach deep into the soil. To soak the seeds and keep them growing, Death Valley needs gentle, consistent rain throughout the fall, winter, and spring.
Sufficient Warmth:
You would think in a place like Death Valley, warmth is a given, but the trick to a superbloom is that the desert sun needs to provide enough warmth to jumpstart the germination process, but not so much that it bakes the sprouts before they can take root. (The wildflower seeds and I have this preference in common).
Lack of Drying Winds:
The silent killer of a potential superbloom is the wind. With Death Valley being prone to high winds which can dehydrate seedlings or sandblast the petals right off the flower stems, for a superbloom to reach its peak, the air needs to remain relatively calm.
When these three conditions align, the result is beautiful.
Now, with temperatures quickly rising and winds increasing, many of the rolling carpets of wildflowers that covered the valley floor are dwindling, their seeds are falling and settling into the dirt where they’ll remain until the next perfect combination of events wakes them back up, and the blooms are are more on display at higher elevations.
Despite the Springtime superbloom being a main attraction, floral highlights are not a rarity in this park. Delicate clusters of flowers generally make an appearance tucked between shrubs and rocks throughout the early spring and summer months at higher elevations and add a pop of color in an otherwise barren landscape.
As if the superbloom wasn't a rare-enough sight, our visit also allowed us to see Lake Manly, a rare, shallow lake that reappears in the dry salt flats of Badwater Basin after seasons of extreme rainfall.
With perfect desert temperatures, plenty of superbloom photos taken, and Lake Manly seen, we headed to Sidewinder Canyon. We then spent the afternoon trekking up a 4-mile out and back gravel wash to explore cool slot canyons and the occasional sweeping view of the valley. Finishing off the day, we enjoyed a tailgate picnic lunch and a bit of people watching before finally heading home to edit all the photos from the day.
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