From now until early June (at best), California will continue to enjoy a superbloom — and the best place to see it, right, now is probably in the SF Bay Area.
The sheer volume of rain the SF Bay Area received this past fall and winter was historic, helping lift the region out of a years-long drought and refill freshwater reservoirs that have sat worryingly for far too long. Some of us even adopted City storm drains in San Francisco… because, apparently, a large swath of them aren’t maintained on a regular basis by SF Public Works.
Super Bloom, Mori Point@zimpix @hknightsf @peterhartlaub @RobMayeda @SFGate #totalsf #CAwx @Underscore_SF pic.twitter.com/zD5Bwf9sOp
— Stuart Berman (@QuakesFanStu) May 9, 2023
As a result of that rain was a wave of wildflower beds now covering many parts of California; the state is fully in its Superbloom Era, as of late — a period that’s expected to run until the end of the month, perhaps as late as early June. Either way you look at it: There are only a few weeks left to catch California’s rare superbloom before the wildflowers wilt and are reabsorbed by Mother Nature.
But where’s the best place to witness hillsides painted by petals in the SF Bay Area, you ask? Easy: Pacifica, specifically at Mori Point. In fact: It may just be the most picturesque place to experience CA’s superbloom anywhere in the state. Ok, never mind: It *is* the most picturesque place to experience CA’s superbloom anywhere in the state.
Mind you, Mori Point is no stranger to wildflower blooms; the cliff sides and hills around the beachfront area regularly see blooming well into May. But this year, they’ve been supercharged by the recent rains, excessive amounts of sunshine, and overall temperate weather. To say that the current superbloom happening at Mori Point is pretty would be an injustice. It’s gorgeous — breathtaking, spellbinding, a landscape fit for daydreaming.
The flowers most commonly encountered on the trails around the point — might we recommend the Mori Point Loop Trail, which is an easy, almost three-mile hike that will put you in the way of indefensible amounts of beauty — are California poppies, seaside daisies, and checkerblooms. And if you’re fortunate enough to come across a San Francisco garter snake, among the rarest reptiles on earth, admire from afar… and consider recording the encounter on iNaturalist for biologists to reference.
Need any more of a digital push to make the IRL trek out to Mori Point? Let Instagram’s dystopian algorithm take your thumb over some truly stunning snaps.
Here are some of our favorites, below:
As always, make sure to practice the principles of Leave No Trace and consider donating to the Pacifica Land Trust to ensure these wild spaces exist for future generations.
Feature image: Courtesy of Stuart Berman
As someone who lives in Pacifica right across the highway from Mori Point, thank you for mentioning Leave No Trace and the Pacifica Land Trust. I’ll also note that we appreciate when visitors are considerate when parking in the immediate neighborhood, not blocking driveways, etc 🙂