State-protected reserve of California, harboring the most consistent blooms of California poppies, the state flower

General Information

Hours:

Daily: Sunrise to Sunset year-round
Jane S. Pinheiro Visitor Center: Open seasonally March–May, 9am–5pm weekends, 10am–4pm weekdays

Fees:

Vehicle Day Use: $10
Seniors (62+): $9
Walk-in/Bike-in: Free
Interagency Passes not accepted

Pet Policy:

Pets are not allowed on trails or in the reserve
Only trained service animals permitted

Closest cities with hotels:

Lancaster, CA (15 mi)

Seasons:

Best seasons to visit: Mid-February to early May
Peak bloom typically occurs in March and April depending on rainfall

Location:

15101 Lancaster Rd, Lancaster, CA 93536

Website:

parks.ca.gov/?page_id=627

How to Get There

From Los Angeles (68 mi): Take I-5 N to CA-14 N toward Lancaster, exit at Avenue I and head west for 15 miles until it becomes Lancaster Rd, then follow signs to the reserve entrance.

Overview

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is a state-protected reserve of California, harboring the most consistent blooms of California poppies, the state flower. The reserve is located in the rural west side of Antelope Valley in northern Los Angeles County, 15 miles (24 km) west of Lancaster. To the north is Kern County. The reserve is at an elevation ranging from 2,600 to 3,000 feet (790 to 910 m) above sea level, in the Mojave Desert climate zone. The reserve is administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Other wildflowers within the reserve include the owl's clover, lupine, goldfields, cream cups and coreopsis.

The reserve

The intense blooming season for the California poppy falls usually within late winter to early spring, during the months of mid-February through mid-May. Blooming seasons are dependent on the amount of rainfall during the winter to early spring seasons. Within the reserve, there are 7 miles of trails, including a paved section for wheelchair access, which traverse the poppy fields.

In order to keep the fields in a strictly natural state, California State Parks does not water or stimulate the flowers. The park service also excludes sheep and cattle from grazing the hillsides. Until the early 1970s sheep once grazed the buttes in the western Antelope Valley. Pronghorn grazed long before then, until the railroad arrived in 1876. With the exception of service dogs, pets are prohibited from the reserve. Under California state law, visitors are also prohibited from taking flowers from the reserve.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0