Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
Eight Miles of Trails Through Fields of Fragrant Wildflowers
Feb 24, 2009
Located in the Antelope Buttes near Lancaster, California, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is destined to explode with color this year. With the snows in December, and the rains in February, the stage is set for quite a show.
Explore the Reserve
There are eight miles of trails that meander around and through the reserve. There’s even a trail that is paved and wheelchair accessible.
Imagine blooms so bright they hurt the eyes. The intensity of the orange is so brilliant that sunglasses are a must. So are sunscreen, a hat, and water.
The Flora
The Reserve is located in the Mojave Desert at 2600-3000 feet elevation, in a high desert environment. This Mojave Desert Grassland habitat literally bursts into bloom some years; others, it’s barely noticeable. The amount of winter precipitation is the key factor in the seasonal bloom.
The bloom will usually begin in mid-May and end by mid-March, with the peak bloom usually in mid-April. However in 2003, another fabulous year for desert wildflowers, the reserve was in full bloom by late March.
The California Poppy is the main player here, but a chorus line of flowers creates the full show. Coreopsis, fiddlenecks, goldfields, and cream cups are on the yellow side of the rainbow and lupine, lacy phacelia, and Davy Gilia create the blue side.
The Fauna
Sit quietly and listen to the meadow larks singing to each other. Watch as hawks soar above, screeching as they search for prey. The sides of the trails are laden with burrows, homes to the many gophers, kangaroo rats, and mice. Some of the burrows have been converted into snake dens, both gopher and rattle. The fields teem with life, especially during the spring.
Sheep grazed the buttes until the early 1970s and Pronghorn Antelope long before them, but the park management keeps the grazers off of this precious reserve in order to preserve the wildflowers. On occasion, during the right time of day when all is quiet, a bobcat or coyote will be seen.
When You Visit
The Jane S. Pinheiro Interpretive Center will open for the season on Saturday, March 14, 2009. Free guided tours are offered during the weekends at 10 AM and 2 PM. On weekdays a tour leaves at 10 AM.
The park is open from sunrise to sunset, and is a day use park only. Camping is not permitted.
Beginning March 14 parking will be $8 per vehicle; $7 with a senior in the car (62), and $4 with a Disabled Discount Card, available through the Reserve’s website.
Please leave Fido at home. Dogs are not permitted on any of the trails.
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