The almond blossom is here and it is breathtakingly beautiful! Here are the best spots to see almond blossm in California.
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Every spring in California, hundreds of thousands of almond trees bloom at the same time.
California produces about 80% of the almonds in whole world, so you can just imagine how huge these farms are. When you see the almond trees from the freeway, it looks like a big sea of flowers that never ends. Right after the peak of the bloom some of the flowers start to fall and it almost looks like there is snow under the trees.
We have seen almond blossom many times while driving, but last weekend we decided to stop to take some photos at one of the almond farms.
To see almond blossom you don’t need any special tours or guided visits, anyone can stop at the side of the road to snap some photos with the trees.
The farmers don’t usually mind of people taking photos with the trees closest to the street. However, you should not go far in to the farm or collect anything from there to take home with you. These farms are on a private land, so it is better not to leave any trace or trash behind you.
When is the almond blossom
The California almond blossom is usually in March when the days stay getting warmer and sunnier. In rare cases you might see some trees blossom in late February already. That can happen especially in the most southern of the almond farms.
When the blossom starts, you will have about a two to three week window to go see it before the peak is gone, so make sure to check the internet and social media for when the bloom has started and be ready to go.
Where to see almond blossoms in California
Tracy
The closest place for us to see almond blossom is the city of Tracy. Tracy has a long history as an agricultural area but in recent years the city has grown rapidly as people from San Francisco Bay Area has been looking to move to more affordable places.
We found some almond farms right after we passed the downtown area. From the freeway it looked like a sea of flowers -it was amazing! The farms are huge and at first it was difficult to decide where to stop. But it was not hard to find a spot to park, so we finally hopped out of the car to take some photos.
Best place to stay the night in Tracy is Holiday Inn Express & Suites.
📍Best spots in Tracy are at S. Chrisman Road and at W Schulte Road.
Ripon
Just a small drive from Tracy to south and inland, you will find a tiny town called Ripon. Only 15,000 people live there but the whole town basically lived on almond farms.
Every spring Ripon has an Almond Blossom Festival where you can visit farms, participate in different events and even watch the parade.
If you are staying the night, you should stay at La Quinta Inn & Suites Ripon.
Modesto
If you continue from Ripon to south you will arrive to Modesto which has traditions in both almond farming and dairy production. They also produce a lot of eggs in this area. Modesto has about 200,000 inhabitants.
Modesto is the closest bigger city to Yosemite National Park but it has a reputation for not being the safest pit stop. Make sure to book a hotel from a good area, for example Country Inn & Suites by Radisson.
Modesto has developed a phone application for those who want to find the best spots for almond blossoms in the town.
Fresno
Fresno is a town in Central Valley quite close to Sequoia National Park. It is a well known farming area and they have a designated trail for visitors to see almond blossoms.
Fresno County Blossom Trail is interesting because it actually includes other bloom areas too, like orange blossoms. There are also smaller town along the trail like Selma, that celebrates the Raisin Festival every year, and Kinsburg, that has some Swedish heritage.
Kingsburg got the nick-name “Little Sweden” in 1870’s when a lot of Swedish immigrants moved to the area. Even the landmark of the town is a water tower that is shaped like a Swedish coffee pot.
If you looking for a place to stay in Fresno, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Fresno is great!
Visalia
About an hour drive from Fresno you will dins a small town called Visalia where we have stayed a few times when we were visiting Sequoia National Park. Among the almonds, Visalia also produces cherries, olives, citrus fruits, kiwi, prunes, nuts and blueberries.
Visalia also has blossom trail for visitors. You can find the Visalia Blossom and Orchard Trail from here.
In Visalia, we have stayed at Fairfield Inn by Marriott Visalia Sequoia but if you want to experience something unique, try the JD Hyde Historic Inn.
Bakersfield
For those coming from Southern California or from Los Angeles area the closest almond farms are in Bakersfield. Bakersfield is a bigger city which drives on agricultural and oil production.
Since Bakersfield is more south, the almond blossom there sometimes starts earlier than other places in California. You can see almond trees along Highway 99 already but the best spots are along the Snow Road.
In Bakersfield we recommend Hampton Inn & Suites Bakersfield Central.
Durham
The most northern spot to see the almond blossoms in California is a small town called Durham. It’s right above the state capital, Sacramento.
Among just stopping by to see the almond blossoms, in Durham you can also participate in the Almond Blossom Run. The route follows the almond farms in town, so the scenery at this run is pretty special.
If you want to stay the night, then we recommend staying at Chico, for example at Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chico by IHG.
📍Best places to see almond blossoms in Durham is at Roble Road, Blossom Lane and Jones Avenue.
Woodland and Dixon
Woodland and Dixon are both also very close to Sacramento. The best almond blossom areas are on the roads in between these two towns. They do not have any public events build around almond blossom but you can still stop there to see the beautiful trees.
In Woodland you should check out the Home2 Suites By Hilton.
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California is a great destination for those who love flowers. Some flower is always blooming there.
At spring time you can go see cherry blossom just like in Japan. The cherry blossom bloom is usually about the same time as the almond blossom.
If you are close to San Diego, then check out the Carlsbad Flower Fields. The colourful ranunculus flowers usually bloom from mid March to beginning of May. It looks very much like the tulip fields in the Netherlands.
In June you can find huge sunflower fields along the roads in Northern California. June and July is also a great time to visit a lavender farm and pretend that you are in France!
Have you seen any amazing flower blooms somewhere?
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If it’s private than why some people go in and take pictures and site said no trespassing. So can you go in to take pictures or not?
Some people are ignorant. You should not go walk around in the farm without permission. There are many spots by the road side where you can see the trees and take photos.