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Reader Participation Survey: Which National Park Has the Best Wildflower Blooms?

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Wildflowers daub the national parks with color. If you're heading to Yosemite National Park, you might want to check out their webpage on wildflowers, which includes information on the ones pictured here. NPS graphics.

Every year it seems chatter begins in January about how spectacular the wildflower bloom in Death Valley National Park will be. At the same time, folks are making plans to attend Great Smoky Mountains National Park's Wildflower Pilgrimage, or perhaps Shenandoah National Park's wildflower weekend.

Delicate lilies are among the wildflowers to be seen around Acadia National Park, and just the other day we noticed a wildflower primer from Yosemite National Park. Looking for columbines? Rocky Mountain National Park seems to be the best to go for them.

Which leaves us wondering, which national park is best for wildflowers?

Comments

Mount Rainier


Agreed! John Muir called the massed flower fields at Paradise "...the most extravagantly beautiful...I have ever beheld in all my mountaintop ramblings."


For me, it has to be Great Smoky Mountains in April and May. The woods are literally carpeted with wildflowers.


Columbines in RMNP!


If you have had a year of heavy rains such as an El Nino (this year!!) nothing beats Joshua Tree National Park. The desert comes alive like a fireworks display.


We want to head to Rocky Mountain sometime soon... when would you say is the best time to see the Columbines?


Some good choices. You can see some wildflower shots at the Traveler's flickr page.

Here are just a couple of my favorites:

Wildflowers at Logan Pass in Glacier: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21241366@N05/4521631858/in/pool-nationalparkstraveler

And lupines in Acadia: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21241366@N05/4520986687/in/pool-nationalparkstraveler

and... http://www.flickr.com/photos/21241366@N05/4520987239/in/pool-nationalparkstraveler

Somewhere I've got a nice shot of wildflowers on Hurricane Ridge in Olympic, and if I can locate it I'll add it to the flickr page.

If you've got some good wildflower shots, add them to the flickr site.


I have to say Glacier National Park. In 2005 the Beargrass was at their peak and our hike fromLogan Pass to0 the Granite Park Chalet was a smorgasbord of wildflowers! Absolutely breath-taking!


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