I have Zach Behrens of KCET to thank for the heads up about the floral carpet bombing of yellow coreopsis blooming at Saddleback Butte State Park right now. It’s as if a giant can of yellow paint was thrown across the desert floor, the walk across the Joshua Tree dotted park an electrifying and surreal stimulation of the retina. Even on a perfect Saturday morning like today, the park was only visited by a handful of visitors…and I noticed even fewer hikers making their way up from Little Butte Trail up to 3,651 feet high Saddleback Butte Peak, where the eventual vantage point rewards you for the steep and sandy incline with a 360 degree view of the Antelope Valley, including a few snow capped mountains in the distance.

Go now, before the flowers wilt and you miss out on one of nature’s grandest pop-up gallery show just one and a half hours away from Los Angeles!