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April 23, 2013—In truth, the best wildflower hike in Santa Cruz is probably the hike you know best—the one where every curve of the trail is familiar and even the bobcats aren’t afraid of you anymore. If you have one of those places, go there first to see the explosion of color and scent brought to you by the makers of spring. If you don’t, or if you do but you’re up for something new, try one of these hikes. They won’t disappoint.

Wildflower season starts in March, roars through April and stumbles home with a headache in May, so get planning. And if we missed a great place, send a message: support@hilltromper.com.

Waddell Creek/Rancho del Oso, Skyline-to-the-Sea Bypass Trail

When we asked wildflower photographer, musician and wild man Al Frisby where he’d go to see the blooming sights, Waddell Creek was the first place he mentioned. Since Frisby teaches photography and leads wildflower tours in the spring, we listened. A.k.a. Rancho del Oso, this near-coast section of Big Basin State Park is a gorgeous valley of Monterey pine forest, redwoods and chaparral leading to the sea. Add the riparian corridor of the creek to an already dense patchwork of ecosystems, and you have lots of biodiversity within a pretty small area—which means a whole crazy lot of fleurs. Read more about wildflowers at Waddell Creek. (Photo of Pacific hounds tongue by Al Frisby)

Wilder Ranch State Park, Engelsman Loop

It’s all purple all the time in April at Wilder Ranch State Park—especially at the top of Engelsman Loop, where a rogue stand of wild iris gets busy populating the open chaparral with loopy, nodding blooms in shades of purple ranging from inky to washed-out lilac. If past experience is any indication, they should be going strong well into May. Wild iris isn’t the only game in town, though. Read more about wildflowers at Wilder Ranch. (Photo of wild iris by Hilltromper)

Quail Hollow Ranch, Guided Sandhill Walk

The Santa Cruz Sandhills are worth all the fuss people make over them. Created from deposits left 15 million years ago when the area was underwater, they are islands of biodiversity characterized by light-colored sand, tough shrubs, Ponderosa pines and a handful of flowers and critters found nowhere else, such as the endangered Santa Cruz wallflower (pictured). Quail Hollow Ranch County Park has one of the finest examples of sandhill habitat around. Every Sunday in April the park offers small tours (limit 15 per week) of what noted Santa Cruz naturalist Randall Morgan has called “the Galapagos of Santa Cruz County.” Read more about wildflowers at Quail Hollow Ranch. (Photo of Santa Cruz wallflower by Hilltromper)

Pinnacles National Park

Granted, it’s not in Santa Cruz County. But Pinnacles, recently promoted to national park after being a national monument for more than a century, is such a great place to visit during wildflower season that we couldn’t resist giving it honorary local status. The colors and shapes you’ll encounter here are like nothing else in the area. It’s also true that May is about the latest in the spring you want to hike at Pinnacles—any later than that and it’s just too hot. Read more about wildflowers at Pinnacles National Park. (Photo of woolly blue curls by Miguel Vieira/Creative Commons)

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