fieldtrip to the california poppy fields

It's wildflower season! Here's the inside scoop for getting the best California poppy (our state flower!) pics...

A quick (by L.A. standards) 2-hour trip away is Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. Every year at springtime, the poppies blossom and cover the rolling hills turning them into a bright orange-red sea of flowers!

As soon as we heard the poppies were starting to bloom, we headed straight for the hills that weekend. However, Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve was so jam packed with people (read: basic people who wanted a great gram...like us hah!) that it made it difficult to find a patch of poppies all to yourself. Also, you're technically not supposed to walk off the path to avoid destroying the poppies.

So instead of the Poppy Fields, we took a little detour across the street from the reserve and down a path where no one else was. From the picture (above) you can see the white Poppy Reserve buildings. To get to this dirt road we took a right out of the parking and made a left.

It looks like something straight out of Wizard of Oz! They won't make you sleepy, but you will be perfectly content to lay amongst the brightly colored wildflowers.

We also found another spot as we were driving home and pulled over to catch the last of the sun's radiant beams.

The golden glow was surreal and I was reminded how #lucky I am to be living in California.

Whenever you plan a trip to see the California poppies in Antelope Valley, my advice to finding the perfect spot it to pull over as soon as you see one! That way you can avoid the crowds and get the best wildflower pictures. Happy fieldtripping!

xo from catie