Sand verbena wildflowers bloom in many desert environments, including Death Valley. These flowers were spotted in California’s Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in March 2009. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Death Valley is usually known for one thing and one thing only: hotness. But, there’s much more there. There’s diverse surroundings: Furnace Creek, The Racetrack, Snow-capped mountains, sand dunes and ghost towns. All in over 3 million acres of protected wilderness. The most precious treasure of Death Valley National Park, however, is its array of wildflowers…fields and pristine fields of wilderflowers for miles. And for those that like to venture out to the lowest elevation point in the United States, it’ll be good to hear that this spring’s wildflower bloom is expected to be “better-than-average”, which is naturalist speak for “IT”S GOING TO BE AWESOME!”

As the LA Times Daily Travel Blog writes, the wildflowers are expected to better than great this year because of the unusually high level of rainfall in the Death Valley region. The National Park Service has recorded 2.86 inches of rainfall at Scotty’s Castle in the short year; that’s already more than the park’s average annual rainfall of 1.9 inches. Don’t expect a “banner year” though: the wildflowers are dependent on an autumn rain and last year the the desert saw none.

From the blog post by Susan Derby:

Still, “because of the rain last week, everyone who lives and works here in Death Valley is optimistic that we will at least have a better-than-average show this year,” said Phil Dickinson, director of sales and marketing for Furnace Creek. “It is always visually stunning to see our rugged desert covered in wildflowers in the spring.”

In February, you’ll have the best luck spotting flowers at the park’s lower elevations. Peak season extends through April, though some wildflowers may linger through June at higher elevations.

Spring is the most popular season for tourism at Death Valley. Besides wildflowers, you can expect to experience days that are comfortably warm in comparison to the often scorching summer months.

Visit Death Valley’s website for regular updates on the wildflower season.