Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Utah's wildflower season runs from early June to September, featuring vibrant blooms.
- Key locations include Albion Basin, Silver Lake Loop, and Mount Timpanogos trails.
- Visitors are encouraged to stay on trails and avoid picking flowers to preserve ecosystems.
SALT LAKE CITY — As winter sheds it white coat, Utah's canyons will be awash in a vibrant array of spring and summer colors.
Generally, you can locate spectacular wildflowers between early June and August, though some species of flowers will bloom into September. Purples, yellows, whites and corals overtake the mountainsides throughout the state, from the Salt Lake City foothills south to Bryce Canyon.
Lupine, sego lilies, mountain sunflowers, columbine and paintbrush compete for attention in forests and along creeks in the north and deserts and red rock canyons in the south.
What flowers bloom when?
Here are some plants native to Utah, per Visit Utah:
Elephant's head — Flowering season: May, June, July. Colors: Pink, purple
Indian paintbrush — Flowering Season: June, July, August. Colors: Red, orange, yellow, pink, white
Mountain bluebell — Flowering season: April, May. Color: Blue
Silvery lupine —Flowering season: June, July. Colors: White, purple
Utah columbine — Flowering season: May, June. Colors: White, blue, coral red, yellow
Yarrow — Flowering season: May and June. Colors: White to pink
Sego lily (Utah's state flower) — Flowering season: May, June, July. Colors: White, lilac or yellow
Where to see wildflowers
Albion Basin — Access to trails start at Alta Ski Area at the end of Big Cottonwood Canyon. The Albion Meadows Trail is a 2.9-mile out-and-back. Peak season for lupine, paintbrush, columbine and sunflowers is mid-July to early August.
Silver Lake Loop — Set in Big Cottonwood Canyon, the trailhead for the less-than-mile-long loop is located at the Brighton Ski Resort parking lot. The wildflowers start to bloom in mid-July and continue beyond late August.
Alpine Pond Trail — Located at Cedar Breaks National Monument, the 2.2-mile loop meanders past meadows filled with lupine, mountain bluebell, paintbrush, yellow bush and penstemon, typically in July.
Lava Tube Trail — Located at Snow Canyon State Park near St. George, the 2.3-mile out-and-back trail runs through a lava field with desert wildflowers, including fiddleneck, lupine, penstemon, sego lily, primrose, purple sage and desert willow in May.
Mount Timpanogos — The 15-mile out-and-back trail to the top is strenuous from the Aspen Grove or Timpooneke trailheads on the Alpine Loop. But hikers don't have to go the distance to see a variety of wildflowers. Elephant's head, columbine, yarrow, larkspur and paintbrush that come out in the spring and early to mid-summer can be seen along the way.
Tony Grove—Tony Grove Lake is about 19 miles east of Logan. The 1.2-mile Tony Grove Nature Trail is the easiest way to see the daisies, lupines, columbines, paintbrushes, monkshood, and mountain sunflowers in bloom in mid- to late summer.
Tips for viewing wildflowers
- Stay on the trail: While your footsteps alone might not do much damage, thousands of others traverse the same path.
- Wildflowers are for pictures not picking: Many species rely on the plants like birds and pollinators and they support an entire mountain ecosystem. Once you pick them, they wilt quickly, leaving little to enjoy.
- Photo: Make sure you don't trample flowers as you try to get the perfect shot. Keep your feet on the path.
