Almond Blossom Season near Sacramento, California
Almond Blossom Season
Seeing the Almond Blossoms was something I had been wanting to do for a while but year after year, I would always forget when they were in season. This time around, I paid attention, did some research, and Andrew and I found ourselves on a quick trip to Sacramento to see the Almond Blossoms.
Where to find Almond Blossoms?
For us, the Almond Blossoms are located all over YOLO County with the most options to see them in both Woodland and Winters. When we went, I did not have a specific location to route us to. Rather what I did was, I found out the area, and then we just routed ourselves there and did some exploring in hopes of coming across them. We had absolutely no problem with this!
Our first attempt was located on a farm, and they weren’t quite blossomed yet. We decided to skip those and continued driving and that was when we got off the highway and came across miles and miles of them.
Remember, that although there are no trespassing signs, almond blossoms are directly near people’s homes/farms and you are on private property. You want to make sure to be respectful and mindful of where you walk and leave the area as it was. We opted to go towards the fields as opposed to closer to where there were homes to avoid any trouble.
When to visit?
This is where it can get a little tricky. It really depends on the weather and in general, the almond blossom season is very short. However, most information indicates anywhere from mid-February to mid-March. Late March into April, you already start to see the flowers fall.
We went in late February and we honestly felt like we probably could have waited a little longer. The flowers were definitely blooming but we could tell that some still needed time to reach their full bloom. It was still absolutely beautiful, but based on what we saw, early March would have been better.
Of course, it is going to vary, so my biggest recommendation is to use Instagram geotags! I started first by looking up Almond Blossoms in the search and then checking the location tags for Sacramento, Woodland, and Winters. Since we went closer to the start of the season, there were not as many posts, but I did find a few, which gave us the go-ahead to visit. Once you start to get into the peak of the season, you will see that many locals/photographers will start to tag their visits/sessions.
What time to visit during the day?
This is really going to depend! If you want the best lighting, I recommend early morning or golden hour. Both of these times will guarantee great lighting and you won’t have any harsh light. Of course, if you are making a day trip, you are more than likely going to want to visit in the morning if you aren’t trying to go home too late. This was our plan and so we left Reno around 6 AM. We arrived around 8 AM and the lighting was still nice. However, because it was February, it was chillier than we expected, which is another thing to keep in mind!
What to wear?
During the first round of photos we took, I was honestly so cold. Because of this, we decided to get breakfast and then go back once it was slightly warmer. We started taking our second round of photos around 10 AM and this was a lot more bearable. I would recommend bringing a cute sweater or something to throw over because I was not at all prepared for the chilly weather. I also recommend a pair of shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty. It can be quite muddy! I was in sneakers and did not have a problem, but it is definitely something to keep in mind depending on if you have sandals/heels or a specific type of shoe you want to take photos in.
The remainder of the day…
Since we made a day trip of it, I recommend checking out other local things in the area! You will probably only be at the orchards for 1-2 hours tops and that is if you are going heavy on the photos. We recommend locally owned businesses/restaurants whenever possible. This is always so fun and how you find the gems of the towns.
The Almond Blossoms are truly stunning and if you get a chance to be near some, I say it’s 100% worth the visit. They are simply beautiful to look at and you get the added bonus of getting some super cute photos out of them. We are hoping to go again soon!
P.S. I did film a vlog for this day trip as well if you want to see some video footage. I chronicle our entire day but the vlog is mainly focused on Almond Blossom hunting!
