Where to see the best Texas wildflowers this spring

D.C. has its cherry blossoms, California its fields of bright orange poppies. But Texas offers an even more colorful springtime floral display: Texas is blessed with some 5,000 species of flowering plants, and you don’t have to go out of your way to see them. Come April, they’re everywhere, springing up on cattle ranches, blanketing state parks, and, most importantly, lining highways and byways, thanks to a beautification initiative that has been in place since the 1930s. Here, seven of our favorite ways to take in the seasonal spectacle, from immersive art experiences and wine tastings to kayaking in the middle of a city.

Of all the wildflowers that spring to life across the Lone Star State, the most iconic is the Texas bluebonnet, a variety of lupine that has been the official state flower since 1901. To catch the flowers in all their deep-bluish glory (although they also come in pink, purple, and white), you’ll want to head to Ennis, about 35 minutes south of Dallas. Grab a map, either at the Ennis Welcome Center or online, to drive the 40 miles of trails that stretch through some of the most bluebonnet-dense fields in the region. The map changes slightly each season, based on where you’re likeliest to see wildflowers, but it usually encompasses longhorn cattle and horse ranches and stops like the Sugar Ridge Winery and the lovely Winding Ridge Bed & Breakfast. The bloom usually peaks during the second or third week of April, when the city hosts the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails and Festival (April 14–16, 2023), and includes live music and a beer garden.

Over the years, Fredericksburg has transformed itself from a German-accented small town to the epicenter of the Texas Hill Country wine region. An hour and a half west of Austin, it’s also home to Wildseed Farms, which is both a vineyard and the nation’s largest working wildflower farm at more than 200 acres. Because of the abundance of varieties grown here, you can usually catch something in bloom from March all the way through October. To best experience the farm, stroll through the half-mile of walking trails, sample wines at the onsite tasting room, and grab homemade peach ice cream at the on-site Brewbonnet Biergarten. If you want to spread the botanical joy back home, pick up some seeds—including Texas bluebonnet, Indian blanket, and purple coneflower—from the shop.

While you’re in the area, another relaxing way to take in the bloom is via an air-conditioned trolley ride with Fredericksburg Tours; they tend to sell out quickly, but you can add your name to a waiting list, as the company sometimes adds additional tours.

The Texas-born First Lady, Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson, was a major advocate for beautifying the nation’s highways, and she once said, “Where flowers bloom so does hope.” Her name now adorns the state botanical garden and arboretum on the outskirts of Austin, which sprawls across 284 acres. Because it spans two ecoregions—the Edwards Plateau and the Texas Blackland Prairies—the flora is especially diverse here, with more than 900 native species found onsite. (Check the garden’s “What’s in Season” page for the most updated look at what’s blooming when you visit.)

This spring, the gardens welcome a new augmented-reality experience called “Seeing the Invisible,” which uses your smartphone or tablet to incorporate contemporary artworks into the natural landscape digitally. For a taste of city sophistication with convenient access to the great outdoors, you can’t beat the Carpenter Hotel in Austin, which is a short stroll from Zilker Metropolitan Park and Barton Springs Pool.

Thirty miles south of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle, Palo Duro Canyon State Park is home to America’s second-largest canyon system. Though the landscape may look arid, the canyon walls and floor boast a dazzling array of flowering cacti and wildflowers, including Indian blanket, blackfoot daisy, sand sage, and yucca. Among the dozens of miles of hiking and biking trails, the moderate Lighthouse Trail (2.8 miles each way) is the park’s most popular, leading to a beacon-shaped rock formation and passing through the canyon floor, where you may see resident collared lizards and Barbary sheep. Come nightfall, you can fully immerse yourself in this landscape by booking one of the state park’s cabins, some of which were built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The Texas Highland Lakes are a series of reservoirs created by Colorado River dams, beginning about 40 minutes northeast of Austin. Here, towns like Marble Falls and Burnet make for the perfect jumping-off points to drive or bike along country lanes lined with bluebonnets, prairie verbena, winecups, and yellow coneflowers. Marble Falls releases a map of scenic springtime drives, while Burnet was officially designated the Bluebonnet Capital of Texas by the state legislature. Each April, the town of about 6,500 puts on a three-day festival (April 7–9, 2023), complete with live music, a demolition derby, a pet parade, and a classic car show. After stopping for pie at the Blue Bonnet Cafe (which is named for the headwear, not the flower), spend the night in nearby Spicewood with Cypress Valley Canopy Tours, where lodging options include glamping tents, high-design treehouses, and a ranch house that sleeps up to 15.

While the country roads of Hill Country can attract quite a crowd in the spring, you can spot wildflowers in blissful isolation in Far West Texas. Big Bend National Park spreads out over 1,252 square miles, which makes it slightly bigger than the state of Rhode Island, and its diverse geography—including the Chihuahuan Desert and the Rio Grande–carved Santa Elena Canyon—means you’ll find one of the longest blooming seasons in the state, stretching from February through November. Among the showstoppers in these parts are Big Bend bluebonnets, which grow taller than their counterparts in the east (up to three feet!); bright red ocotillos, which attract hummingbirds; desert marigolds, which grow by the bushel along FM Road 170; and mountain laurels, which are said to smell like grape soda. For the chance to see wildflowers before other visitors arrive each morning, book a room in the park’s Chisos Mountain Lodge.

Most first-timers to the Alamo City only ever make it as far as the downtown section of the San Antonio Riverwalk, but keep heading south, and you’ll run into Mission Reach, which comprises about 16 miles of hiking and biking trails plus a paddler-friendly stretch of the river. The extension links four historic missions—Concepción, San José, San Juan, and Espada—and its planners have prioritized native plants to aid in their ecosystem restoration efforts. As you work up a sweat biking or kayaking this route, you’ll see bluebonnets, prickly poppy, and scarlet sage along the banks.

For more river views, stay at the Hotel Havana, which occupies a 1914 Mediterranean Revival–style building filled with nods to Cuban culture. A meal and drink at Ocho, a glass conservatory perched over the river is always an excellent idea—our community members rave about the brunch and the “best Chile relleno in San Antonio.”