So Cal SuperBloom Flights

[VWGhiaBob]

Anyone know best airport(s) where me and my friends can fly on Sunday to see the blooms...from the air and on the ground?

It’s all at peak this weekend! Ideas appreciated!

 

[benyflyguy]

Never heard of those until this week.
Pics look super cool. Look in daily pics. Couple pics there already. Sure those guys can tell ya where to shoot.

 

[Eric Lehto]

I know the poppy reserve outside Lancaster is going strong right now. I'm planning to go up this weekend, partially to check it out. KWJF is right there. Fuel isn't cheap, but it isn't expensive either. Restaurant on field too...heard mixed reviews, but haven't tried it out myself yet.

 

[Rgbeard]

F70 is near Lake Elsinore

 

[G-force]

I'm checking out the Landcaster area on Sunday in a 172, can give a pirep after. I have heard the lake Elsinore area is awesome right now.

 

[SkyDog58]

Borrego Springs? The wife and I flew there one spring but that particular year it wasn't a super bloom. We still enjoyed it.

 

[ActiveAir]

Fly down along the 15 fwy south from Corona. The best blooms will be on your left side, east side of the 15 fwy. Once you get to Lake Elsinore, big lake on your right, watch out for the parachute jump zone on the south side of the lake. Might as well go a few extra miles and hit the cafe at French Valley, F70. It's good. I don't recommend driving there (the flower fields) over the weekend. They close the freeway off ramp (Lake St.). It gets crazy and they will charge you to take a shuttle in. During the week, you can drive right up to them. I am more blown away at the crowds that come to see them, than the flowers themselves. If you go walking through them, careful of the rattlesnakes. They're waking up right about now.

 

[arnoha]

Thinking about going to French Valley from Palo Alto next Saturday. Crossing fingers for good weather!

 

[EugeneR]

Thinking about going to French Valley from Palo Alto next Saturday. Crossing fingers for good weather!

Make sure you watch for traffic. It's an uncontrolled field and can be quite busy on weekends. There are some planes without transponders and radios based there that fly very tight and low pattern, so be aware.

 

[ActiveAir]

Make sure you watch for traffic. It's an uncontrolled field and can be quite busy on weekends. There are some planes without transponders and radios based there that fly very tight and low pattern, so be aware.

x2. F70 is notorious for roll your own approaches. It demands see and avoid and be ready to leave the pattern and come back in. We have everything in the pattern from a low and slow Pietinpol to Nanchangs in formation to many students to helos and exec jets. Weekends are interesting on great weather days. Otherwise, great airport with great cafe.

 

[SoCal RV Flyer]

Hemet-Ryan is right next door to French Valley. Less busy, and the restaurant (Bambi's Hangar One Cafe) is better too!

Just don't take the Cal Fire taxiway (it's pretty well marked with a sign).

 

[ActiveAir]

Hemet-Ryan is right next door to French Valley. Less busy, and the restaurant (Bambi's Hangar One Cafe) is better too!

Just don't take the Cal Fire taxiway (it's pretty well marked with a sign).

Agree that the food is almost as good at Hemet, but you can't see the runway from the cafe at Hemet, if you like going to airport cafes to watch the planes. Much less traffic, but more prone to NORDO planes at Hemet. Cute little airport, though.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

You can certainly see them from the air. The image is from a UAL flight to San Diego 17 March, north east of Lower Otay Lake. I'm certain they would look better from a lower altitude, but the colors struck my eyes even from that vantage.