Your guide to Seattle's wildflower hotspots
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The wildflowers at Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park are among the state's showstoppers. Photo: Craig Tuttle/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Spring has fully arrived in the Seattle area, and that means nearby hillsides and mountain trails will soon be bursting with wildflowers.
Why it matters: Washington's wildflower season is long and varied, from mid-April bloomers at Ebey's Landing, Mima Mounds and the Wenatchee foothills to the meadows of Mount Rainier in August.
- But good info and good planning are required to catch the best shows.
Driving the news: The Northwest Wildflowers website offers guides and an interactive bloom status map, providing real-time updates on blooming periods in Washington, Oregon and northern California.
Zoom in: The site is the brainchild of designer Adam Schneider, who told Axios that his interest in hiking and photography led him to become a local wildflower expert "purely by accident."
- He uses a mix of his own experience, observations from sites like iNaturalist and "educated guesswork" to populate the map, though he advises users to "check current sources for themselves."
- He cautions users to double-check local conditions before heading out, as wildflower windows can open and close quickly and change from year to year.
What's next: In May and June, look for wild lupine at Van Lierop Park in Puyallup, Evans Creek Preserve in Redmond, and closer to home, the Hidden Valley Trail at Discovery Park.
If you go: Stick to trails, tread lightly and leave no trace.