Wildflower Season

Purple and yellow wildflowers blooming with the California coast visible behind themYou might be thinking enough already with the rain but the wildflowers are saying bring it on.  It’s that time of year when people flock outdoors in search of the best places to see wildflowers. With our late rains, this year could prove to be dazzling. While I have not yet been in search of them this year I have in past years found that both Sunol Regional Wilderness in Sunol and Mori Point in Pacifica have been good choices for wildflower viewing. The Camp Ohlone Road trail at Sunol is hilly and for a manual chair user would require good upper body strength. The surface is aggregate with firm underlayment. Mori Point is flat and easy. Both places have accessible restrooms and parking.

If you’d prefer seeing the wildflowers from a moving vehicle you might want to head over to Niles and board the Niles Canyon Railway Wildflower train. This diesel powered locomotive travels through Nile Canyon and leaves from either Sunol or Niles, every Sunday, several times a day. Fare is $14 for adults, $8 for youth ages 3-12. A wheelchair lift is available for boarding and accessible restrooms are at both boarding points.