If you’re a nature enthusiast much like I am, the question might arise where you can go to see wildflowers in Utah. Our state has many mountainous locations to view native wildflowers in bloom but, however, not all places are created equal and are easily accessible.
Some spots are quite distant from Northern Utah, requiring a multi-hour drive just to get there, and other locations require some form of a strenuous hike before you are able to even get to the wildflowers.
There are, however, a couple of places where people can easily view and enjoy wildflowers in northern Utah without a physically taxing hike or a half-day drive. The Cache National Forest has 2 wildflower locations that are easily accessible and even partially viewable from a vehicle.
I frequent both locations yearly and have done so for many years.
A Couple Of Easy Spots To View Wildflowers In Utah
The first location to easily find wildflowers in Utah is Tony Grove, a popular summer recreation spot for hiking, camping, and fishing but one that also boasts of a colorful array of beautiful wildflowers.
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As you drive up to and approach the lake, wildflowers are aplenty along the roadside and in nearby open areas. The colorful blooms will definitely catch your eye when these delicate beauties are in season.
You will start to see patches of roadside wildflowers more than a mile or so before you get to the lake, and the closer you are to Tony Grove the more wildflowers you will find. Just before the campground turnoff is one of the largest areas of wildflowers, and it is a fairly short walk from the parking lot.
For the hiking enthusiast, there are a couple of trails that start at the parking lot and take you through some of the bloom fields. One is an easier nature trail that circles the lake, and the other is much more of a traditional hike that takes you up and above the lake and in other areas of bloom.
I have been on both trails, and I do enjoy both of the hikes, but for my preference, I like the more traditional hike away from the lake. On this particular hike, after a short climb, you reach a large mountain valley that is filled with an assortment of wildflowers. It is quite a breathtaking display of some of nature’s most beautiful artwork during the summer season.
Overall, this particular trail does take several hours or more to fully hike as it leads you to White Pine lake and there are small patches of flowers along the way, but the greatest abundance of flowers is just a short uphill hike from the Tony Grove parking lot.
Tony Grove is a U.S. Forest Service recreation spot with restrooms and a managed campground. There is a daily amenities fee so be prepared to pay to use the area but it is a very nice, well-kept facility and worth the price to enjoy such a beautiful place.
Tony Grove has camping, hiking, fishing, bird watching, and great mountain scenery so there is much more to do than just look at the wildflowers. It’s worth a full days’ time to truly enjoy and appreciate what it has to offer the outdoor enthusiast.
To get to Tony Grove from Logan, Utah, drive 19 miles up highway 89 in Logan Canyon to the Tony Grove turnoff and then drive another 7 miles to the lake. Both the drive to the lake and the parking lot are paved so it is easily accessible.
For those who want a more rustic outdoor experience while viewing the wildflowers, Logan Canyon has another lesser-known spot available to those willing to traverse a back-country forest service road. The Franklin Basin road cuts right through a very large patch of wildflowers, and this is my personal favorite place to take in such scenery during the summertime.
As mentioned before, it is more rustic as you have to drive about 7.5 miles on a gravel road, but once you arrive you will find wildflowers right at your feet alongside the roadway and all over the large mountain valley. Large stands of wildflowers are all around you in an array of different and spectacular colors.
I find this location to be far less traveled by others so be prepared to see fewer people than at Tony Grove, but the remoteness is what really attracts me to this particular location for the wildflowers.
Gibson Lakes are just a couple miles away, and the turnoff is nearby the wildflower fields. But that particular road is very rough, and yesterday when I was there, I decided not to take it in my truck due to the extreme condition of the road leading to the lakes.
There are places to camp along the Franklin Basin road for primitive tent camping and for those who want to pull a camp trailer. There are no established campgrounds along the way so one must find a suitable spot for whatever type of camping you desire.
The Franklin Basin turnoff from highway 89 in Logan Canyon is about 3 miles further up the canyon than the Tony Grove turnoff.
Being in such remote mountain locations, both spots, and pretty much the whole drive up Logan Canyon, has no cell phone coverage so keep that in mind.
When Do Wildflowers Bloom In Utah?
Depending on location, elevation, and the type of wildflower, blooms can be anywhere from March to August, but typically June and July is the peak time for many popular locations in Utah for viewing wildflowers.
The wildflower fields at both Tony Grove and Franklin Basin are usually in full bloom during the month of July and oftentimes hang on into early august and they do indeed present a spectacular and colorful feast for the eyes during this time.
Small patches of roadside wildflowers in lower portions of Logan Canyon can oftentimes be seen in May and June, depending on the prevailing weather conditions, so keep your eye out in late spring and early summer when driving the canyon.
Wildflower Viewing Etiquette
It is quite tempting to get off the beaten path and traverse out in the wildflower patches, but there is an etiquette we all should follow when viewing Utah’s spectacular wildflower blooms so we can have these incredible sights to enjoy for years to come.
Staying on the trails and not wandering off into the wildflower patches is not only the most critical but, unfortunately, the hardest rule for people to follow. When we venture off the groomed trails, we run the risk of stepping on and trampling the flowers, possibly causing them not to bloom the next year. It also ruins the experience for others, as well, as nobody appreciates flowers that have been stepped on and ruined.
We must also resist the urge to pick any wildflowers. Picking them will often result in these delicate plants to not only die off but will do so before they can produce and drop seeds for the coming season. Many types of wildflowers need to reseed themselves and if they are damaged or picked this natural process cannot take place and the result is the flowers can’t regrow the next season and this yearly spectacle will be lost.
Native wildflowers are indeed strikingly beautiful, and we oftentimes want to treasure them at home, but please leave them be and let them grow wild.
There are places that actually sell native wildflower seeds so if the urge is too great consider purchasing some seeds online or from a local nursery and grow them in your garden. I am actually starting to grow wildflowers in my yard and it is well worth the effort but I also love to see them in their natural settings so let’s keep these places looking their best by treating them with respect.
Wildflowers And Butterflies
One of the reasons I am so in love with the vast array of wildflowers Utah has to offer is they attract and feed a wide variety of butterflies. Butterflies rely on the sweet nectar for nourishment and the wildflowers are in need of the butterflies to help with the pollination process so another generation of flowers can grow next season.
It is a most interesting relationship, and each participant literally can’t live without the other.
Right now, during the month of July, both locations I mentioned above are attracting a variety of butterflies. I was at both spots yesterday and was well pleased with the numbers and varieties of butterflies I was seeing.
In past years, I have taken time to visit both locations on numerous occasions and spent most of a day each time looking for and photographing butterflies on wildflowers. Spending time with butterflies and wildflowers is one of the most serene and relaxing things I can think of, and I look forward to it each and every year.
Photographing Wildflowers And Butterflies
Photographing wildflowers, especially when they are being visited by a butterfly is the main reason I love visiting the wildflower blooms each year. It’s a challenge for sure, but also very rewarding when you come home with a beautiful reminder of your time out in nature.
I am planning on a future blog post about the particulars of photographing wildflowers and butterflies, but for now, just keep in mind you don’t need any fancy equipment but a mid-range telephoto lens does help.
I use a 600 mm lens, but a smaller lens will indeed work. It just means you have to be more careful as you approach the butterflies, as you will need to get a little closer with a smaller lens.
I have photographed butterflies with a 55mm wide-angle lens, so it is possible with such a small lens, but it does take a little bit of patience as getting close enough with this size of lens will really tax one’s patience.
I prefer to use fairly fast shutter speeds, even 1/2000 when possible, and a large aperture to help blur the background as much as possible. If you are unfamiliar with how to blur the background, I refer you to click here for a previous blog post I have written on the subject.
I also like to use a monopod when at all possible, especially when photographing with a 600 mm lens to help stabilize the camera while photographing.
When photographing on the hike at Tony Grove, I also take along a backpack designed for my camera gear, making it much easier to carry what I need along the way, including a couple different lenses that I like to use when photographing butterflies and wildflowers.
I bring along a wide-angle 18–55 mm lens for landscape shots and some form of a larger telephoto lens for butterfly shots, including a 75–300 mm lens, which packs nicely on such hikes.
Conclusion
If you are looking to find an easy spot to view wildflowers and possibly photograph butterflies on them, I personally like both Tony Grove and Franklin Basin in the Cache National Forest.
Both locations allow some form of viewing from the vehicle, and Tony Grove has a couple of hikes that will give you an even better wildflower experience for those wanting to get out and enjoy the flowers first hand.
For more information about Tony Grove and what the Cache National Forest has to offer, I suggest visiting their website about the area.
Just keep in mind, these are delicate flowers and should be respected and treated as such so we can have them for generations to come.
Wildflower season is also butterfly season so be prepared to watch for the numerous varieties of butterflies that utilize the sweet nectar wildflowers produce each season.
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Photo Essay Of Butterflies And Wildflowers
Butterflies and wildflowers go hand in hand, and below are some of my more recent images taken from both Tony Grove and Franklin Basin. I am still learning to identify butterflies and wildflowers, but I have included a couple links below to books I use to help me in this cause. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #commissionsearned
I find learning about nature is part of the enjoyment while being outdoors, and I try to learn about whatever I am interested in to better understand and appreciate it.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region
A Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America: Second Edition by Princeton University Press
