Carlsbad Flower Fields: 2023 Guide & Top Tips

70 million individual flowers bloom each season at the Carlsbad Flower Fields. 70 million! For over 60 years have the colorful Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers transformed the fields at Carlsbad Ranch in North San Diego County into a 55-acre ocean of colorful flowers. Visiting the Flower Fields in Carlsbad feels like walking through a Monet painting and is an incredible experience. It is simply stunning!

The Carlsbad Flower Fields are a favorite springtime activity for locals and tourists alike. The attraction has become part of the area’s local heritage and a yearly tradition for many San Diegans. California and even among the largest in the United States.

I was recently invited to visit the Carlsbad Flower Fields and here are my top tips for you to plan your visit, pick the best time to go, and my favorite places in the exhibition.

It raises your mood, is what happens at the Flower Fields!

Fred Clarke, General Manager at the Flower Fields

Quick Facts Carlsbad Flower Fields 2023

Dates: March 1 – May 8, 2023
Address: 5704 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad, CA 92008
Phone: (760) 431-0352
Website
Opening Hours: 9 AM – 6 PM
Cost: Tickets start at $12 for kids (<11), $21 for military & seniors, $23 for adults, and $48 for a season pass + Service charge
Tickets: Tickets must be purchased online here and are timed for date and time>>

Special Offers:
Mondays: When you purchase one adult or one senior/military, you receive one child’s ticket free (ages 3-10)
Tuesdays & Wednesdays: Between 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM, you receive $2 off adults, seniors/military & children tickets

Best Time to Go – Carlsbad Flower Fields

The annual burst of color is at its peak in spring and the Carlsbad Flower Fields are open every year from early March through early May. In 2023, because of the relatively low temperatures and lots rain, the peak season is expected in early-April, 2023. However, the various flower fields are maintained throughout the season and will be spectacular to look at thought-out the whole season.

The best time to go to the Carlsbad Flower Fields is during the week and early in the morning. Tuesdays are the least busy days. It will be a lot less busy than during the weekend. However, since they implemented the online ticketing program, where visitors book their time slot in advance, crowds have become a thing of the past.

If you plan to take pictures, early morning or late afternoon will make for some stunning photos as the golden hour warms the scene and can make for some stunning photos. Another magical moment is sunset, of course. Watch the sun drop into the Pacific in the distance with the slope of colorful flowers in your foreground.

While you might want to dismiss rainy or overcast days for a visit to the flower fields, you might have the fields almost to yourself and can take some fantastic macro photos of raindrops on the flower petals or make the colors pop even more with a grey sky backdrop. Also, you don’t have to deal with pesky shadows and washed-out colors when photographing the flowers.

Plan Your Visit

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Carlsbad Flower Fields 5 Top Tips

During my visit at the Flower Fields in Carlsbad, I had the chance to chat with Fred Clarke, the General Manager of the Flower Fields and I asked him about some of the top tips for visiting. Here is what he shared with me:

Tip 1: Monday – Thursday are the least busy days of the week. Avoid weekends and Holidays, especially Easter and Mother’s Day if you prefer to avoid crowds. Tuesdays are usually the slowest day of the week.

Tip 2: Best time to come is Mid-April. Fred says: “Pay your taxes done and then come to the Flower Fields!”

Tip 3: Watch the sunset from the top of the field.

Tip 4: Make sure your phone is fully charged and take lots of photos.

Tip 5: Sit on the right side of the Wagon to get a full view of the flower fields during the wagon ride.

If you are a San Diego local, you have probably driven by the Flower Fields in Carlsbad and thought to yourself: “I should really go there this season.” But then the season is over before you get to it. Don’t let this happen this year! Go book your tickets to the Flower Fields now and make it happen this year!

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Last Updated on March 29, 2023 by Maria Haase