Spring has sprung and that means colorful blossoms are popping up everywhere. The Carlsbad Flower Fields has always been a major attraction that I’d been dying to visit ever since it popped up all over Instagram for me a few years ago. We planned a spontaneous trip to Carlsbad and Encinatas to check it out since we heard the ranunculus were in full bloom.
Before you head down, make sure you make an appointment and book tickets online because they will not let you in otherwise!! For adults, tickets were $20, $10 for kids ages 3-10, and $18 for seniors. We made ours for Wednesday for entry between 1:30-2PM. You just pay the entrance fee and have free roam to look around the grounds, though they do recommend being considerate for other people coming in. Parking is also free! Personally, I would recommend going earlier in the day because by the time we arrived, the parking lot was PACKED. It is joined with the parking lot for the outlet mall so it wasn’t super difficult but we did have to drive around a bit to find a spot. We left our car at the outlet side and walked along the side of the venue to the entrance. It was a quick scan, check in, and we were in!
First impressions: I did not know the flower fields were on a hill.
All of the pictures that you see with people in the fields were probably taken really quick and they were most likely yelled at by security to remain behind the perimeter. Security is constantly riding around on karts making sure people are not in the flowers damaging them. There is a green tape that goes around the entire perimeter of the actual rows of flowers and they had designated spots where the green tape went into the rows more so that people could sit on a bench and get some pictures. I can’t forget to mention the somewhat deep trenches that are also paired with the green tape so that people are not stepping into the flower fields.
When we went, the lines for the designated areas were super long so we decided to improvise. We went down into the trenches and stood as close as we could to the flowers and shoot from the top. After some trial and error, we got a few good shots and moved between the multicolored shows to the all pink rows then the all white rows. We actually found that if you just stand on the edge of the lane closest to the trench and shoot a little lower than straight on, you’ll get a pretty good shot. You just have to work them angles! My friend and I also brought a change of clothes just to get as much content possibly (that creator life tho!) but it's not completely necessary. We definitely got a few confused looks because we decided to take it upon ourselves to change over our clothes out in the open (we did not expose ourselves!!!).
I highly HIGHLY recommend bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. It was pretty dang warm for a day in early April and we were sweating. Also bring some water and stay hydrated out there y’all!
We spent about two and a half hours there shooting content. My aunties went wild roaming the entire fields while we stayed near the entrance area. There is a bathroom on the premises and also a ride that you have to pay separately for (there was also a long line for that too).
Overall, it was a wonderful experience to finally see the famous fields up close and personal. I will be back next spring, definitely as early as I can get in and prepared with more outfits. It is a great day trip location and a beautiful place to walk and enjoy some fresh air and views. Go check it out!
*Masks were only taken off when pictures were being taken*
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