Fresno Blossom Trail

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Fresno Blossom Trail also known as Fresno County Blossom Trail or California Blossom trail is one of those unique attractions that exist only in California.

Fresno area is the region of the Golden State where one third of all stone fruits sold in the U.S. are grown, such as plums, peaches, apricots and nectarines. And almost all of the almonds. So imagine thousands of acres of trees that start blooming at about the same time from mid February to end of March depending on the weather. This is what Fresno Blossom Trail is all about – the sea of white and pink flowers for miles on end…

Fresno Blossom Trail has an official website but it is only partially helpful because at times it is misleading and at times it does not provide you all the information you need as a traveler. Fresno Blossom Trail website is a good basic start and so I have created this additional guide for you to clarify things that are not clear from the official website and give you extra helpful tips.

Fresno Blossom Trail is about 60 miles long which on an official map forms sort of a circle. You will be driving on local roads with traffic lights so your speed of driving for the most part will be the same as in any town, not on the highway.

You cannot walk the trail, so driving is essential. You can stop wherever you like but note that all the orchards are privately owned so take your pictures on the side of the road, be respectful of the private property and don’t wonder inside the orchards. There is typically a good size shoulder in most places allowing you to park easily.

Essential tips for visiting Fresno Blossom Trail

Fresno Blossom Trail – Pro Tip #1

It is not essential to drive all 60 miles, after a while the scenery becomes repetitive. To get the most of the trail you just need to locate trees with white flowers (ex. almonds) and trees with pink flowers (ex. peaches) to get the full impression of what Fresno Blossom Trail is all about.

Fresno Blossom Trail – Pro Tip #2

I do suggest starting from the starting point that official Fresno Blossom Trail map suggests, the Simonian Farms (I will tell you more about the farm itself later). The white almond blossoms begin very close to the start of the Trail on Fowler and North streets. In general, white blossoms dominate in volume compared to the pink ones so once you found the almonds it is time to find the peaches.

Fresno Blossom Trail – Pro Tip #3

It took us a while to find pink peach blossoms, we really did not want to drive the WHOLE trail and spend hours searching. Unfortunately, no website gives you any tips where to find them specifically, except for this blog. To find pink blossoms keep driving on Jensen into the town of Sanger but once in town instead of turning left on Academy as the trail map suggests, turn right and map a route in your navigator to Sweet Girl Farms (I will tell you more about this farm bellow). The route should go through Goodfellow, Reed and Adams avenues/streets – this is where pink blossoms are. This way you are basically cutting the driving route in half and yet getting to see everything you need to see.

Fresno Blossom Trail – Pro Tip #4

There are not many attractions on Fresno Blossom Trail or farms where you can go on a farm tour to speak of because these are all commercial orchards. The two farms I recommend visiting is Simonian Farms and Sweet Girl Farms. But even in these two instances these are not “farms” as you would typically expect, like SLO county farms with tours, for example. These are just a farm store and a farm stand, though still worth stopping by and here is why.

Simonian Farms is famous for raisins (au naturel and covered in chocolate), nuts and pomegranate juice. There are also some fruit wines for sale that are made on the farm: raspberry, cherry, pomegranate and others. It is a bummer they don’t do tastings anymore. They told me they did before Covid but stopped since. I personally would not buy any wine unless I can taste it, fruit wines can be very unpredictable. So huge opportunity lost here. I hope may be Simonian Farms owners will read this one day and reinstate wine tastings or may be if enough visitors ask them about the tastings that will be their clue to reconsider.

There are several old farm equipment displays and other curiosities to take pictures with on site but in the end this is nothing more than a big store at a busy town intersection, no farm vibe whatsoever. That said, their chocolate covered raisins are delicious, so it is worth stopping by for 5 min. They also have a restroom on site.

Sweet Girl Farms is a small farm stand in a rural area with more of a “farm” vibe than Simonian Farms. If you go to see Fresno Blossom Trail in February – March it is high season for citrus fruit and that’s what this farm is famous for. I loved that they give you free tastings of a couple of their citrus fruit. We absolutely LOVED their Cara Cara oranges. Hands down, best oranges ever, therefore definitely worth a drive.

Both Simonyan Farm and Sweet Girl Farm are open every day of the week, unlike the attraction I am going to talk about below.

Fresno Blossom Trail – Pro Tip #5

Hillcrest Farm is promoted as one of the top attraction on Fresno Blossom Trail. They have a miniature train which will take you on a 1.5 miles ride to see some blossoms. Unfortunately, this farm will only be open 3 weekends in March for a “Blossom Train” event. It is located in a rural area and does give you a farm vibe but expect big crowds because the event is limited to 6 days only.

We visited Fresno Blossom Trail on a weekday so we didn’t have a chance to review Hillcrest Farm. I am not sure what else they have there except for the train. No other activities are highlighted on their website. It is up to you if you want to stop here. It is right on the route that I described above, going from Sanger to Sweet Girl Farms, so you won’t be making any detours. If you are visiting on a weekend and like what you see – check it out since you are passing by anyway.

Fresno Blossom Trail – Pro Tip #6

Official Fresno Blossom Trail does not give you much information about food options on the trail. There is only one restaurant that is heavily promoted – Schoolhouse Restaurant and Tavern. It is a little fancy, it is on an expensive side and it is only open for dinners. If you are visiting Fresno Blossom Trail for a couple of hours only and/or if you are travelling on a budget, this is not a a place to visit.

If you are looking for a solid lunch check out Uncle George Kebob in Sanger. It is on the route I mentioned above, no detour required. It is famous for BBQ dishes and Middle East type kebobs. We tried chicken and beef kebobs and both were really good.

If you are looking for just a snack, stop by Sanger Donuts (also on my route described above). They have a wide selection of delicious donuts.

Fresno Blossom Trail – Pro Tip #7

Parts of Fresno Blossom Trail don’t have cell phone connection so be prepared in advance. Download or print out the trail map, Google map and these tips.

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to visit Fresno Blossom Trail?

The trees bloom from mid February through end of March. The peak bloom depends on the weather. We visited at the end of February and it was perfect timing this year. First part of March will be great as well.

Is citrus blossom trail worth it?

The official Fresno Blossom Trail Map recommends an addition to your driving route – Citrus Blossom Trail. Please, note that citrus fruit trees bloom in April so you won’t see the flowers there at the same time when the Fresno Blossom Trail is in bloom. So why bother? If you want to have a “citrus” themed experience just stop at Sweet Girl Farm I mentioned above.

What is the weather like along Fresno Blossom Trail?

Typically the temperature should be very pleasant along the Fresno Blossom Trail at the end of February – beginning of March, in the 60s F. It was 68 F when we visited and sunny. It may rain occasionally – check the weather forecast in advance.

Is Fresno Blossom Trail good for visiting with kids?

Fresno Blossom Trail is good for visiting with kids if you don’t drive the whole route. If you cut it short as I suggested and visit the main highlights it will take you a couple hours with all the stops for photos and the 2 farms mentioned above. Lunch stop and Hillcrest farm will add time to your drive beyond 2 hours.

How much does it cost to visit Fresno Blossom Trail?

If you don’t buy any goodies at the farms I mentioned above then it is absolutely FREE to visit Fresno Blossom Trail. It is one of the best itineraries in my Adventures Under $10 collection. It makes a perfect day trip from San Francisco Bay Area or Central Coast. If you want to stay a bit more and are willing to pay 1 night stay in Fresno it is a great weekend trip from San Francisco Bay Area or Southern California.

What are other things to do in Fresno area?

There are several attractions in the area that are great for families with kids: a zoo, underground botanical garden, an art museum, etc. Check out Fresno County Guide for more details.

If you are willing to drive an hour you will find yourself right in the middle of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Shaver Lake area is great any time of the year.

I hope you have a great trip to see Fresno Blossom Trail. If you found this article useful, please, share it with other as it may help them in their travel plans too.

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