The Best Places to See the Spring Flowers in Utah | Whitney Beth Photography

I know it may not seem like much when you look outside, but spring is coming!! Spring is probably my favorite season, I love all the bright blossoms and flowers waking up and painting the earth with color after a long winter. I love spring so much that my yard looks the prettiest during this time of year. A few years ago I planted 300 tulip bulbs and 60 daffodil bulbs in my park strip and have added to them every year. Between my additions and the bulbs all having babies, I have probably around 600 bulbs waiting to poke up and greet me. Spring is also when I start to get busy again. People see the blossoms and tulips and want pictures in them (and who can blame them! That's what I did for my maternity pictures with Fields!) My birthday is in April, and my favorite thing to do (weather permitting) is to drive around and see all the blossoms, go on lots of walks and have a picnic surrounded by blooms. Which brings me to today's post; since we're on the cusp of blossom season and the domino of blooms to follow, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite places to go to look at the spring flowers. 

1. Utah State Capital - These cherry blossoms are the first to bloom and set off the chain reaction for the rest of the flowers. What's great about the Capital building is that the trees border a nice, gravel path all the way around the grounds. There are plenty of benches and open stretches of grass to sit back and take in all the beauty. It's also a hot spot for photography - so I suggest staying away on a Friday or Saturday evening. Monday night is also a good weekday to avoid since most of Utah has Monday's as their "family nights."  
 

© Whitney Beth Photography

2. Utah State Hospital - All the way down at the other end of the valley is the Utah State Hospital. These blossoms are Apple trees and bloom after the capital blossoms. They are beautiful rows and rows of an apple orchard that is really close to the "Y" trailhead and the old Seven Peaks waterpark. (There is a shooting fee of $20 if you plan to photograph here) What's so fun about this spot is it's a great place for a picnic and to enjoy the local wildlife. Nearly every time I'm there I've seen a deer or two. 

3. American Fork Amphitheater - Moving deeper into spring comes lilacs! I love Lilacs and planted about 5 of them in a row to (one day) be a big, beautiful lilac hedge that I can shoot in front of and enjoy the fragrant blooms. Until then, you can find me lounging around the AF amphitheater. Not for any plays or shows or events, but for the flowers! This is also an excellent location for a picnic with wide open spaces to run, and wild bunnies to watch. Seriously, they live in the juniper bushes around the grounds and like to sun bathe and dart from bush to bush. The lilacs here are great and range from bush to tree.

What about you? Do you have a favorite place to go to see the blossoms?