Best places to view the cherry blossoms (Photo courtesy of National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc.) Simply pull up the Bloom Cam on your computer to see the Tidal Basin’s flowers at any time of the day or night. Since most travelers don’t have the flexibility to wait until the last minute to lock in a trip, the National Cherry Blossom Festival offers a live view of the blossoms should you just miss out on visiting during peak bloom. “You can expect more people on weekends and when the blooms are peaking.” “During the spring season, the least busy time to visit the cherry blossoms is in the early morning or evening,” says a Destination DC spokesperson.
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If you’re lucky enough to time your visit so it coincides with peak bloom, make sure you’re strategic about what time of day you view the blooms. “One of the earliest recorded peak blooms occurred on March 15, 1990, while the latest recorded peak bloom occurred on April 18, 1958.” “The best viewing of the cherry blossom trees typically lasts four to seven days after peak bloom begins, but the blossoms can last for up to two weeks under ideal conditions,” per Destination DC, the city’s official tourism organization. (Photo courtesy of National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc.) “Forecasting peak bloom is almost impossible more than 10 days in advance,” the NPS adds however, peak bloom typically occurs the last week of March or the first week of April. “Peak bloom varies annually depending on weather conditions,” the NPS notes on its website about the Cherry Blossom Festival. This year, both the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the NPS predict the blossoms will be in their finest form during that three-day period.
#TIDAL BASIN CHERRY BLOSSOMS UPDATE#
The NPS and the National Cherry Blossom Festival regularly update their peak bloom forecast projections, so be sure to check both groups’ websites for the latest information.ĭ.C.’s Yoshino cherry blossoms, which are the variety you’ll find around the popular Tidal Basin area, can reach peak bloom in March or April, though the exact timing often changes from year to year. Note this window will likely be tweaked slightly a couple of times leading up to the week of predicted peak bloom based on tracking winter forecasts for March, historical data and observation of the trees, per the NPS. “We’ll have blossoms before those dates and blossoms after,” Diana Mayhew, president of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, said in the kickoff press conference for the festival on March 1.
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“Projected peak bloom dates this year are March 22-25, though these dates may change depending on the weather,” according to the NPS.
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Whether you plan on visiting for the first time or are eager to return to see the blooms again, here is everything you need to know about checking out D.C.’s stunning cherry blossoms.Īlthough you can’t control Mother Nature, you can get a little bit of help timing your trip to our nation’s capital to see its world-renowned blossoms. The National Park Service predicts peak bloom this year will be between March 22-25, though rest assured you can see blossoms both before and after those dates, depending on the weather. This year is particularly special, as 2022 marks the 110th anniversary of Tokyo gifting 3,000 cherry trees to D.C. While I may be a bit biased, D.C.’s cherry blossoms are not only impressive to locals: More than 1.5 million people from around the world flock to the city annually to see its impressive flower display, according to the organizers of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. As a Washington, D.C., resident on and off for much of the past eight years, I’ve seen my fair share of cherry blossoms, which is why I am writing this guide covering everything you need to know about seeing the district’s famous blooms this year.