The Most Beautiful Hikes For Spring Wildflowers In The World

As the chills and snowstorms of winter give way to the climbing temperatures and rain of spring, something magical is happening. If you're hoping to see the most brilliant flower displays, though, you might need to travel a bit farther than your own backyard. Unlike the curated and constructed beauty of organized gardens, wildflower displays have a strikingly haphazard appeal.

The Great Smoky Mountains are home to more than 1,600 species of flowering plants. Explore the Cove Hardwood Self-Guided Nature Trail for some of the best sights. And the best time to visit is in late April. But stunning hepaticas and trout-lilies begin to show earlier. Also look for yellow trillium, white fringed phacelia, squirrel corn, wild ginger, white trillium, and Dutchman's britches, according to Hiking in the Smokys.

This is one of the most colorful places on Earth. You will be enthralled as soon as you walk in because of the park's majestically pastel-colored tunnel full of about 150 Wisteria plants. As you walk the pathway, breathe in the fresh flowery scent and take in the surrounding violet, blue, white and pink flowers. Visit in the beginning of May when the flowers are in full bloom.

There is a good reason why it's called "The Blue Forest." It is the most important and most extensive forest area between Zenne and Zoniën. This is one of the most popular attractions for tourists due to the regal purple carpet of bluebells. The best time to see them blooming is in the middle of April. The gigantic Sequoia trees will make your visit more than worth it.

Anywhere you pick to go in this beautiful natural reserve won't be wasted time to see stunning wildflowers. Many recommend the Historic Highway, a paved state park trail. Start from the east side of Hood River to just west of Mosier to enjoy the colors; this is the best ADA accessible trail on Oregon side, according to Oregon Live. Other popular trails spots for wildflower viewing are Lyle Cherry Orchard, Tom McCall Point and Memaloose Hills.

This is South Africa's "outback" with dramatic mountains in the background. The stunning flower displays can be seen along several drives that center on the towns of Garies, Springbok, Kamieskroon and Port Nolloth, according to SA Venues. The best time to visit for the widest variety of colors and shades is in August. The Namaqualand Flower Route is located about five hours away from Cape Town.

Not far from the mecca of spring flowers, Washington D.C., Shenandoah National Park offers visitors 200,000 acres of pristine mountains, powerful waterfalls and 850 species of budding flowers and plants. Look out for wild geraniums, sunflowers and Dutchman's breeches.

Wildflowers are blossoming in Tuscany already. In April the countryside around Ragusa bursts into bloom with lots of colors. This is the time for relaxing walking tours in eastern Sicily, according to Italian Connection. Look for blue borage, pink valerian, and yellow marguerites that grow shoulder high. You won't be challenged picking a bouquet of 50 different buds.

You are probably used to hearing about this beautiful destination in France only around ski seasons. But you can find meadows with wildflowers all over the region in the spring. Wildflower season will be peaking soon.

This is the closest you're going to get to a stunning pink carpet produced entirely by nature. About 400,000 moss phloxes are in full bloom in April and May on a gigantic hill. In addition, about 1,000 cherry trees, including yoshino cherry, weeping cherry, and double-petal cherry trees, planted in the park, blossom in April.

Texans come from all over the state to drive the "bluebonnet trail," an 80-mile area with smaller roads linking the towns of Brenham, Chappell Hill, Independence, and Washington-on-the-Brazos. In particular, the bluebonnet fields that line FM 1155 are not to be missed. You'll find a sea of blue in some places, in others carpets of prairie parsley, Indian paintbrush, skullcaps, purple coneflower, verbena, beardtongue, and the aptly named coral bean.

This is where you go for lupines in bursting colors – from purples and pinks to blues and yellows – shooting up along lake sides and in riverbeds in Mackenzie Country. These are absolutely incredible sights.

Edgewood's serpentine grasslands are celebrated throughout the Golden State for their lavish wildflower covers and rich biodiversity. You can easily see dozens of species of flowers on a single walk. Springtime Wildflower Walks take place every Saturday and Sunday, from March 4 through June 4.

The area covers a just over 1,200 square miles. It's one of the biggest producers of rose oil in the world. Buds start to bloom in the middle of March. The season is longer than you'd expect – well into July –because of frequent rainfalls which help prolong the flowering period.

The region is home to more than 12,000 species of wildflowers with more than 60 percent found nowhere else in the world, according to Tourism Australia. Scattered across 965,000 square miles of terrain, they bring a spectacle of color and fragrance that you have to see and smell to believe. The season begins in June in the north.

Spring is the season when this beautiful and rich landscape blooms. See stunning farmlands filled with migrating birds. The daffodils peeking from the soil start to hint of spring during the La Conner Daffodil Festival in March. The valley is on center stage in April when the tulips bloom which commences the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Look for daffodils, tulips and irises by foot, bicycle, and even helicopter tours or seaplane, according to Visit Skagit Valley.