As the winter season subsides, spring returns to the San Joaquin Valley bringing fresh leaves, buzzing bees and new blossoms. After remaining inside for the cold and wet season, anticipated hikers and bicyclists are ready to relax in the outdoors once again.

The Blossom Trail, a 62-mile stretch of peach, apricot and almond orchards, offers a scenic area away from the city to enjoy the warm weather in Fresno County.

The trail runs through Fresno, and the small towns of Fowler, Selma, Kingsburg, Reedly, Orange Cove and Sanger, offering the opportunity for people all across the San Joaquin Valley to walk, drive, or ride down the trail. Bicyclists particularly like this trail due to it’s length and location.

“I like that it is a flat trail, and there aren’t very many cars,” senior Griffin Stone from Buchanan High School said. “I do not ride my bike on the trail too often because I don’t always have enough time, but when I do, I really enjoy it. The flowers are also really beautiful, which makes the ride much more enjoyable.”

Most visitors choose to visit during the beginning of the spring season when all the flowers flourish throughout the trail.

“I have done the whole trail once, about four-years ago,” high school office secretary, Yoko Kilbourne said. “It is definitely worth visiting. You have to pick the right time to go to see the flowers at their most beautiful stages. It would also be helpful to go with someone who knows about trees, so as you are traveling down the trail you will know what kind of tree you are looking at.”

Although first time visitors are often amazed as they see the millions of almond and peach blossoms blooming, Kilbourne relates the trail to significant moments in her life during the years she lived in Japan.

“Flowers are treasured in Japan, and everyone loves looking at them,” Kilbourne said. “When I visited the trail the first time, I brought my mother with me, and she was absolutely amazed. We drove to Orange Cove to a hill that looked out over acres and acres of flowers. It was beautiful.”

While most students claim that there is nothing to do in the City of Fresno, others appreciate the rural beauty the Blossom Trail brings to Clovis and Fresno County.

“People say that the Fresno area is so gross, but the Blossom Trail is definitely a check in the ‘pro’ column,” Da Eun Sunwoo, ’10, said. “It showcases the beauty that our Valley really does have.”

The trail is available to anyone at anytime; however, past visitors recommend travelling to the trail during spring in order to see the blossoms at their full bloom. Scroll down on the left menu bar of the Fresno County Blossom Trail Web site for a map detailing the trail.

For more information, read the March 25, 2009 article Blossom Trail attracts springtime cycling, check out It’s a new season or watch the FoodandWineMavens.com YouTube video, “California Blossom Trail and Fruit Trail.”