France has lavender, The Netherlands has tulips, and North Dakota has sunflowers. The midwestern state, the birth place of the sunflower seed and one of the top producers of sunflowers in the country, even celebrates National Sunflower Day on the first Saturday in August. The date is chosen to correspond to peak blooming time — sunflowers usually flower between late July and mid-August.
Photo: ND Tourism
North Dakota's Sunflower Trail Will Brighten Up Your Summer
During blooming season, travelers to North Dakota can enjoy the magnificent spectacle of giant fields full of the bright and joyful flowers by following the state’s Sunflower Trail. The 2024 Sunflower Trail consists of 13 fields spread out throughout the state which you can visit for free.
“North Dakota Tourism often receives calls from soon-to-be fiances wanting to know where to find sunflower fields as a location to pop the question. The best time to do so varies, as their peak colors depend on planting and weather, but usually late July to early and mid-August,” North Dakota Tourism explains on its website.
The map above includes all 13 sunflower fields. Upon clicking on one of the fields, you can obtain the GPS coordinates to get there easily. North Dakota Tourism has also included directions for every sunflower field on its website.
Around some of the fields, visitors will notice mailboxes featuring the message “ND Be Legendary”. They contain sunflower seeds which are free to take.
The Sunflower Trail is different every year as farmers rotate the crops they plant in each field, so don’t use the map above if you’re planning a road trip along North Dakota’s Sunflower Trail in 2025 or 2026.
No matter which of the 13 fields you opt to visit (maybe all of them), just make sure to respect the location by not entering the fields without the owner’s permission — even if you really, really want a photo among the blooms. Also, don’t go check out a field while it’s being sprayed with insecticide or herbicide — look up at the sky before you go and if you see a spray plane, stay away.
Photo: ND Tourism
Before you set off on the Sunflower Trail, get your facts straight about this beautiful crop: Sunflowers are five to six foot tall on average; one sunflower head can contain up to 2,000 seeds; sunflowers heads follow the path of the sun throughout the day, from east to west; and sunflowers are the national flower of Ukraine. 