Summer Sunflowers
Summer Sunflowers is a route through the region’s most famous sunflower fields at McKee-Beshers WMA (Wildlife Management Area). The short loop also visits the ruins of the quarry used for the Smithsonian Castle, a historic schoolhouse, a Buddhist temple, and the only combined aqueduct/lock on the C&O Canal.
WMAs are generally managed for sustainable hunting, and many people don’t realize the sunflower fields are planted to create a food supply for mourning doves in preparation for fall dove hunting. In the era of Instagram, the sunflowers have grown massively more popular and their summer bloom now appears to be the peak visitor season.
The sunflowers are generally at their best in mid-July, and leading up to the peak the WMA website’s sunflower page regularly posts images with the current conditions. Check the current conditions and then go on a weekday (or very early or late in the day) to avoid the crowds. And, of course, visit by bicycle to avoid competing for limited parking.
While we skipped many of the optional non-sunflower stops along the route this year, we did ride to the fields from DC (an additional 50 miles round trip) and stopped to check on the Great Falls foam flan along the way (not peak flan, but a pleasant ride nonetheless).
Approaching the first sunflower field, I remarked that I’d never seen so much traffic on this rural stretch of River Road. In hindsight the reason is obvious, but until we arrived at an overflowing parking lot I didn’t realize that the traffic was for the sunflower fields. (We didn’t take the advice above and arrived late morning on a beautiful weekend day.) We were glad to be on our bikes as we road through the parking lot straight up to the edge of the sunflower field.
As crowds have increased, electric fences have been added around the primary sunflower fields to prevent wannabe influencers from trampling and thieving the sunflowers.
The route passes 5 fields, and which fields are planted with sunflowers changes each year. On our way through the WMA, we also passed a corn field and a pond that is popular with birders.
We didn’t see any other bicyclists this year, but hope to see you at the sunflowers next summer! Here’s the full route:
