Early spring is here, which can only mean one thing: Cherry blossoms.
The window to see the blossoms in their peak bloom is small, so with this handy guide, you can be prepared to race to Washington, D.C., or stay in your own neighborhood and marvel at the soft pinks and whites in the trees.
One prime spot to picnic under the blooming trees in Baltimore is at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, which has 105 cherry trees in three groves, said Shannon McLucas, a spokesperson for the fort.
Peak bloom, defined by the National Park Service as the day that 70% of the blossoms on the trees are open, is predicted for early April at Fort McHenry, McLucas said.
It’s hard to predict more than 10 days in advance, but the fort’s horticulturalist anticipates the cherry groves will reach their peak between April 2-4. Peak bloom usually lasts several days.
The National Park Service projects peak bloom at the Tidal Basin in D.C. for just a few days earlier, from March 28-31. And D.C.’s 2025 National Cherry Blossom Festival runs March 20-April 13.
The dates for peak bloom, however, could shift depending on the weather, which led to last year’s peak bloom arriving a week earlier than expected.
Cody Ledbetter, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington office, said there is a high chance for above-average temperatures and some likelihood that there could be storms in the Baltimore area just before peak bloom.
Where can you see cherry blossoms in Baltimore?
Fort McHenry has three separate groves of cherry blossoms — the East Cherry Blossom Grove, the West Cherry Blossom Grove and a smaller grove near the visitor center.
The groves are free to the public and sit on 43 acres — and two of them are a remnant of a once racially segregated Baltimore.
In 1931, 1,500 white and African American school children planted trees on either side of the fort to honor the bicentennial anniversary of George Washington’s birth. Some of the trees have been replanted, according to NPS.
“It still reflects a period in Baltimore’s history where, though we’re recognizing a unifying figure, it’s still a very divided community,” McLucas said.
She said she likes to look at the park today and see visitors from different backgrounds come out to celebrate the beginning of spring.
“You see the community coming together, and we’re moving beyond that divided past, and I think that’s a good thing,” McLucas said.
The trees at the visitor center are newer because the center opened in 2011, so they are not part of the historic growth, she said.
The park is open until 5 p.m., and due to limited parking, McLucas urged visitors to carpool, walk, bike or use public transportation to see the cherry blossoms.
She said she wants all visitors to enjoy the grounds and have fun, but she also wants future visitors to enjoy the same grounds.
“Just bear in mind that they’re very delicate blooms,” McLucas said. “Look and take photos and enjoy, but please don’t climb and be good stewards of the land.”
There might be cherry blossoms close to home
Outside of the fort, there are plenty of places to see flowering cherry trees, such as Patterson Park, Canton Waterfront Park and the near the Washington Monument.
Baltimore also has a Flowering Tree Map, with thousands of blooming trees located across the city. More than likely, there’s a cherry tree near where you live. Use our interactive map to find trees near you.
We made a searchable map of the 6,530 cherry trees listed in the city’s flowering trees database. The dataset hasn’t been fully updated since 2018, and the data’s structure means we can’t distinguish between some less-impressive cherry plum trees and the most stunning bloomers.
We also identified large clusters of blossoming cherry trees at city parks.
