I love photographing the McKee Besher sunflower fields in the summertime, which you may have seen on my Instagram.
Every year massive sunflower fields at McKee Beshers in Maryland are a popular destination for photographers during their bloom. It’s hard to miss out on the beautiful yellow field of sunflowers. In this article I’ll be going over everything you need to know when visiting these sunflower fields in Poolesville, Maryland off River Road.
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The sunflowers typically are blooming in early July and last for about 2 weeks. It quite the sight and best of all it’s free!
With over 30 acres of sunflowers in 9 fields you’ll have plenty of photo ops. Great for taking portraits or just photos of the sunflowers. The fields planted vary from year to year, you can always get the latest info on the McKee-Beshers website. Not all fields are planted every year but you can keep reading this article to see a map of all of the fields.
You’ll see many photographers with ladders; allowing them to shoot high above the height of the sunflowers. With most sunflowers around 6 to 7 feet you’ll want to get a higher angle on the sunflowers.
McKee-Beshers 2023 Update
The sunflowers have started to bloom and you can find the latest information on McKee-Besher’s website. For reference last year the sunflowers bloomed around July 22, 2022.
There are five sunflower fields planted this year, keep reading for the location of each.
GPS Coordinates of the 5 sunflower fields planted in 2023
Here are the coordinates of all of the 2023 sunflower fields at McKee-Beshers. Note that they may be blooming in different areas at different times so if one isn’t blooming on your visit check others.
- Field #1: 39.075379, -77.380258
- Field #2: 39.079943, -77.390895
- Field #3: 39.075342, -77.399534
- Field #4: 39.071958, -77.381401
- Field #5: 39.075947, -77.409800
McKee-Beshers Sunflower Field Tips
Here are some of my tips for visiting the Maryland sunflower field at McKee-Beshers:
- Take bug spray, especially if you go at sunset.
- Bring a ladder to get a higher vantage point above the sunflowers.
- Wear long pants or tall boots to protect your legs from tall weeds and critters you might encounter.
- Wear light, breathable clothing as it can be very hot and humid.
- Wear sunscreen since there isn’t shade in the open fields.
- Explore all of the grounds to see which fields are blooming (not all fields are planted every year).
- Bring water and make sure that you don’t have to go to the bathroom since there are no facilities at McKee-Beshers.
- Zoom lenses work well to get compression over the field.
It’s a neat sight to see a few of the sunflowers before they bloom. But the field is full of a variety of sunflowers, be sure to visit at peak bloom in mid-July. Best of all it’s free to park and explore the fields at McKee-Beshers yourself.
Since the McKee Beshers sunflowers are about an hour drive from Washington DC I recommend bringing a few friends.
There are an insane amount of sunflowers at McKee. Plus plenty of areas to walk into the field so be sure to explore the whole area. The first field off river road is often the busiest since it’s the first you see. But if you drive a round a bit and go to some of the other fields they’ll be less trafficked.
All of the fields are surrounded by woods so it could be difficult to find all of the fields. I recommend looking at the map I have created below to familiarize yourself with the area.
I was surprised about the amount of wildlife you can see at these sunflowers also. You’ll see plenty of beautiful birds, butterflies and bees. If you have a telephoto lens or macro lens you’ll have a blast photographing the insects and wildlife.
Keep reading for my McKee-Beshers parking map and more tips for visiting the sunflower fields.
How to Get to the Sunflower Patch at McKee Beshers
There are a couple of sunflower fields to visit but I had trouble finding the largest one. So here’s a handy little map to find your way. Most of the parking lots have plenty of room so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a spot.
Parking is free and is just a short walk to the main field. Some of the fields near the main roads are often busy during peak times. So if you get there and one field is packed try another first.
If you’ll want to visit all of the fields you’ll probably want to drive to each.
For more information about McKee Beshers Wildlife Management Area and their address check out their website. I also recommend viewing the official Mckee Beshers 2023 map from the Maryland department of natural resources.
Just be sure to wear long pants since the field is often damp and full of insects.
Of course remember to not damage or pick the sunflowers as well so that they can stay enjoyable for everyone!
McKee Beshers Sunflowers Pictures
Here are more of my photos from McKee-Beshers including pictures of the parking lots and trails.
Thanks for reading! I hope you get a chance to go out to the sunflowers yourself! Whether you’re a photographer, instagrammer, or just love sunflowers these fields are always a blast to visit.
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Appreciate very much you guide article. Very helpful insights and tips!!
Just a clarification question.
“On my visit on July 21, 2022 field #2 and field #5 were blooming while field #1 wasn’t, I didn’t visit field #3 and #5.“
You stated #2 and #5 were blooming but you didn’t visited #5. Was there a typo?
Good catch! I’ll fix that! I didn’t visit 3 and 4! And I’m glad you found the guide useful.
This is really helpful.. Is there really a risk of ticks?
Thank you SO MUCH for providing the map!! I didn’t find your website in time, but the flowers are not really in bloom yet anyway. The map is an essential piece of info that the DNR should provide on its own website. Many people get frustrated trying to locate this sight. I appreciate your thoughtful effort.
Glad it helped!