Wildflower lovers won’t be able to get their fix this year in one Southern California city after officials announced that they were closing the trails that proved irresistible to Instagram-posting visitors who trampled the growth.
blanketed Lake Elsinore’s Walker Canyon with a layer of vibrant orange poppies. They proved irresistible to phone-wielding, Instagram-posting visitors, who clogged roadways and trails, trampled the growth and occasionally needed rescuing due to heat and exertion and at least one rattlesnake bite.
“The flowers were beautiful,” Lake Elsinore Mayor Natasha Johnson said during a news conference this week with patches of California poppies in the background. “The scene was a nightmare.” Facing another seasonal bloom — though likely not a supersized one — city, county and law enforcement officials decided not to risk a repeat. Johnson announced that the trails on Walker Canyon, as well as parking around it and an access road, are all closed. Shuttles will not run to the canyon, as they did for part of the 2019 season. Trails were closed in the spring of 2020 due to the pandemic, and drought kept blooms away for the last couple of years.
Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco warned that the penalty for visiting anyway could be steep, though he said courts would determine any fine.“We don’t want anybody coming here thinking that they’ll pay the fine and be good with it,” he said. “It’s a misdemeanor infraction subject to arrest.” Walker Canyon, which closed in 2019 due to the crowds, has become the latest popular destination to close because of overtourism. A daffodil-dotted ranch east of Sacramento that had been open to the public for decadesit was closing indefinitely in 2019 after being overwhelmed by a “crush of visitors.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Lake Elsinore closes popular wildflower viewing area in Walker CanyonVisitors flocked to see a super bloom in 2019, but now officials want to prevent traffic and other problems from recurring.
Read more »
Orange County deputy victim of deadly crash in Lake ElsinoreThe Orange County Sheriff’s Department is in mourning after one of its deputies was killed in a crash while off duty in Lake Elsinore on Thursday morning.
Read more »
Orange County sheriff's deputy killed in Lake Elsinore crashThe Orange County Sheriff’s Department is in mourning after Deputy Brian Haney was killed in a crash while off duty in Lake Elsinore on Thursday morning. He is survived by his wife and one-month-old baby.
Read more »
No poppy superbloom: Sightseers banned from California hillside this year“Your warning is right now. We will have a zero-tolerance policy,” the sheriff said.
Read more »
California Police to Crack Down on Poppy Superbloom Tourists, InfluencersFour years after one small Southern California city was overrun by tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the poppy superbloom, officials are issuing a clear message: Stay away or face arrest
Read more »
California town bans access to canyon site of 2019 poppy super bloom to avoid huge crowdsLake Elsinore, California, is banning visitors from accessing Walker Canyon, the hills of which hosted a super bloom of poppies in 2019.
Read more »