California had a rainy winter in 2018. In fact, winter lasted until April 2019. It was really great to see San Diego with green mountains for a while. What got me excited with all the rain was the possibility of a Super Bloom. I still regret missing the 2017 bloom in Carrizo Plain NM that I was determined I don’t miss the potential this year. Well guess what? A superbloom did occur! The first post I notice I saw was from this lady in the hiking group I’m in- Walker Canyon in Lake Elsinore.
The post showed California poppies popping up on the canyon. I knew I had to go before news of the bloom hit the masses. Carolyn and I went in March right before the peak of the bloom. We drove north on the 15 for an hour and start seeing glimpse of golden mountain tips. From here, I sensed the the area is going to be a shitshow. Exiting the freeway took an additional 10mins. There were people taking selfies on little flower beds, folks ignoring “Do Not Pass” signs, and creating their own trail. People suck sometimes. The street is a dead end and we parked where there was the least amount of foot traffic.
A painter admiring the golden hills.
Hiking the trail within .25mi of the road you can really see the shitshow. People obliviously walking on poppies, laying down on poppies, crossing orange fences… It was a sad sight.
I mean you can see where people thought it was a great idea to lay down here…
There was only one ranger that we saw going up the hill- boy, did he look defeated. Like he knew- and accepted- it was a losing battle. He told a couple not to step on the flowers, which the couple complied with, but another group at his 9 and 4 oclock were blazing their on trail. I felt bad for him. Ok, no more negativity!
About 1mi from the road, the crowd greatly dissipates. This is where the where we found a balance of amazing views and isolation. The trails are easy and well-maintained. A lot of hills, but definitely an easy hike.
The picturesque hills makes it obvious why Instagrammers managed to put Lake Elsinore in the national spotlight. California poppies practically everywhere.
Of course the SD card would run out of space…
We hike about 2mis and made a loop. We didn’t see anyone on our way back to my truck. There is a little creek that didn’t smell too terrible.
We stumbled upon a little bee farm, but thankfully neither of us got stung.
This was worth the hour and a half drive. The flowers were amazing and the trails easy. The peoples…not so much. It’s unfortunate so many folks do not care to check themselves in these situations. Hopefully this pot of gold blooms next time it rains.
Kicking Twigs 
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