Lake Elsinore Poppies Are Off Limits, Police Patrolling

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Amid coronavirus concerns, trails in Lake Elsinore's poppy-filled Walker Canyon are closed and there is no parking in surrounding areas, the city reiterated Thursday.

This year's poppy bloom is nothing like 2019, when droves of people visited Lake Elsinore to hike Walker Canyon's sea of orange "super bloom." But in a video announcement released Thursday, Lake Elsinore Mayor Pro Tem Bob Magee said people have begun turning out this year to see the poppies, despite trail barricades and posted no-parking signs. Some people even parked along Interstate 15, Magee said.

To prevent people from attempting to visit the trails this warm weekend ahead, sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers will be issuing citations to those who stop in the area, Magee said.

To get the latest on the poppies, watch the above video and visit the city's Walker Canyon portal here.