Lake Elsinore Cops Tell Instagrammers to Back off Superbloom

Start Slideshow

A model poses with Lake Elsinore's fields of poppies in 2019. Photographers take pictures. — Anything for the ‘gram.

Authorities have learned about the value of picturesque fields of poppies the hard way in the age of Instagram. Since barring access and pleading didn’t work, officials in the small Southern California city of Lake Elsinore are trying a new tactic: Telling would-be Instagrammers that they’ll be arrested if they don’t step away from the poppies.

Lake Elsinore announced the closure of Walker Canyon to all visitors this week, a popular area that was overrun in 2019 by crowds of up to 100,000 people in a weekend aiming to see a “superbloom” of bright orange California poppies caused by heavy rains. Mayor Natasha Johnson explained that the decision was made in the name of public safety and preservation of the environment. In 2019, the overwhelming number of visitors and their unfortunate behavior came at a cost that was “way too steep for our residents and our wildlife,” Johnson said at press conference on Tuesday. One highway patrolman died, struck as he directed a thick scrum of traffic.

“They trampled on the very habitat that they placed so high in regard and sought to enjoy,” the mayor stated.

Previous Slide

Next Slide

2 / 11

A swarm of people is shown walking through hills full of poppies taking pictures. — Crowds swarm Lake Elsinore in 2019 to pose with the poppies.

Trampling isn’t the only thing visitors did. They plucked them, laid down on them, posed topless with them, promoted products with them, and even sat in them while having a smoke. Couples came to take wedding pictures around the poppies and parents came to take “baby in the flowers” photos.

Besides destroying the environment, visitors also caused havoc in the Lake Elisinore itself. Officials said that many came unprepared for their visit and had to be rescued by emergency responders or treated for injuries. On the neighborhood level, there was so much traffic to see the poppies that residents were “literally severed” from the city, the mayor said.

Tragedy also struck the city during the poppy superbloom in 2019. While working overtime to control waves of traffic coming in to see the flowers, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Steve Licon, a motorcycle patrol supervisor, was hit by a car and killed.

“We cannot afford for this to happen again,” Johnson affirmed.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco declared that authorities were taking a “zero tolerance” approach to visitors trespassing and parking on the sides of the roads to see the poppies. People who disregard his advice would be subject to citation, a misdemeanor infraction that is subject to arrest and jail time, and possible towing of their car.

“I’m here to tell you that your warning is right now,” Bianco said.

Previous Slide

Next Slide

3 / 11

A picture of the poppies at Walker Canyon on Feb. 7, 2023. — Look at this picture of the poppies at Walker Canyon on Feb. 7, 2023 to your heart’s content. But please, don’t go.

Over on Instagram and TikTok, it doesn’t seem like people have figured out the poppies are coming back again, albeit on a much smaller scale. As of today, Gizmodo was only able to find a handful of recent videos and photos of the poppies. One particularly funny TikTok showed a video of Lake Elsinore’s infamous hills near Lake Street, a popular spot for poppy fans, paired to the popular sound of two people saying, “Nobody’s going to know... They’re going to know.”

“I swear if this makes me late to work again this year we setting that hill on fire,” a user commented.

Previous Slide

Next Slide

4 / 11