The dazzling poppy fields of Lake Elsinore will be open again this weekend.

But this time, those flocking from across Southern California and around the world to see the orange hillsides filled with the official state flower, Eschscholtzia californica, will have an army of workers keeping them company — and some new rules.

After several weekends that turned chaotic when hundreds of thousands of visitors descended on Walker Canyon off the 15 Freeway, the city announced Thursday, March 21, that it would mount a massive effort to control crowds and address other problems. The city closed off access Sunday, March 17, before reopening it the next day.

“This has been a crisis never experienced before, unlike anything we have faced in Lake Elsinore,” said Capt. Michael Lujan, commander of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department’s Lake Elsinore station.

Light afternoon drizzle Thursday, March 21, didn’t deter hikers from trekking to Lake Elsinore’s wildflowers. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Glendale resident Socorro Garcia visited Lake Elsinore’s wildflower fields Thursday, March 21.(Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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Visitors to Lake Elsinore’s wildflower fields take selfies Thursday March 21. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Lake Elsinore hillsides were rich with yellows, orange and purple wildflowers Thursday, March 21. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

A couple enjoys the wildflower fields in Lake Elsinore on Thursday, March 21. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)



Oceanside residents Matt and Iulia Keenan enjoy Lake Elsinore’s wildflowers Thursday March 20. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Lake Elsinore Mayor Steve Manos says safety comes first during a Thursday, March 21, news conference about the city’s plan to address the many visitors looking to see wildflowers. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Lake Elsinore Mayor Steve Manos said officials didn’t know what to expect regarding the superbloom of poppies during a Thursday, March 21, news conference. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Lake Elsinore Police Chief Michael Lujan says the man priority is not to mingle pedestrians and vehicles of those eager to see the superbloom of poppies. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Gloria Hunter, a sign language interpreter, moves her hand across her neck indicating that drivers cannot stop to look at the superbloom during a Thursday, March 30, news conference. She was interpreting for John Tyler, Riverside CHP commander. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)



The plan, presented at a news conference, includes these steps:

Shuttles, canceled amid the chaos of last weekend, will resume on weekends but will now cost $10 a person, up from $5 as the city tries to cover the cost of the service. Children 3 and under can ride for free.

Some streets will be open only to residents on weekends.

No parking will be allowed in Walker Canyon.

Forty Riverside County sheriff’s deputies, plus additional California Highway Patrol officers, will be deployed this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24.

No drones will be allowed.

The Riverside County city that’s home to boating, skydiving and off-road racing prides itself on its slogan, Dream Extreme.

But the huge, unanticipated crowds fueled by viral social media posts that spread like wildflowers, have thus far proven too extreme even for Lake Elsinore, which sounded a desperate tone in social media posts that described the situation as a “public safety crisis,” a term usually reserved for more traditional natural disasters.

“We have suffered through fires, floods and now flowers,” Mayor Steve Manos said during the news conference. “This natural phenomenon is unlike anything any of us has seen before.”

Past problems included drivers parking on the freeway (it’s illegal and dangerous, the CHP says), cars backed up for miles on the 15, gridlock on city streets, overflowing portable toilets, a hit-and-run that struck a city employee and even a person and a dog bitten by rattlesnakes. Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department and city officials have reported treating people for ankle injuries and bee stings and seeing people faint. Some people, particularly older folks, have been physically unable to complete miles-long walks to the poppy fields.

Manos said that a poppy bloom two years ago did not result in an anything approaching this public response.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “There were no presale tickets on this thing.”

This time, Manos said, city employees said they have encountered tourists from Japan and England who included the flowers in their itineraries at the last minute. He has given interviews to “Good Morning America” as well as media in Australia and England.

Lake Elsinore Mayor Steve Manos discussing #superbloom shuttle service during a news conference held at Lake Elsinore's Cultural Center. @RedlandsNews @pressenterprise pic.twitter.com/cTY1yhliwh — Cindy Yamanaka (@Cyamanaka7) March 21, 2019

Officials reminded the public to come prepared for hiking on the hillsides by wearing proper clothing.

“Two miles downhill in sandals is not fun,” said Dustin McLain, chief of parks and resources for Riverside County Parks.

He added that the bloom should last another two to three weeks, when higher temperatures should cause the flowers to wither.

The problems led the city on Sunday, March 17, to close off access to the area and cancel a shuttle service it had advertised for guests. Then officials began pondering what to do about the coming weekend.

Now, weekend shuttle service will run from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the last ride to the flowers leaving at 5 p.m. and the last shuttle back to the parking areas at 7 p.m. Pets, other than service animals, won’t be allowed on the shuttles. Last week, before the service was canceled, the cost to ride was $5.

The shuttles will be the only way to reach the flower fields on Saturdays and Sundays. Visitors traveling north on the 15 will exit at Nichols Road, turn right and head to a dirt lot marked for parking; southbound travelers will exit the 15 at Nichols and park at the Outlets at Lake Elsinore shopping center.

The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians on Thursday announced a $100,000 grant to the city, where it has ancestral lands, to help Lake Elsinore pay for costs associated with the poppy bloom.

Closed roads on weekends will include:

Northbound Lake Street, from Temescal Canyon Road to Nichols Road

Westbound Nichols Road, from Lake Street to Collier Avenue

Northbound and southbound off-ramps of the 15 Freeway at Lake Street

Roads open only to residents with identification, or their visitors, on weekends will be Horsethief Canyon, Hostetler, Campbell Ranch and Dawson Canyon. Residents coming southbound on the 15 should exit at Indian Truck Trail; northbound residents should exit at Main Street or Railroad Canyon Road.

Lake Elsinore Mayor Steve Manos says safety first @ news conference @ city’s Cultural Center. Solutions for blooming crowds/traffic include increased resources, improved access plans & paid shuttled expected to reduce impact He referred to city's 3 f's- fire, floods & flowers. pic.twitter.com/uA2v8SrGND — Cindy Yamanaka (@Cyamanaka7) March 21, 2019

Officials cautioned that changes could be made — or the poppy viewing area shut down — if the plan doesn’t work.

Catalino Pining, deputy district director for Caltrans, encouraged drivers to use alternate routes such as the 215 Freeway or Highway 74 through the mountains from Orange County.

Officials arrived at the plan after working with representatives from Riverside County, the CHP, fire and sheriff’s and other officials.

Manos sees an opportunity for the city amid the chaos.

Already, restaurants are reporting that they are running out of food because of the crowds, he said. A poppy festival or other event is possible someday, but currently the focus is on public safety, he said.

“We’re writing the playbook right now,” Manos said. “As a matter of fact, our dreams are much bigger than this. We are a city that is pivoting toward tourism. This is actually a great test for the city to see how it handles stresses caused by a high number of visitors. We do dream quite extreme here.”

OTHER FLOWER BLOOMS

Lake Elsinore is not the only area with wildflower blooms. Others, that likely will have smaller crowds, include:

• Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve, 15101 Lancaster Road, Lancaster. 661-724-1180.

• Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, 200 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs. 760-767-4684.

• Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve/Harriet Wieder Regional Park, 18000 Highway 1, Huntington Beach. huntingtonbeachca.gov.

• Chino Hills State Park, 4721 Sapphire Road, Chino Hills. 951-780-6222.

• Cleveland National Forest, Santa Ana Mountains. fs.usda.gov/main/cleveland.

• Crafton Hills, Sand Canyon Road, Yucaipa. chosc.org/preserve.

• Diamond Valley Lake, 2325 Searl Parkway, Hemet. dvlake.com.

• Joshua Tree National Park, 74485 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms. 760-367-5500.

• Malibu Creek State Park, 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas. 818-880-0367.

• Mojave National Preserve, 90942 Kelso Cima Road, Kelso. 760-252-6100.

• Oak Glen Preserve, 39611 Oak Glen Road, Oak Glen. 909-797-8507.

• Orange County Parks. ocparks.com.

• Palos Verdes Peninsula. 310-541-7613.

• Point Mugu State Park, 9000 West Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. 310-457-8143.

• Puente Hills Preserve, 5040 Workman Mill Road, Whittier. 562-945-9003.

• Riverside County Parks. rivcoparks.org/harford-springs-reserve.

• San Gabriel Mountains and foothills. ecnca.org.

• Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, King Gillette Ranch, 26876 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas. nps.gov/samo.

• Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, 51-500 Highway 74, Palm Desert. 760-862-9984.