HEMET – (INT) – The Wildflower Trail at Diamond Valley Lake near Hemet is open.

Heavy rainstorms in December and January is expected to produce a larger bloom of wildflowers than in the last few years, which were the driest in the state’s history. The flowers are just beginning to bloom. Warmer weather over the coming weeks should usher in heartier bouquet.

Flowers typically found at Diamond Valley Lake are California poppies, deep blue arroyo lupines, purple Canterbury bells, yellow rancher’s fiddleneck, white popcorn flowers and pink red maids.

At Lake Elsinore, golden poppies, California's state flower, are starting to blossom on the slopes of Walker Canyon. In2019, the bloom brought out hundreds of thousands of visitors. But this year, the trails and viewpoints around flowers will be inaccessible after Lake Elsinore city officials shut them down.

Story Date: April 3, 2023