Despite snarled traffic and anticipated heavy crowds, visitors once again flocked to Lake Elsinore to see the spectacular beauty of the ‘super bloom’ on Saturday.
KNBC-TV in Los Angeles reported traffic was slow on the southbound Interstate 15 heading into Lake Elsinore early Saturday, with some congestion on the northbound side leaving the area as well.
At least 3,000 people had visited the fields just before noon, said Nicole Dailey, a spokeswoman for Lake Elsinore.
She said as midday approached, crowds were expected to get heavier and shuttle wait times could increase, though so far they’ve been manageable, with one-hour wait times each way.
Similar sized crowds are expected on Sunday.
Last weekend, law enforcement shut down access to the canyon after city roads became so congested they looked more like parking lots than streets.
Tens of thousands of sightseers swamped Lake Elsinore to trek into the canyon from Lake Street to take pictures and video of the vibrant poppy covered hillsides.
On Thursday, a new public safety plan was rolled out for this weekend including full road closures, limited access routes and an expanded shuttle service to contain traffic and pedestrian volumes.
