Solo travels-Day 2: Walker Canyon Ecological Reserve
Day two of my travels began in the early morning hours of Friday, March 15th. I woke from my campsite, DRIPPING SPRINGS CAMPGROUND, to hit the road at 6:00 AM. The drive to Walker Canyon was around 30 minutes. A passerby at Anzo-Borrego mentioned horrendous traffic getting off the freeway as early as 8:00 AM the weekend before. Although I had strategically planned my trip during the week, I wanted to err on the side of caution. Therefore, I arrived just before 7 AM. This meant that I was hiking Walker Canyon before the sun had a chance to wake the poppies. Nevertheless, I did beat the horrendous traffic that inevitably ensued as I later exited the reserve at around 10 AM. I meandered through the trails, taking my time and soaking in the flower soaked hillsides. As the sun warmed the flowers, they only became more beautiful as the rolling hills came alive with color.
I was unexpectedly able to witness the migration of the Painted Lady Butterfly! As I was snapping photo after photo, I noticed numerous butterflies fluttering by. Again, a passerby mentioned that it was the Painted Lady Butterfly. There were thousands dancing through the poppies, up over the hillsides. Such an amazing scene to witness!
After reaching over 10,000 steps before 9:30 AM, I exited Walker Canyon (relinquishing my coveted parking spot) and drove the 5.5 hours 30 back to Tempe, AZ.
Disclaimers:
-I apologize for the number of photos…it was IMPOSSIBLE to stop.
-No flowers were harmed in the process of capturing images.
-Photos CAN’T fully capture this beauty and how amazing Walker Canyon made me feel. To soak in this feeling, you simply must see it for yourself!
Make sure to check out the rest of my road trip to see the wildflower super bloom of 2019 at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Walker Canyon Update as of March 15th:
Information found on Natasha Johnson Lake Elsinore Councilwoman FB page…
#AttentionResidents: In anticipation of Thousands of people coming to our small City to view the #SuperBloom, we are being forced to close Lake Street and Nichols Road to accommodate shuttling services to and from the Outlets at Lake Elsinore. And, to ensure adequate traffic flow for emergency and public safety issues.
Road closures will be in place at the following locations from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday:
Lake Street at Nichols Road
Lake Street at Temescal Canyon Road
Nichols Road at Lake Street
Nichols Road at Collier (so you can still exit freeway)
Note: No through traffic will be allowed on Lake Street or Nichols Road. Please use the alternatives listed.
Shuttle services will run from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. for $5 per person to cover the cost of these services.
In addition, the City will have traffic control, enforcement and several staff out all day Saturday and Sunday to try to ensure we address traffic concerns.
We are prepared to remain flexible and adjust plans as needed based on the visitors coming to our City this weekend.
We recognize this is extremely difficult on our community and residents, so thank you for your understanding and patience as we work to find ways to reduce the impact to the community.
Moving forward, we will continue to change our plans based on our success and failures.
#HangInThereLE #LakeElsinore #CaliforniaPoppy
ABC7 News The Press-Enterprise NBC4 (Los Angeles) CBS Los Angeles Fox 11 Los Angeles KTLA 5 News
Other Fun Links:
Where to see Southern California’s traffic-stopping displays
Painted Lady Butterfly Migration
Cundiff Creative 
Absolutely gorgeous!!! I am so jealous!!!! Candy for the eyes and food for the soul!
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Thanks so much, Barbara! It was a truly amazing experience.
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