Lake Elsinore, California, is banning visitors from accessing Walker Canyon, the hills of which hosted a super bloom of poppies in 2019.

The teeming tourist throngs impeded travel among the townsfolk at the time, and rowdy behavior by some visitors exacerbated the frustration of Lake Elsinore residents.

“People of Disneyland-sized crowds were seeking to experience nature. They trampled the very habitat that they placed so high in regard and sought to enjoy. … Many Lake Elsinore neighborhoods were literally severed from access to the rest of the city by traffic gridlock,” Lake Elsinore Mayor Natasha Johnson said, describing the 2019 crowds at a press conference Tuesday.

Part of the issue is that many of those who came to see the poppy blooms were not prepared for the conditions in the canyon itself.

“These hills do not have accessible trails and they quite honestly are not suitable for people that are not accustomed to hiking in hills and in mountains. The last time we suffered many injuries, we had to have rescues,” Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco explained.

The city does not project the 2023 poppy bloom to match that of 2019, but Lake Elsinore, 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles, has taken precautions nonetheless.

The city has shut down the Walker Canyon trail, closed off parking in and around the site, shut down another access point to Walker Canyon, and directed the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office to tow and cite cars parked illegally, including on the shoulder of local freeways. A reopening date has not been set.

“Your warning is right now. We will have a zero-tolerance policy for people that are here trespassing,” Sheriff Bianco said.

Ms. Johnson concluded by thanking people for their “poppy patience” and saying, “This weekend, I encourage you to focus on the Super Bowl and not on the super bloom that we’re not having.”

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.