Biggest Super Bloom in Over a Decade Expected at Diamond Valley Lake Wildflower Trail Opens March 2
On the heels of record rains, officials at Diamond Valley Lake anticipate the biggest super bloom in over a decade in the coming weeks. The most jaw-dropping views will be from the Wildflower Trail, which opens March 2 and is accessible from the Diamond Valley Lake Marina.
“This is the payoff from all that rain,” said Kelly Lam, director of marketing for Basecamp Hospitality, which operates concessions at Diamond Valley Marina, Lake Hemet and 20+ parks across the western U.S. “We’re already starting to see flowers, and by mid to late March we anticipate this super boom to be way better than it has been in over 10 years. The lake is higher than I’ve ever seen it, too, and the fish are thriving, so it’s a great time to plan a trip out here.”
The seasonal Wildflower Trail, located in the Southwestern Riverside County Multi-Species Reserve protected area, and open Wednesdays through Sundays, will soon burst with color, from red Indian Paintbrush flowers and yellow Tidy Tips sunflowers to deep pink Red Maids, orange California poppies, blue arroyo lupines, purple Canterbury bells and white Forget-Me-Nots. The flowers should last through April along the hillsides of the lake trail, a 1.3-mile loop that is considered easy to moderate.
Basecamp recently made improvements to the lake for visitors to enjoy, including new, permanent marina restrooms and may soon include longer hours for approved activities in early mornings and evenings. Entry fees into the marina are $10 per car, and trail access costs $3 per person—and includes a map of the wildflowers and wildflower guide. You can also view the flowers by renting one of the bass or pontoon boats, for fishing or relaxing, at the marina. Get started at the Diamond Valley Lake Visitor Center, home to the bones of Max, the largest and most complete adult mastodon to be uncovered in the western United States. So many mastodons were found here that the area is known as “the valley of the mastodons.”
The visitor center is open weekends from 10 am to 4 pm and also features information on what it took to build three dams the size of those at Diamond Valley Lake, including videos and photos of the astoundingly large equipment used on the project.
