Spring in Southern California has been incredible this year. With all the recent rain that’s been coming this way, the region has come to life with beautiful green mountains, strong waterfalls, and an awesome #SuperBloom.
One place to see wildflowers in the southland is Walker Canyon in Lake Elsinore, a city in Riverside County about 70 miles southeast of Los Angeles. I got the idea to visit Walker Canyon from an article published on ABC7, which covers news in L.A. and SoCal. I went on a Monday morning at around 9 a.m. and there weren’t too many people around.
The canyon is right off the 15 freeway and you can find parking right after you exit and turn right on Lake Street. For more details on directions, check out the ABC7 article here. When I went, I noticed cones and signs along the Lake Street exit saying you can’t park on the shoulder. Those were up because people have previously parked along the freeway to take photos of the flowers. Be sure not to do that because it’s illegal and dangerous! There’s parking right off the freeway along Lake Street and Walker Canyon Road. (Best of all, it’s free!)
To get to the flower fields, you’ll have to hike a trail for what I’m guessing is less than a mile. You can hike for longer if you’d like, but I just swung right and stopped at the first field we spotted.
The trail I went on is located near the intersection of Lake Street and Walker Canyon Road. It starts off on an incline on a dirt path and you’ll have to go through a yellow gate that blocks off vehicles.
It’s not too hard to get to the wildflowers from here, but it’s a good idea to wear comfortable shoes since it’s a dirt trail. While there’s a bit of incline here and there, if you’re not running up the path then it shouldn’t be too hard. One thing to keep in mind is that there’s hardly any shade along the way so if you come in the later morning or in the afternoon, it’s a good idea to bring sunscreen, a hat, and a sufficient supply of water.
Once you see this view, the fields are just a short walk away up a hill with a small amount of incline.
Because I came in the morning, a lot of the flowers were still closed. As I mentioned in my Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve post, poppies need sunlight to open up, which makes it better sometimes to come in the afternoon.
Still, everything was so pretty! I’d never spent so much time walking through fields of wildflowers before and it’s an experience I hope you’ll be inspired to gain if you haven’t already done so. Without fail, it’s always so stress relieving being up close and personal with nature.
Walker Canyon is a fun place to explore and appreciate, especially in the spring. If you’re reading this while we’re having this amazing spring and haven’t visited yet, there’s still time to go while the flowers are in bloom!
2 thoughts on “Wildflower adventure at Walker Canyon”