Drought-Stricken Flowers Get Superbloom Showers
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California has recently been getting a long-overdue reprieve from drought conditions with several Winter storms and atmospheric rivers. Although a drought is not something we want, the end result of a long period without rain is usually a Spring Superbloom!
Diamond Valley Lake
We decided to check out Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet, CA. It is a reservoir located in Hemet which opens a Wildflower trail in the Spring Wednesday through Sunday. As the location is a also a wildlife reserve so it is not pet friendly.
It took us an hour and a half to get there from San Diego and we paid $11 for parking plus $4 per person to go on the trail. Children under 3 are free.
Note: Be sure to get there as early as you can if going on the weekend. There was a long line of cars waiting to pay and park (about 30 minutes).
The hike itself is an easy mile loop that starts and ends off of a fork from the Lakeview trail. There are plenty of signs pointing visitors to the right direction. If you are taking a baby, I don’t recommend scooters/trikes/stroller but to opt for a baby carrier of some sort as the dirt path can get a little rough and steep. The baby carrier we really like can be found on Amazon and is the Osprey Poco Child Carrier Backpack which was very comfortable to use.
If you happen to have the time and find a sunny day, it’s definitely worth to take the drive out and check out the beautiful flowers. But please, please, please, don’t be one of the several people ruining the experience for everyone else by leaving the trail and trampling the flowers just to get a photograph out in the middle of the flowers. You should be ashamed.
Travel Tips
We would like to give you a few tips to conclude our story. First, bring some lunch/snacks/drinks with you to enjoy either before or after the hike as there are a few picnic tables next to the lake as well as on the trail itself. I would recommend the tables near the lake as they are covered and thus provide a nicer experience and a view of the lake! Several portable toilets are located on the back of the parking lot as the bathroom itself was closed during the time that we visited. If you want free parking and don’t mind walking a mile(?) uphill, then there’s a free parking at the bottom of the mountain. Lastly, be sure to bring sunscreen, lots of water and hats since the entire trail has no shade!
