Lake Elsinore got a quick lesson a week ago in what ‘overtourism’ can mean, as thousands flooded the town to take selfies with a riotous background of colorful poppies, blooming early and in profusion after a mild winter.
The southern California town was highlighted on social media with hashtags like #superbloom and #poppypalooza and the crush was on, blocking traffic, trampling flowers and forcing the city to block access to a number of popular areas. Using the hashtag #poppynightmare, Lake Elsinore’s official Facebook and Instagram pages reported “This weekend has been unbearable in Lake Elsinore. We know it has been miserable and has caused unnecessary hardships for our entire community.”
And some for visitors, too: Aside from being trapped in traffic with 50,000 others, a few found out that spring brings not only poppies, but rattlesnakes waking from hibernation. Some found out the hard way.
