Mar 6, 2020   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Diamond Valley Lake’s Wildflower Trail Opens to Public

With spring around the corner, wildflowers are blooming at Diamond Valley Lake, prompting the opening of the popular Wildflower Trail this weekend.

Following a dry January and February, experts predict this year’s bloom won’t compare to the spectacular wildflower showings in 2019 and 2017, which attracted thousands of visitors to The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s 4.5-mile-long drinking water reservoir in southwest Riverside County.

“The hills are green and you can expect to see a good variety of wildflowers, but they won’t cover the hillsides as they did during previous years when we got a lot of winter rains,” wildlife biologist William Wagner said. “But as it warms up, we will see some butterflies at the peak of the Wildflower Trail.”

The wildflowers, including wishbone bush, arroyo lupines, and California poppies, will reach peak bloom by mid-March. How long they last will depend on March’s rainfall, Wagner said.

The Wildflower Trail is a 1.3-mile loop accessible from the marina’s parking lot, with entry off of Domenigoni and Searl parkways in Hemet. It is rated as an easy-to-moderate hike with some rugged terrain.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (no entry after 4:30 p.m.). The trails and marina are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The trail is part of the 9,000-acre Southwestern Riverside County Multi-Species Reserve, created by Metropolitan in 1992.

To protect the area’s wildlife and avoid rattlesnakes, visitors must not pick the wildflowers or stray from the trails. Parking is $10 and there is a $3-per-person trail fee that includes a map of the wildflowers and wildflower guide. More information is available at dvlake.com.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that, along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, provide water for 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.

Note to editors: Recent photos of the wildflower trail are available upon request.