Super Bloom At Folsom Lake Forces Park Rangers To Do Non-Stop Crowd Control
GRANITE BAY (CBS13) — An unusual sight at Folsom Lake has become an overcrowding headache.
The Lupine super bloom is getting so much attention that park rangers are doing non-stop traffic control, trying to prevent backups and illegal parking.
Word about the flowers is spreading fast.
"I heard about it on Facebook," said Sophia Lamour, a super bloom sightseer.
"Our coworkers came and raved about it so we decided to bring our whole family," said Maggie Valencia.
People are willing to drive hours to see the lupine bloom made possible by low water levels.
"This is my first time ever experiencing something like this. I've lived in Sacramento all my life and I've never seen something like this before," Alicia Palacios.
But crowds of sightseers have led to a parking crunch. Park rangers said they are dealing with massive amounts of illegal roadside parking that create a safety hazard.
The Beek's Bight parking lot, which is closest to the bloom, had a line of drivers waiting for a spot on a Wednesday.
"This is chaotic, a little bit chaotic, busy for sure. I didn't expect that many people," Valencia said.
Park rangers say crowds of people on the trail are trampling the flowers.
"I've seen a lot of hikers just around the area just trying to take some pictures and stuff like that," said Shashank Sitaule.
Many come for a photo op and leave quickly but the sheer number of visitors has made crowd control overwhelming
Park rangers are asking people to be patient and be kind to nature. They have no plans for any closures and expect the bloom to last another few weeks.