At a Glance

Massive crowds visiting Lake Elsinore's super bloom prompted officials to impose new rules.Visitors this weekend will be required to take a shuttle at a cost of $10 per person.

Southern California's Lake Elsinore is imposing new rules to help manage traffic and the massive crowds flocking to see the spectacular super bloom of wildflowers in the area.

Officials say they will close some roads this weekend and set up detours to thwart gridlock. Visitors will be required to take shuttles to the site for a $10 fee per person that's free for children under 3. The shuttles will be available from 6:30 a.m. local time to 8 p.m. but pets other than service animals will not be permitted.

During a Thursday press conference, Michael Lujan, who serves as the Lake Elsinore's police chief said if congestion becomes unmanageable.

Last Saturday and Sunday, between 50,000 and 100,000 people flocked to the canyon, causing massive traffic jams in the city of 63,000.

“We don’t have those numbers,” Lake Elsinore Mayor Steve Manos told the Los Angeles Times. “The impacts on our community have caused some of the residents to voice loud and clear that they’re frustrated by some of the crowds.”

In this satellite image, traffic and crowds can be seen Tuesday near the super bloom site at Lake Elsinore.

(Satellite image ©2019 DigitalGlobe, a Maxar company)

With the crowds came injuries, heat exhaustion, a few snake bites and a nightmare for area residents.

"While the super bloom has created significant challenges for our community, it has shown the world the natural beauty of Lake Elsinore," Manos said during the press conference. "And yet, the last few weeks have been unbearable for our residents."

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The spectacular bloom this year can be attributed in part to a particularly wet winter that brought to an end to a lengthy seven-year drought.

Manos noted that he hasn't seen a more beautiful bloom in his 32 years living in Lake Elsinore, nor the number of people flocking to the fields of flowers.

“This is probably a one-off event,” he said.