I visited the poppies in Lake Elsinore last weekend and am still in shock at how beautiful the entire experience was. The mountains were bright orange, and the last leg of the hour-long drive to get to the Superbloom felt like we were completely surrounded by wildflowers. Since being in school in Los Angeles for the past four years, visiting the Superbloom has been on my bucket list. I had only ever heard of the Superbloom through Instagram; some of my favorite content creators visited the blooms and shared gorgeous photos, entirely inspiring me to want to make the long trek out to Riverside. This phenomenon – traveling to places you’ve seen on Instagram, with (or without) the main goal of getting a perfect photo to post – is increasingly being referred to Instagram Tourism. Regular tourism is often centered around witnessing the beauty of a place – whether that be a small town in Europe, a waterfall on a hike, or a field full of flowers. Instagram Tourism is more about getting a photo of that beautiful place. It isn’t so much about reveling in the natural beauty of an area, which is why Instagram Tourism often leads to environmental harm (whether or not that harm is intentional). 

Interestingly enough, I went on this trip with my social media club at USC, so even I’ll admit I was feeding into the whole Instagram Tourist thing. One member of my club suggested we get there early in the morning, to escape “the crowds”. Another member suggested we go ASAP so that “the flowers weren’t trampled”. I knew the Superbloom was a popular attraction, but had no idea that it would be as popular as it actually was. There were state troopers stationed on the highway exit directing traffic to dedicated parking lot for the poppies. When we arrived at 8am there were hundreds of people waiting in line to board a bus to get to the main trial. I was expecting our trip to be something like my hikes in Vermont during summer camp — we’d be dropped off on the side of the road, hike through a quiet trial, and end up surrounded by poppies. In reality, we were surrounded by people, people, and more people. The Superbloom really had become a tourist destination.

This year more than ever I have seen an insane amount of comments criticizing content creators for encouraging Instagram Tourism and contributing to the uptick in environmental degradation at these photo destinations. At the Superbloom especially, content creators have been known to stand on the flowers, lay down on the flowers, or even pick flowers all for the “perfect photo”. A number of content creators have responded to criticism by sharing how they utilize photoshop and crafty camera angles to make it look like they’re completely surrounded by poppies when they’re really just standing on the trails. Even if those photos are photoshopped or edited, when this isn’t explicitly shared in their photos (which are often meant to be inspiration for others who travel to this destination) viewers may think it’s perfectly acceptable to do whatever it takes to get a similar photo. Even after seeing people talk about how many trails there are that will allow you to get that “perfect photo”, I was surprised by how many actual trails and paths there were that could create the same exact photo without harming any flowers in the process.

This trip, conversations about Instagram Tourism, and discussions about how to avoid environmental degradation at popular Instagram destinations reminded me of all the time I spent learning about the Leave No Trade principles at summer camp. There are seven principles, but I think these four are perfect reminders of how to Preserve While You Observe:

Principle 2: Travel & Camp On Durable Surfaces. Nobody goes out to the Superbloom to camp overnight, but you should still make sure you travel on the designated trails. No poppies (or weeds!) were harmed in the making of my photos, and I stayed on a trail the entire time. Also, if you see squished flowers because someone before you did not follow this LNT principle, that does not mean it’s okay for you to squish them further! Give them a chance to regenerate and perk back up and search for a good lookin’ trail to get your photos.

Principle 3: Dispose Of Waste Properly. As sad as it is, I was not surprised to see a number of plastic bags and pieces of trash buried in the poppies during my visit. This principle of disposing of waste properly is SO important wherever you go. Carry out what you bring in; the world is not your trash can. Additionally, if you see trash, pack it out with you and dispose of it properly. Always leave the trails better than you found them.

Principle 4: Leave What You Find. Take photos, not flowers. The wildflowers are so beautiful BECAUSE they are alive, so don’t pick them just to get a good ‘gram or bring home a little bouquet. Leave the flowers where you found them.

Principle 6: Respect Wildlife. This is really just a reiteration of what I’ve already talked about, but cannot be stressed enough. If you’re traveling to a place to appreciate the beauty of a natural location, leave it beautiful!!! If you happen to come across critters, let them be. This is their home, and we are just visitors.

Instagram Tourism is a really interesting, but very sad, phenomenon, and I’m very interested to see how it evolves as social media continues to play a larger and larger role in promoting travel destinations. Though the Superbloom has been a popular Instagram Tourism destination for at least a few years now, I am relieved to see that the conversation is beginning to center around natural beauty of Lake Elsinore and how to preserve it, and not just how to get the best photo while you’re there.

Have you visited the Superbloom, or any other popular Instagram destination? What are your thoughts on Instagram Tourism, and do you think it is inherently bad for the health of the environment? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.