Heads up regarding Hemet Lake

[Natural Lefty]

I tried to go to Hemet Lake with my wife yesterday, having checked a couple of websites in which lake staff mentioned good fishing. However, just after driving through Hemet on Highway 74, there was a sign about a road closure ahead. Sure enough, a little while farther, before the road heads up the mountain, there were Caltrans workers turning people back. The worker that we talked to, said that the road had washed out in February and had been closed ever since while they were repairing it. There was not so much as a peep out of any websites about this situation. The worker said that they did have escorts up the mountain at 6 p.m. and 2 a.m., but otherwise, nobody was allowed to go. It was about 3 p.m. when we were at the turnaround spot, expecting an afternoon/evening of fishing, and we weren't about to wait 3 hours to go then have to figure out a way back, so we turned around. We checked out Anglers Lake, but it closes at 4 (!) and costs $25 (!) per person, so I wanted to go to Perris but the traffic was atrocious and my wife started complaining and wanting to go home, so home we went.

When I checked, highway 243 from Beaumont is in the same situation, from the floods. Thus, the only way to Hemet Lake now is to take one of the twice daily escorts, or go all the way around from the desert to the east of the lake. The lake was said to be completely full now. Now I know why, since the area had torrential rains this past winter. But getting there is a problem.

I have no idea when the roads will be reopened. It doesn't seem like it will be anytime soon.