Grandchildren bait, Lake Elsinore or Canyon Lake, have boat (Santa Ana: rent, house)

[doclee]

We have new GC lives in Laguna which we can't afford. We have a boat and jetski. looking in Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake about $500,000. Now have huge (unused) house in mountains in Tucson. Also a son at USC and a daughter in Dallas but she is thinking of moving to LA. Want a place they can have fun and we will have mountain and water views when they aren't around. Husband likes to hike, I enjoy pool swimming. So a fitness club with a pool would be good. Community pool if we are lucky.
Any advice is welcome.

[tkdmom]

Canyon Lake has a lot of amenities like you mentioned. A great community pool, beaches ( not really that clean) and parks. Behind CL are many bike trails, probably good for hiking too. Don't know about a fitness club. Good luck !

[maraw]

I would suggest looking in Lake Elsinore...specifically the community of Tuscany Hills. We have fantastic waterview homes on the market between $450-$475K. We have a Rec center with a pool and fitness center as well as many dispersed parks throughout the area. We have hiking access to BLM land within walking distance. Watermark is the newest subdivision and most desireable in the Tuscany Hills community. Good luck!!

[Beth56]

I don't know if they have cleaned up Lake Elsinore, but it was a garbage dump of a lake a few years ago. I spent years camping at and boating on the lake when I was a teenager. Later tried to bring my son to enjoy it and it was filthy. We weren't at the lake 5 minutes and he stepped on a broken bottle in the lake and had to take him to emergency for stitches. Even the hospital in town told us the city didn't do anything about the lake. Everyone was waiting for a lawsuit against the city to clean it up.

I wonder if it has been cleaned up or is Canyon Lake is any better?

[trmc2007]

Lake Elsinore is fine.... to many people with old -YEARS OLD information.. who don't care be current so they repeat the info. Which usually begins with "I don't know but.." or " I have heard.." or "It used to be....." or the best " someone once told me....."

Elsinore is fine, peopel boat and fish and jet ski like maniacs over the weekend, kids play and have fun and peopel enjoy it... there are all walks of life there since it is a public area.

With that said.. Canyon Lake is nice -private to homeowners. But you can't jet ski in it, boating is limited AND if you have a motorcycle you cannot ride it within the gated area of the compund they like it quiet ssshhh LOL..
Also if you want to get around the place.. get a golf cart/ thingy since most everyone uses one to get around.too many hills and log streets. It does get very hot in some areas of the canyons since the homes are built close and high..but some of the areas get great breezes as well. And as always, you have people that do not take care of the junk and trash that floats into thier slips, or keep the plants trimmed and free of lake scum, especially if they have a dock connected to their home.

All in all..... both Elsinore and Canyon Lake have thier up's and downs, liek any water community... it basically comes down to, what you will and will not be able to tolerate.

[Unkllars]

Both would be good options for your desires, price range, and proximity to GC. You will find many master plan developments that have all the amenities you need. I know because the developers send me lists and major price reductions You will have a great time!! Would you have to sell your home in Tucson? If you could rent it out and get a little money on the side, that'll pay for the jetski's Maybe grad students out there will be considerate of your abode.

[chorton]

Canyon Lake is a bit more upscale than most of the Elsinore community. On the flip side, the lots in Canyon Lake are small, and it has a tight feel to the development. Lake Elsinore wont have a clubhouse or the community pool unless you buy into a planned community (which is basicly what Canyon Lake is). Canyon Lake has gates, with security. Its a trade off again, because guests have a real hassle coming in, lines get really long to enter your community on holidays, etc, but there is a sense of security with guarded gates. Dont even think about painting your home without permits and community gestapo approval in Canyon Lake. You cant even hang a *kids selling lemonade sign* without reprisal. This also means that your neighbors wont paint their home hot pink, so again take the good with the bad. Lake Elsinore areas have homes with more land, and offer views of the lake and the Cleveland National Forest, but if you get a bad neighbor, who doesnt mow their lawn, has 12 dogs, and cars parked everywhere, there is no one to turn to. The upside potential at Elsinore is greater, if someone got the notion to clean up some of the lakeside properties, and invest. Think long term there, it will probably happen, but not tomorrow. Canyon Lake is about as developed as it is going to get, and you wont see much positive change in the foreseeable future, imho. Both communities are hot, exposed at times to Santa Ana wind conditions, and can have dust and environmental condition issues, but they are helped by their proximity to National parks, BLM land, and water bodies. Canyon Lake is built around boating, and wake boarding or water skiing. There is decent bass fishing on Canyon Lake, but you have speed limits, with marine patrol checking constantly for tags, licenses, etc. Lake Elsinore is more of a wide open lake, in most ways. You can have jet skis, the speed limit is higher (if its even enforced) and the lake itself has more wide open stretched to open the throttle up. I lived in Canyon Lake for 3 years, and then found a property in Elsinore with more land, and on a quieter street, with better views. We have quads, which are not allowed in Canyon Lake. They dont allow motor cycles, in Canyon Lake either. Canyon Lake is more fun to visit on the fourth of July, because the party is a very social atmosphere. The partying on summer weekends and holidays is a scene to behold, if thats your things. I prefer the quieter scene at Lake Elsinore, but I am a little bit boring compared to those kids at Canyon Lake.

[ferretkona]

Boating in Lake Elsinore would be a little better than boating in a water treatment plant. If you like meth it is even better.

[Fontucky]

Last July I had the distinct displeasure to go boating on that cesspit during one of the periodic mass fish die-offs. The smell was unforgettable, the water murky, slimy and full of bloated dead fish floating belly up in the relentless Summer sun.

It was like the Salton Sea, just not so salty and with better restaurants.

[Twinkle Toes]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Last July I had the distinct displeasure to go boating on that cesspit during one of the periodic mass fish die-offs. The smell was unforgettable, the water murky, slimy and full of bloated dead fish floating belly up in the relentless Summer sun.

It was like the Salton Sea, just not so salty and with better restaurants.

What are you complaining about? Sounds like the fish were easier to catch that way!