One of our desert adventures was visiting the Whitewater Preserve. The Preserve was originally a commercial trout farm and enjoyed by locals for several decades. The site is now used as a visitor center and picnic area, with access to several trails. The fish farm still exists, but is used for educational purposes. The visitor center is a half mile hike to the Pacific Crest Trail, which extends from Mexico to Canada.
The trails enable you to explore the Whitewater River bed and surrounding areas. The river is fed by snow melt from the distant mountains, and changes course regularly. Small bridges are provided in some sections of the river bed, but may no longer be useful or available because of the changes. The hills surrounding the area provide a cross section of geology, and the river bed itself is home to interesting plants, including willow, palms, tulle reeds, and yucca.
Take the Whitewater Canyon Road exit off Interstate 10, between the Palm Springs and Twentynine Palms Hwy exits, and follow Whitewater Canyon Road to the visitor center.
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| Trail leading from the visitor center to several trail heads. Keep going to meet up with the Pacific Coast Tail. You can see the snow capped mountains in the distance. |
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| Veer to the left from the trial to access the Whitewater River bed. The cliff is on the other side of the river. |
The trails enable you to explore the Whitewater River bed and surrounding areas. The river is fed by snow melt from the distant mountains, and changes course regularly. Small bridges are provided in some sections of the river bed, but may no longer be useful or available because of the changes. The hills surrounding the area provide a cross section of geology, and the river bed itself is home to interesting plants, including willow, palms, tulle reeds, and yucca.
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| Whitewater River in April. The snow capped mountains in the distance are the water source. In places, the water is deep and swift. Water loving willows grow near the river. |
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| Looking the other direction, toward the visitor center. You can see multiple river courses, and one of the bridges near the center of the photo. |
The Preserve has become part of the Wildlands Conservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring and preserving wild land in California. The Whitewater Preserve is part of an effort to acquire contiguous parcels of land to provide a wildlife corridor between the San Gorgonio and San Bernardino mountains. The Conservancy is also instrumental in preserving land in Northern California, including the Jenner Headlands.
To learn more about the Conservancy: https://wildlandsconservancy.org/preserves/whitewater
To get to the Preserve:Take the Whitewater Canyon Road exit off Interstate 10, between the Palm Springs and Twentynine Palms Hwy exits, and follow Whitewater Canyon Road to the visitor center.
View 9160 Whitewater Canyon Rd in a larger map
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