PRESERVE CLOSURE
The Whitewater Preserve will be closed April 25, 2024 and April 26, 2024 due to hazardous weather conditions with winds up to 75mph+. We advise all visitors to stay out of the canyon during this closure.
TRAIL CONDITIONS
The Canyon View Loop Trail remains PARTIALLY CLOSED due to damage from Tropical Storm Hilary on 8/20/23. This is the trail section that crosses the riverbed north of the parking lot, and leads to the Pacific Crest Trail and Red Dome. Damage includes multiple steep cliff faces, and the riverbed trail is now a boulder and debris field. Additionally, there is no stone staircase or footbridge across the river. Much of the Canyon View Loop can still be enjoyed as an out-and-back hike beginning from the bottom of the parking lot. Visit the Ranger Station for more information and trail maps.
WHITEWATER PRESERVE
About the Preserve Plan Your Visit Free Camping & Programs Conservation Outcomes Volunteer News & UpdatesWHITEWATER PRESERVE
Whitewater Preserve is 2,851 acres surrounded by the Bureau of Land Management’s San Gorgonio Wilderness and includes the year-round Whitewater River. Rich riparian habitat hosts the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher and least Bell’s vireo, and provides opportunity to see migrating summer tanagers and vermilion flycatchers. The canyon has a robust population of bighorn sheep, deer and bear, and is an important wildlife corridor between the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains. The Wildlands Conservancy purchased an additional 3,200 acres in the Whitewater corridor that were donated to the Bureau of Land Management. These donated lands include sand dunes that are home to the endangered fringe-toed lizard at Windy Point, which lies at the confluence of the Whitewater and San Gorgonio Rivers.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
PRESERVE HOURS
8 AM to 5 PM
ADMISSION
FREE
CONTACT US
(760) 325-7222
whitewaterpreserve@wildlandsconservancy.org
GETTING HERE
9160 Whitewater Canyon Road
Whitewater, CA 92282
Get Directions
THINGS TO DO
CAMPGROUND IS OPEN WITH LIMITED CAPACITY
CALL FOR RESERVATIONS
AMENITIES
PROHIBITIONS
SAFETY
LEAVE NO TRACE
Pack it in, Pack it out.
Take any trash you make with you.
Leave What You Find.
Allow others a sense of discovery by leaving rocks, plants, archaeological artifacts and other objects of interest as you find them.
Respect Wildlife.
Learn about wildlife through quiet observation. Do not disturb wildlife or plants just for a “better look.” Observe wildlife from a distance so they are not scared or forced to flee.
Be Considerate of Others.
One of the most important components of outdoor ethics is to maintain courtesy toward other visitors. It helps everyone enjoy their outdoor experience.
Principles courtesy of Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics.
RESOURCES
FREE CAMPING &
INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMS
Spend the night under the stars in Whitewater Canyon or join our staff for free education programs.
Camping is offered at a limited capacity.
CONSERVATION OUTCOMES
The Wildlands Conservancy’s acquisition included 1,280 acres that had been subdivided into 40-acre parcels deep inside the San Gorgonio Wilderness. Roads to the subdivision have been removed and the integrity of the wilderness has been restored. Wildlands also purchased the 40,032-acre BLM range allotment as a means to retire all cattle grazing in the Whitewater Watershed. Through years of The Wildlands Conservancy’s stewardship, the Whitewater River was transformed from black water cattle wallows into crystal clear waters.
Other restoration projects involved removing 19 neglected houses and commercial structures, along with non-native diseased elm trees that composed the former trout farm. The footprint of the former trout farm is now restored with mature native sycamores, cottonwoods, flowering ash, alders, narrow-leaved willows, native shrubs and wetland species.