It’s Summertime at the California Desert Preserves

When summer temperatures rise, Whitewater River is a great spot to cool off and enjoy the season with friends and family. But summer temperatures also mean fire season. To minimize fire potential during these hot, dry months, the Bureau of Land Management and CALFIRE place a Fire Prevention Order on the public lands within Whitewater Canyon, which prohibits parking alongside the road and accessing the river from these areas.

When this order is in place The Wildlands Conservancy’s Whitewater Preserve is the only place in the canyon with recreational river access. As you enjoy river from the Preserve, it’s important to keep in mind that we are all stewards of the land. This means following Leave No Trace principles, including packing out what you pack in; there are no trash cans at the preserve. Leaving trash along the river causes pollution and can greatly affect the sensitive balance of our aquatic species as well as our wildlife, not to mention that it detracts from the natural Beauty of the Preserve and surrounding landscape.

Photo by Jack Thompson / The Wildlands Conservancy

If you’re planning a visit to Whitewater Preserve this summer, remember to check the weather forecast and our Facebook, Instagram, or website for possible preserve closures. Summer monsoons in combination with lasting damage from severe wildfires in 2020, create the potential for dangerous flash flood events at Whitewater Preserve. Check out this blog post for more information and tips for summer safety in the outdoors.

Don’t forget to join us and our community partners in celebrating Latino Conservation Week (LCW) from July 16 to 24. You can learn more about LCW here, or check out or events calendar to register for free activities.

Latino Conservation Week wraps up staff-led programming for the summer, but you can experience Whitewater Preserve through our Trail Exploration Programs. Stop by our Naturalist table Sundays, between 9 am and 1 pm, to borrow exploration supplies, stamp your Wildlands Passport, ask our Naturalists questions and talk to our team about The Wildlands Conservancy’s 23 locations on the West Coast.

Whitewater Preserve welcomes you to enjoy the Beauty of the preserve and the cool waters of the river everyday from 8 am to 5 pm, free of charge. If you want to get a hike in during the cooler hours of the early morning or evening, Mission Creek and Pioneertown Mountains Preserves are open daily from sunrise to sunset.

We look forward to seeing you at one of our California Desert Preserves this summer!

Happy Trails,

- The Wildlands Conservancy’s California Desert Preserves Team