Whitewater Preserve

9160 Whitewater Canyon Rd, Whitewater, CA 92282

Hours:

• Monday-Sunday (8 AM-5 PM)

Overview

Whitewater Preserve is a phenomenal recreation area located about 30 minutes from Palm Springs, just a short drive down Whitewater Canyon Road, just off of Highway 10. While tourists visiting Palm Springs or Joshua Tree will typically blow by Whitewater Preserve on their way to the more popular destinations, the park is however, incredibly popular with nearby locals from Desert Hot Springs and other nearby communities, especially on the horridly hot days of summer. Families often flock here to soak in the shallow wading pool or to access the river as a reprieve from the extreme heat. Mission Creek Preserve and Big Morongo Canyon Preserve along with 23 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail have joined The Whitewater Preserve in making up a portion of the newly cemented Sand to Snow National Monument.

The grounds at Whitewater Preserve are absolutely beautiful and simply parking in the parking area can make for a relaxing visit. Just past the parking area and ranger station are the gorgeous fish ponds (old Trout Farm). Although there is no swimming allowed in these ponds, a visit here would not be complete without walking the short trail past the striking ponds.

There are a handful of great hiking opportunities here as well, with the PCT junction being less than a mile from the preserve. Through hikers traveling from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail can often be spotted here in the early summer and it can be a lot of fun to chat with them and hear their stories. The Whitewater Preserve is an area that may not get the fan fare that Joshua Tree or Palm Springs does, but should absolutely not be overlooked. This is a spectacular preserve that visitors of all ages are sure to love.

Hiking Trails and Areas at Whitewater Preserve

Wading Pond

• Located directly behind the parking lot, across the street from the ranger station. Amazing Wading Pond great for toddlers and smaller children.

Whitewater River Access

• .25 mile out and back. Trail continues from the wading pool and leads to multiple river access areas.

Nature Trail to Fish Ponds

• .2 miles out and back. Short paved trail follows along the beautiful fish ponds. Trail starts just in front of the ranger station.

PCT Junction

• .5 mile one way – A short walk from the wading pond will bring visitors to the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail. From here multiple trails can be followed along or away from the PCT.

Canyon View Loop

• 3.75 mile loop – Hikers can start from the trail just past the wading pool or from the far parking lot. For those not wanting a long hike, a short stroll from the far parking lot leads towards the Whitewater River and makes for a nice walk.

Red Dome via Pacific Crest Trail

• 4.25 miles out and back – One of the more popular hikes inside the preserve. The trail starts just past the wading pool and intersects the Pacific Crest Trail.

Stone House at Mission Creek Preserve

• 6.5 miles one way – This is a bit of a longer trail and the better option might just to be make the 20 minute drive down the road to the Mission Creek Preserve, which is also part of the Sand to Snow National Monument. Once at the Mission Creek Preserve, visitors can park at the gate and make the short but scenic hike along a 3 mile out and back trail to the Stone House.

Scout’s Story

My wife and I have driven along Highway 10 towards Joshua Tree more times than I could possibly count, with the goal of reaching the National Park and with no knowledge of the beauty that lied just off the highway in The Whitewater Preserve. We had somehow driven by here for years with no idea that the preserve existed and subsequently had never had the pleasure of visiting.

In April of 2023, our family once again set out for Joshua Tree National Park. Our daughter, Scout, was now almost 2 and had been battling stage 4 cancer for nearly a year. We had just recently been informed that Scout was finally approved for tumor resection surgery and would undergo a nearly 10 hour procedure to hopefully rid her of the malignant, cancerous tumors inside her body, in a matter of weeks. We decided to take a short two day trip to Joshua Tree to enjoy some outdoor time with Scout before being relegated to a few weeks of living in the hospital.

Visiting Whitewater Preserve

Unfortunately, after we arrived at Joshua Tree, we realized that we had left our park pass at home and didn’t want to pay the additional day fee to get into the park. However, this ended up being a blessing in disguise. We drove to Black Rock Campground and hiked a little there while looking for new things to do in the area. Finally, I stumbled upon Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and Whitewater Preserve. We made a plan to visit both of these areas the next day and boy, were we happy things worked out this way. Both of these preserves, which now make up the Sand to Snow National Monument, are absolutely amazing and we were blown away. I couldn’t believe that we had been so close to these places so many times and somehow had never heard of them or visited them.

Arriving at Whitewater Preserve

After visiting Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, we made the hour drive to Whitewater Preserve. The drive down Whitewater Canyon Road was exceptional. The Whitewater River was ever present to our side and wildflowers were blooming everywhere in sight along the roadside.

After a short drive we arrived at the small parking area adjacent to the ranger station. The scenery here is so beautiful and I felt so at peace, even just sitting in the car and looking out on the preserve.

We elected to walk towards the back parking lot and take a short walk along the Canyon View Loop. We crossed a small wooden bridge and then followed along the main trail.

Scout collected rocks as we ventured along and she was so ecstatic to be outside. I made my way up a short hill and we all meandered over towards the Whitewater River. It had been a heavy snow pack year and the snow melt had just begun. The river was raging so we just watched from a safe distance. After a short while we decided to head back and check out the fish ponds.

Visiting the Fish Ponds

We followed the short, paved trail from the ranger station around the fish ponds. The colors that exuded from the ponds were striking and the rock faces from the cliffs behind were dramatic.

This is such a cool area to check out and I was once again blown away. We spent quite some time here and every ounce of me didn’t want to leave.

The funny part of this trip was that it was so Ill planned that I had no idea that the wading pool existed. We somehow ended up departing the preserve without ever visiting the wading pool. This preserve felt so special though and I knew we would be back.

Visiting the Wading Pool at Whitewater Preserve

Over a year after our first visit, we would finally be making our way back towards the Whitewater Preserve. Scout had just turned 3 and her cancer has now been in remission for exactly one year. We would be making a trip to the House of Hope in La Quinta to spend a few days celebrating these two incredibly important dates. I figured there couldn’t be a better way to start the trip than to spend the morning at The Whitewater Preserve.

We arrived to nearly perfect, albeit a bit hot, weather at the preserve. Now knowing that a wading pool existed here, we crossed the street from the parking lot and let Scout wade in the pond for some time.

The water was a bit chilly but offered a great relief to the warm weather. I was a bit surprised that nobody else was stopping to dip their feet in. Scout collected rocks and leaves to bring into the water with her as she joyfully splashed around.

We had such a great time letting Scout explore the wading pond and spent over an hour here. The preserve has such a relaxing feel and just being here put us at such peace. Before leaving we made our way over to the stunning fish ponds to take in the short trail. It was such a pleasure to be back at The Whitewater Preserve.

Visiting the Whitewater River

We, once again, had such an amazing time here, that a few days later, on the way home from the House of Hope, we decided to stop back in on the way home. Again, we let Scout splash around in the wading pool before making our way down the short path to the river access. The flow on the river was just right and we found a couple small swimming holes to relax in. Like always, Scout collected some rocks and then made her way into the river with her mom and I.

The river offers such a great setting with the San Bernadino Mountains adding a stunning backdrop. We spent nearly an hour here before deciding we needed to start the drive back home. My heart hurt as I felt so at peace and the last thing that I wanted to do was leave. My wife reminded me to be happy for this experience and to focus on the positives.

Once back at the car, we decided to prolong our trip home and have a little picnic in the beautiful parking area while interacting with another, incredible visitor. This was such a special day and Whitewater Preserve has become one of my favorite places to visit to reconnect with the outdoors.

Getting to Whitewater Preserve

9160 Whitewater Canyon Rd, Whitewater, CA 92282

Notes, Questions and Thoughts

Is Whitewater Preserve a fee area?

• No, there are no fees to visit or park at Whitewater Preserve

Are there restrooms at Whitewater Preserve?

• Yes, there are very nice flush toilets restrooms, located directly behind the parking area.

Are dogs allowed at Whitewater Preserve?

• Dogs are allowed but must be leashed and kept in control at all times. Please pick up and properly dispose of all animal waste.

Please recreate responsibly. Respect hikers and all visitors and wildlife. Help make everyone’s experience better by keeping the nature experience as authentic as possible. Leave no trace and pack out everything that you pack in. Please remember that we are visitors and stewards of these special places. Help keep these places as wild as possible while not diminishing the outdoor experience of others.