After we left Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and started heading back to Los Angeles, we decided to make a pit stop at Whitewater Preserve. I’ve been by this area many times on our way to and from Joshua Tree, but never made a point to stop even though I’ve always been curious. Today we decided to check it out. I’m so glad we did! It’s incredibly beautiful and the flowing river is amazing. You wouldn’t think there’s be water like this flowing in a desert. Whitewater Preserve is also part of the Sand to Snow National Monument and it is another wildlife corridor between the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains. Another birding hot spot, its wetlands attract more then 216 bird species. The preserve also has a population of bear, bighorn sheep and deer. As we hiked along the trail towards the river access, I heard plenty of frogs too. The wind was really kicking up by this time of day and the passing storm clouds coming from the direction of Mt. San Jacinto was causing some light rain showers. You’ll notice the rain spots on my camera lens in the photos. While I didn’t have time to do a proper hike today, Whitewater Preserve is definitely on my list to return. I highly recommend exploring this incredibly unique area.
Today we headed back to Griffith Park again and this time accessed the trails from the north side. We didn’t have to get up as early to beat the crowds today, and we had much more solitude coming up from this direction. We took the Skyline Trail to the Mineral Wells Trail. From there we followed it all they way to the Bee Rock Trail. What an interesting spectacle Bee Rock is from below! We made our way up the steep single track to the top of the Bee Rock where the views, even though fenced in, were excellent! From Bee Rock we hiked a short distance on Vista Del Valle and then picked up the North Trail. From the North Trail we connected back to Mineral Wells and then back to the Skyline Trail in a lollipop loop. I have to admit I really underestimated Griffith Park. It has a very extensive trail system, and there’s a hike for ever level. You can make a whole day out of it or just a few hours if you so choose. The only problem we ran into was that there are many use trails throughout the park, so it can get confusing as to which one to take. I found myself referring to my map quite a bit. At the end of our hike, we both agreed we are very lucky to have this wonderful park within a few minutes drive from our home. We’ll definitely be coming here more often in the future.
