Whitewater Preserve

SO long as your vehicle is 20 ft or less, you can camp here free, 3 nights a month. They do survive on, and appreciate donations though. Trout are protected, so no fishing. They do have a wading pond to cool off in. Trash must be packed out if not camping overnight. NO CELL coverage!

Really gorgeous day use area and friendly staff. You can camp here for free up to 9 days but they only have parking spots and a field for tent campers with picnic tables. No alcohol allowed. No cell service. Gate locks at 5 so don’t arrive past 4:30 and make reservations if weekend or peak season. 30 minute drive to Downtown Palm Springs. Again, they don’t alllow rigs bigger than 18 feet!

Tried to access this site but the sign said the Whitewater Preserve was closed. We had to go somewhere else.

Drove two hours with little money and it was closed.

We camped here back in 2019. It was a long drive to get out there. There are several day-hikes available, PCT 1/2 mile away, running water nearby, stale smelly water lingering, it’s free, but overnight camping is on the parking lot only.
Not allowed: generators, smoking, alcohol, any rig over 20 feet.
Locked gates 5pm-8am (if you’re staying, they’ll give you the code), zero cell service but clean, flushing toilets with soap and paper towels. Overall, we wouldn’t be back.

The Whitewater preserve is a small oasis off I 10. Between Cabazon and Palm Springs. You can stay up to 3 nights. Camping in a tent, car or RV are allowed, call ahead to make a reservation. People interested in birds, native plants, hiking, relaxing will love it. There are often community classes throughout the week.
Only negative- no cell phone service. No fires. There are excellent toilets, water, and lots of picnic tables. Great place for families.
Pets allowed on leash.

This place is awesome for a quiet night stay. Absolutely no cell service on AT&T or Verizon. Must arrive by 4:15pm and call ahead so they know to expect you. We rolled in at 4:59pm, right before they locked the gate, but the rangers we kind enough to get us checked in.

Restrooms were available all night and two water spigots. The trails were well marked and a nice bonus to the free stay.

We arrived at Whitewater Canyon Preserve about an hour and a half before they close the gate for the evening. The staff person at the desk couldn’t have been nicer - explaining about the preserve and where we would camp. We had called in advance but found out there phones have been down. Thankfully there was room for us! Parking on asphalt, mostly level, phenomenal views. Spoke to a ranger about hiking the next day and got a great tip for the morning hike (we did the canyon loop 3.5 mike trail). I kept commenting on the hike about how well maintained and marked the trail was. So happy with our experience camping and enjoying this gem.
There is a Ranger/Manager on site (private residence) and the gate closes at 5:00 - we were given a code to the gate if we wanted to come & go after closing.
Zero cell . WiFi coverage. Maybe with Starlink which we don’t have. But it was so peaceful!
Flush toilets on site and potable water for filling bottles. No other services. We’ll suited to our Class B Camper Van. We had a great stay!