Whitewater Preserve

Whitewater Preserve is 2,851 acres surrounded by the Bureau of Land Management San Gorgonio Wilderness and includes a 241 acre trout farm.



Trout



This little guy was nice enough to pose for us.



Visitor Center-Ranger Station

One of the trout ponds.

The Whitewater Preserve is a gateway into the San Gorgonio Wildnerness.  The Whitewater River begins at the highest point in southern California on the southeastern slopes of Mt. San Gorgonio and ends at the Salton Sea.  The river is fed by rainwater and melted snow.  

We chose to hike the Canyon View Loop Trail that included part of the Pacific Crest Trail.



The trails were well-marked and well-maintained.




On the top of these cliffs were a couple of Penninsular Rams.  We came across a ranger leading a tour who let us look through his telescope to see them.  They were really cool!



After a winding climb we walk along the top.

More beautiful wildflowers.

The Whitewater River



The Ranger Station - way below.

San Jacinto in the distance - the same slope we see out the window at our abode.





Relaxing after a long hike.



Peninsular Bighorn Sheep

Desert bighorn sheep are impressive animals, weighing up to 220 pounds.  They prefer steep, rocky terrain to avoid predators, and their unique concave hooves, which feature a hard outer edge and a soft interior sole, help them grip rocks and navigate sheer cliffs.  They can navigate ledges two inches wide, scramble up steep slopes at 15 mph and jump down 20-foot inclines with grace.  These skills, combined with sharp eyesight and keen hearing, help them avoid their main predators – the mountain lion.

They can survive for weeks or even months without water, deriving all of their moisture from plants in the winter.  Grasses constitute the majority of their diet, but they also eat sedges and cacti.  Both males and females develop horns shortly after birth.  They grow larger each year and annual growth rings indicate the bighorn’s age.  The ewe’s horns never grow past half curl, but the ram’s legendary horns curve up and over the ears in a dramatic C-shaped curl.  Their horns can weigh up to 30 pounds and measure three feet in length.  If the horns start to block peripheral vision they are deliberately broomed (rubbed down) on rocks.

Ewes give birth to lambs in the Spring.  Young bighorns are extremely vulnerable to predation, and only about one-third survive their first year.  Common predators include mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes and golden eagles, which pluck lambs from cliffs and drop them from the air.  YIKES!