Whitewater Preserve visitors should be aware that the Preserve’s paved parking lot is now limited to just the bridge crossing area.
The Preserve says that the overcrowding of parked cars and recreating families has led to multiple safety hazards for visitors, including blind spots for motorists and pedestrians, increased chance for heat related illness, and increased fire danger.
As always, the main paved parking lot will open daily at 8:00AM. On weekend days that lot can often fill up before 9:30. With space limited at the bridge crossing, it is important to remember that parking outside of the Preserve’s designated areas is a violation of the summertime Riverside County/BLM Fire Closure Orders. A car parking on the side of the road or in other non-designated areas runs the risk of sparking a fire from hot exhaust pipes and dry grass – a bad combination. It can also net you a hefty ticket.
