We’ve been spending so much time in the desert recently that we’re always on the lookout for new (COVID-friendly) places to explore. After a quick search we landed on Whitewater Canyon, a quick 15-minute drive from Palm Springs.

Our first trip to Whitewater was a bit of a bust as I’m a rule follower by nature and couldn’t ignore all the “CLOSED” signs along the road as we drove through the canyon. We pulled over along the river and walked around for a few minutes but then I couldn’t handle the stress of getting into trouble so we left (sorry Husband, Daughter and In-laws!). So naturally I reached out on Instagram to get some more info and they confirmed that there are still open for exploring but the visitor center and parking lots were closed. Feeling empowered to return (and obviously prepared to defend our visit to any cops that tried to stop us - only somewhat kidding lol) we went back a few days later.

We drove farther into the canyon the second time and parked along the side of the road where we saw other cars and there was easy access to the river. It does say there is a visitor center but we couldn’t see it so the road must go even deeper into the canyon from there. Maybe we’ll check that out next time!

There were a handful of people but everything is super spread out so it would likely never feel very crowded. Some people came with full setups like little sun shelters and chairs but to us it was more of a “walk in the river, throw some rocks and head home” type of expedition. And before any of you drive there I have to explain that although this is a “river” it was never deeper than my knees so don’t go thinking it’s a beautiful fishing river like you’d find elsewhere (aka not in the middle of the scorching desert).

We all had a really great time exploring. It’s very rocky but you can still walk quite a ways so we wandered about 15 minutes down stream stopping to pick up random rocks and throw muddy sand. It was really the perfect way to spend a few hours in the desert when it’s hot and you’re looking to explore a little further out of the normal Palm Springs routine.

Here are a few tips for you.

This is obvious, but wear a lot of sunscreen, wear a hat and bring plenty of water. The heat in the desert really sneaks up on you and since there was a cool-ish breeze and the water was freezing. I lost sense of the true temperature and ended up totally overheating after two hours.
Wear water shoes if you have them. There were some kids just walking around and playing in the rocky river but my sensitive city feet need sandals for this type of off-roading.
Check their Instagram or website before you go. I have a feeling the “closed” signs are always up but if you’re a Nervous Nelly like me you’ll probably feel better confirming before you go.