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Map Satellite In this canyon, varying in width, flanked by steep slopes on the west and moderate slopes on the east, montane and desert species meet. Vegetation is a mixture of desert wash, desert slope and riparian communities with some mountain species extending into the canyon. Desert bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis nelsoni, are occasional in the upper reaches of the canyon. There is a rich and varied herptile fauna including the Pacific and California treefrogs, Hyla regilla and Hyla californiae, the mountain yellow-legged frog, Rana muscosa, the western toad, Bufo boreas, as well as a number of snake and lizard species. The San Gorgonio cutthroat trout, Salmo clarki euermanni, was probably found in the headwaters of the Whitewater River but is probably extinct. The floor of the canyon is recent alluvium and it is bordered by Miocene non-marine sedimentaries. The Whitewater River drains the easterly slopes of San Gorgonio Peak and flows permanently in much of the canyon, disappearing underground in the boulder-strewn lower reaches where it reaches the desert. Integrity: A paved road, a dirt road, homes, some quarrying and a trout hatchery have disturbed portions of the area but the main threat to the fauna is over-collecting. Use: Research, education May 1975
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
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