Visitors to Bonita Falls and Lytle Creek soon to benefit from new day use site

With a name like Bonita (Spanish for beautiful), the waterfalls were going to get a lot of attention. They do and they don’t disappoint. The locals know it and so do many others from around Southern California, who visit this natural feature in the Front Country Ranger District of the San Bernardino National Forest.

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Bonita Falls are slim, cascade year-round, and offer an escape from one of the most urbanized areas of California just a few miles away. They do require visitors to hike through a field of river rock, avoid poison oak and march uphill to eventually reach the lower fall and its pool. Regardless, it attracts many, who end up parking on the shoulder of Lytle Creek Road before making the trek to the attraction. Some folks don’t even make it that far; many stop at Lytle Creek, which appears just off the road and offers rushing, cool water year-round as well.

Around mid-year, visitors will be able to use the new Bonita Falls Day Use Site on their way to the creek or the falls. At the new recreation site, they will have the opportunity to park on a paved lot, have access to three vault toilets, get updates at an informational kiosk and utilize an accessible paved path to the banks of the creek. The new amenities will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The idea for this new recreational site has been around for a while. And now it’s been made possible through an influx of federal government funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Great American Outdoors Act, according to Josh Direen, Forest Engineer.

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Direen explained that the new features will benefit not only the public, but also the staff of the district. The district has been using portable restrooms and trash dumpsters in the recreation area. Also, during heavy use, many visitors were parking vehicles on the shoulders of Lytle Creek Road and there were times it was challenging for emergency services to move through the area.

Jeff Cole, a resident of Lytle Creek (an unincorporated community in the Lytle Creek Canyon), said that the new day-use site is a wonderful addition. He said the parking area will make it safer for visitors, as the lot will keep pedestrians away from the shoulder of the narrow road.

The construction of the day-use site is moving along briskly and is estimated to be finished by the end of May. Luisa Bannister, Facilities Engineer for the forest, credited good weather and the contractor, Empire Equipment Service of Riverside, Calif., for working expeditiously.

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“A largely mild winter and an early start to the project really got the ball rolling, but an experienced contractor has really been a great help,” Bannister said. “The ability to harvest all of the required rock from the site and not have to wait on imported product has also increased tempo and fiscal efficiency.”

Casey Harrison, quality control manager with Empire Equipment Service, has been overseeing his company as workers: graded the ground; constructed an embankment with river rock; shored the slopes with grout; dug pits for the vault toilets and installed the restrooms; installed railings on the road’s shoulder; created the ADA path, and; paved and striped the parking lot.

Harrison’s company has been contracted by the USDA Forest Service for various projects.

“Our repeated contracts indicate that we consistently meet the Forest Service's standards and requirements, delivering quality work on time,” Harrison said. “This reliability is crucial in government contracts where adherence to schedules and specifications is paramount.”

Harrison stated that alignment with the Forest Service’s goals of conservation and public service is important for his employer. He also remarked that by providing job opportunities to local residents, his company can contribute significantly to the local economy.

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In addition, Harrison said that ongoing relationships with the Forest Service and others require effective communication and the ability to solve problems as they arise. This indicates that his company can manage and adapt to the complexities of large-scale or long-term projects.

Bannister, who has monitored the construction site, also commended the collaboration amongst agencies and the forest.

“This project and the rest of the Lytle Creek Corridor Plan has been a goal of the entire partnership of the localities and the Forest Service,” Bannister said. “Once the work got started, we have enjoyed a continuous collaboration with San Bernardino County to coordinate the highly complex issue of a Forest Service project encroaching on a county road … along with other special use issues with the local utility providers.”

By summer, the public will start reaping the benefits of the new day-use site to continue enjoying Lytle Creek and the ever-popular water falls that live up to its name of Bonita.

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