560 Miles of Trails
One of the best places to lace up a pair of hiking boots and strap on a day-pack is the San Bernardino National Forest. This is one of the oldest national forests in the United States, having been given special designation more than 100 years ago. It became the San Bernardino National Forest in 1907.
Today, the San Bernardino National Forest is a year-round recreation destination covering 679,380 acres. Two Wilderness areas within the forest include 11,800 acres at Bighorn Mountain and 56,722 acres that encompass the San Gorgonio Wilderness.
The San Bernardino National Forest has 414 miles of nonmotorized trails within its boundaries, plus 160 miles of the famous Pacific Crest Trail.
Fall is the perfect time to get back to nature in Big Bear. The leaves are turning to fall colors. With fewer people on the trails, the wildlife seems more evident. Hikers may catch a glimpse of white pelicans, great blue herons, bald eagles, egrets, raccoons, quail, deer, and possibly a black bear.
For the more adventurous, hike the Cougar Crest Trail, Gold Mountain near Baldwin Lake, Sugarloaf Mountain, Castle Rock near the Big Bear Lake Dam, and Delamar Peak and Grays Peak in Fawnskin. On the south shore of the Lake, hike Big Bear’s newest trail, the Skyline Trail, offering scenic views of the San Gorgonio Wilderness.
Outings Activities Expanded to Focus on Families
The Big Bear Group has expanded its hiking and backpacking activities to include teenagers and adolescents and their parents so they may jointly experience the great outdoors. Selected hike leaders will lead Family Outings of varying difficulty as well as over-night backpacking trips. Our goal is to get young families to learn the proper methods of safe hiking, camping, and the importance of wilderness conservation.
All outings will be led by certified Sierra Club Hike Leaders, all trained in the use of emergency Red Cross First Aid.
Outings Expanded to include Canoes, Kayaks, and Paddle Boards
In 2016, our Outings Program was expanded to include canoeing, kayaking, and paddle board water sports. Excursions were scheduled on Big Bear Lake in 2016. In the future, surrounding lakes, and other water ways such as Newport Harbor may be scheduled. These activities are fair weather events, so the summer months are the busiest. These activities are open to families to participate.
Group safety training will be scheduled for beginners in the early summer months.
2016 events will include:
- Monthly scheduled outings
- July Paddle Fest Event with 5k, 10k, and 20k events and prizes
- Evening Moonlight water activities
Rental equipment is available through local Big Bear merchants.
Scheduled water adventure trips are listed below Scheduled Hiking events.