Explore the most popular trails near Big Bear Lake with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.
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Lavien S. on Castle Rock Trail
Definitely not an easy hike but it is do-able if you take your time. Towards the end you have to do a little ‘rock climbing’ to get to the top of castle rock but the view is well worth it! I found a long hiking stick up there and it helped me be stable while coming back down. I got a little lost coming down like some people said because the trail isn’t marked well but if something looks like a path it should take you back down. Hopefully haha
Good hike! The beginning it starts off pretty steep but levels out (yet still climbing up) towards the middle. Around this area it opens up a bit, and it’s not marked great for directions, but no to hard to figure out how to get back on trail! Beautiful view at the top of castle rock :)
Michael E. on Pine Knot Trail to Grand View Point
Very pretty path, easy to follow and frequently marked with blue diamonds. Trail had plenty of shade yet was open so you could see clearly. The marked section stops short of grand view point - it ends where the seven oaks and skyline trails intersect. Continue the extra 1/4-mile:m to the view point itself. The trail was relatively busy with hikers and bikers, but you can also drive up there and several of the people we met had actually done so. You need to display an adventure pass while irked at the trail head. We measured the path at just over 7 miles (including the 1/2-mile out and back to grand view) and it took as about 3 hrs, 40 mins
Great hike! Beautiful views from the top. It’s pretty much all up hill so be prepared but it’s worth it.
Great hike and beautiful views at the top!
Excellent trail to see the fall colors. Worth it to the top for the view of the valley below and mountain range. Lots of cyclists. Can get very crowded and noisy though. Bring plenty of water and a map as the trail forks several times.
Excellent view at the top but lacks proper trail path. Climbing to the top of the rocks can be bit problematic for people who are not accustomed to rock climbing.
Dawn H. on Pine Knot Trail to Grand View Point
Started this trail at 8 am on a Thursday and had it to myself! It wasn’t an extremely steep trail with lots of ups and downs with a super nice views at the end!
After reading reviews about this trail, I decided to head up the mountain this morning to make this my first solo hike. The directions are spot on and take you right to the start of the trail head. No adventure parking pass needed. I’m not the most out of shape person, but the first half mile is uphill and will get your heart pumping but it definitely pays off. There is a beautiful lookout of the lake about half way through the trail. The trail was well kept and tons of signage to keep you on course. I got up there around 10am and there were only a handful of people on the trail. There was definitely more traffic on my way down, so I recommend getting here early. Will definitely be doing this again!
Gorgeous trail. A perfect late afternoon hike. The view from Grandview Point is incredible and even better at sunset.
Great views! The trail is not clearly marked so make sure you don’t get off track. Definitely do not try and bring a stroller or a small one who can’t climb. In order to reach the top, be prepared to climb. Phenomenal views at the top!
Lulu H. on Castle Rock Trail
Went earlier this morning and we all loved it. It’s a little hard at times some steep hills, but they say the best view is after the hardest hike, and this view was amazing!
not for the faint of heart! steep but short, gorgeous views from the top!
Took the whole family including a 6 year old and 9 year old. We have not been actively hiking lately and this was a great trek. The first 1/4 mile is pretty much a straight up incline and at 7000 ft elevation you feel it. After that it was a great day and found a nice picnic spot near the lake.
nice uphill hike. small climb to the top with nice lookout of lake
This trail is pretty hard going up. Park in the Snow Summit lot and find the trail map. The trail starts to the left of the main mountain bike runs. The trail is very well marked once you get started.
Great hike and beautiful views! The trail gets more difficult to follow half way up.
This hike checked off almost all the boxes:
° Gorgeous Trail Views
° Climactic Destination
° Plenty of Shade
° Dog-friendly
° Good mileage and elevation
° Well maintained and clearly marked
° Breezy
° Green
° Peaceful
Definitely worth a repeat hike, even for backpacking to the Pine Knot campground to explore more trails, or taking a sunset hike.
this hike is long, but has equivalent elevation gain to nearby hikes and so is actually a fairly mild hike. there is very little steep climb, and the views at the end are gorgeous! and to clarify, it's ~6.5mi round trip (despite being out-and-back). trail markers aren't super clear, so make sure you reference a map and don't end up on the fire roads and down the wrong trail!
with many breaks and pauses for photos, this hike took us about 3.5hrs. perfect hike for dogs!
Beautiful trail. Harder than moderate for me but I’m fresh out of a major back surgery. If you’re in good shape I can see it being a moderate hike. All uphill and lots of boulders and dense forest make it visually spectacular. It’s the most popular hiking trail in Big Bear Lake so it’s crowded on warm weekends. Parking is limited so get there early or go mid week. Also wear good shoes with grip, coming down can get slippery in the gravel and sandy areas.
We did this hike the Tuesday following Memorial Day weekend and it was empty. We started the hike off the trailhead and climbed our way up a hill with some huge boulders on top. From there we climbed up and down a few more hills until we found the wooden steps. We took a short break on the wooden benches and saw a ton of chipmunks and baby squirrels as we dug into some trail mix. From there we kept trekking but soon got lost. This trail is very easy to get lost on, especially with no one around. Luckily we found a few trail signs and managed to make sense of them to reach the top. We definitely made this hike more challenging than it needed to be, but it does get fairly steep at some points. Overall, awesome views and fun to explore!
Nice hike. Pretty much all up hill on the way there. Once you make it to the top, coming down is easy. There was a rattle snake curled up on the side of the trail.
Great views from the peaks of the rocks.
Awesome trail.. I recommend heading up early due to parking and crowds. It has a beautiful view once you hit the top. I would totally do it again.
Great trail for kids! We tried the Towne Trail (which was marked "easy" the day before and the kids didn't make it more then a quarter mile. This trail was 5 miles round trip and had no issues. Beautiful lake scenery. Highly recommended for small kids.
Map ends in the middle of the highway, no trailhead no parking no signs, nothing.
A nice hike with family. Had fun climbing on the rocks!
Great hike, took the entire family, lots of shade
Beautiful view once you get to the top!
Beautiful forest hike. View is spectacular but it needs to be very clear to see the ocean and Catalina. Nice view of San Gorgonio peak. Went at 6am to avoid the mountain bikers.
Cool trail and very peaceful but we were surprised that the grand view point at the end actually faces away from the lake. Was a lot of work (3.3m)! .5 mile or so into the trail has the lake views, we didn’t realize that from all the pictures and assumed they were of the end!