This was approximately a 5 mile round trip hike (+0.5 miles if you're walking from the Big Bear…read moreDiscovery Center parking lot). I wouldn't say it's an easy hike, but more moderate/intermediate with slight incline. Just my personal opinion, I don't think you have to walk further up to Bertha Peak for "better" views. The views at the top of Cougar Crest Trail are already quite spectacular.

Cougar? My kind of trail. We brought our bikes and did a nice route on here. You can tell who are…read morethe novice bikers on the road. Trail isnt that hard and was a nice treat while in town.

First, on a Sunday afternoon at the end of October, no parking by noon. My second reason for…read moreremoving a star is that the "female" restroom was out of order, the "male" restroom didn't have a trash can (which I understand, partly, being in the forest). But why have a girls and boys restroom, why not just two bathrooms. And the last reason I kept a star, only one trash reciprocal in the entire parking lot. I believe we should continue to encourage Visitors to "pack it in, pack it out" plus some. How do we do that if we expect then to put it in their car and take it with them? Trailhead has a very descriptive sign, provides lots of good information. Trail is 6.4 miles, 1,174 altitude gain (out/back), dogs allowed on lead, near Fawnskin. This trail offers AMAZING views of Big Bear Lake, bikes also share the trail. (Dog bags provided at trailhead, pls pick up after yourself, and your doggie;) There's so much to explore, get up, and get out there.

A nice escape, I think it's probably less-trafficked because it's on the North Shore (away from the…read moremain crowds) and a bit away from the Discovery Center. At the top is a rock outcropping where you can get a good view of the lake, albeit partially obstructed. I saw a cinnamon-furred black bear near the top the last time I hiked (June 27, 2017 around 6:15pm), so be on the lookout, keep your distance, and make your presence know (I stomped my feet, and he took notice and slowly went about his business in a different direction than where I was). July 13, 2017: did an evening hike and saw 2 deer, along with a pair of yellow eyes and green eyes (more deer?) at night, and three scorpions along the trail. You will need an Adventure Pass to park in the lot, but alternatively you can park along the road (a good spot is by the Eagle habitat warning sign).

Amazing hike about 2 hours if you have small kids. Beautiful trees really woody…read more It's a round trip loop with the map posted in the middle

Great short hike, about 2 miles round trip, easy to moderate trail, beautiful trees, serene views,…read morepeaceful, and not busy. Stayed at an Airbnb close by and my kids wanted to explore the outdoors. Found this trail and it was prefect for what we were looking for. My 8 year olds enjoyed the view from the top, saw squirrels and birds, and only got tired towards the end. There is a dirt path and signs posted making it easy to follow. There were lots of trees providing shade and a cool feel. There were a few areas (stumps/down trees/rocks) to sit and rest at and some inclines, but nothing too strenuous or steep. It was very quiet and peaceful, and it felt like we were the only ones out there. Although we ran into 3 couples during our hike, we had the trail pretty much to ourselves. There is limited parking, but we were able to park along the curb and didn't have an issue. Worth checking out if you're in the area.

Definitely a better view of Big Bear Lake at Cougar Crest Trail than at Castle Rock Trail…read more Bertha Peak was about 7 miles round trip and took me a little over 3 hours to complete. The trail gets very rocky and there are some steep inclines in the last mile to the top. I personally wouldn't recommend Bertha Peak and would suggest doing the Cougar Crest Trail instead which was around 5.3 miles round trip (same exact trail to the peak). There was not a view at the peak that was any different from what you could see at lower elevation. If you want to torture yourself, go for that extra mileage to the peak.

I reach Bertha Peak by starting at the Cougar Crest Trail head then connect to the Pacific Crest…read moretrail! The view from up there is amazing! Bring a warm jacket because it gets cold up here along with plenty of water and snacks for the much needed pick-me-up. I came up here during March and it was still fairly cold up there. Don't forget to pay for parking at the bottom of the mountain! You can buy a day pass for $5 at the discovery center. OR if you're cheap like me, you can park at the center for free and walk the extra 0.5 miles to the cougar crest trail head. But remember the center closes around 4:30 so be back before then to get your car! Be safe and have fun! :]

Awesome scenic trail overlooking Big Bear Lake. About an hour loop at an easy difficulty, this was…read morethe perfect way to start our Saturday morning. Views were stunning and was super low traffic for a holiday weekend. Definitely recommend.

Woodland interpretive trail is a beautiful scenic hike right next to the Big Bear Lake. It's free…read moreadmission which is a big plus. I would say it's an immediate level of hiking difficulty as there are several hills going up and down. The trail takes about an hour to loop around. There are breathtaking viewpoints to admire and take pictures. We went during the winter when there was some snow. I recommend you wear good hiking or snow boots with good grip as it can get slippery and muddy. There is a parking lot at the entrance but you have to pay for a parking pass at the kiosk. We ended up parking on the street before the entrance which was free. Definitely recommend this for all visitors looking for great views and to connect with nature.

Good, short trail near the city. Online reviews suggest that the trail has fall colors, but it does…read morenot. One end is on Clubview. The other end is at Poplar and Willow in a residential area with no parking; park on Clubview and walk along Willow to the trailhead

Trail is easy to access and easy to walk, no steep inclines, surroundings of course are beautiful.read more

Great dog friendly walk that leads to additional trails. The main paved area is a very short…read morehike(0.2 miles), but you continue on an unpaved trail which gets quite steep. Both the paved and dirt trail are pretty well shaded

Happy Hills Trail is one of 3 trails maintained by Big Bear City within City limits, along with…read more Knickerbocker Trail and Rathbun Creek Trail. It opened 7 years ago in 2017, and is a paved .2 mile trail (.4 miles out and back). The trailhead is at the northwest end of the Civic Center parking lot. It runs along a creek, and there are several picnic areas and a restroom. The end of the paved trail connects to the Pine Knot and Cabin 89 (semi-groomed but unpaved) trails with elevation gains and huge boulders. We have been wanting to check it out, so came by today on a sunny, brisk autumn morning. They were having a free nature inspired Halloween yoga event for little kids this morning - so sweet! The Pine Knot and Cabin 89 trails were closed now (Oct. '24) due to the Line Fire, but very nice walk!

We have a place at Snow Summit that backs right up to the trail. It's a beautiful way you can start…read morethe day and go into town for breakfast. At 8am on a Saturday in July it was very quiet and gorgeous views, not too hot yet. I saw just a handful of hikers. I had been warned about the number of bikers whizzing by. On my way back at 10:30 there were indeed loads of bikers headed to snow summit. I have to say though, without exception, they all were gracious and said good morning and alerted me they were approaching. In turn I politely stepped to the side. It's all about sharing the road or trail and maybe go out early to avoid bikes. On another visit my husband and I took our French Mastiff for an evening walk and had him off leash. BAD idea! First of all evening is feeding time for lots of wildlife. Second, we didn't have him on leash. At one point we couldn't see him and called out. From around a bush comes our dog flanked by two female wolves three inches taller than him. We were able to coerce him away and get him on leash but it was a super scary situation. If he had been a small dog I'm not sure what would have happened.

Easy access to this trail. We went from the end of Summit…read moreBlvd passing by the back of Snow Summit Townhouse Rentals. But from the other direction trailhead is at the junction of Forest Ranger Rd and 2N08 2.8 mile out and back. 300+ ft elevation. So little up/down hills. You can see Big Bear Lake at one point of the trail. Came during the fall after a small snowfall. Note: there may be some bikers on this trail as it converges with the bottom of a mountain biking only path.