First, on a Sunday afternoon at the end of October, no parking by noon. My second reason for removing 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. read more

Gray's Peak Trail - Hiking Near Me - Fawnskin, California

A nice escape, I think it's probably less-trafficked because it's on the North Shore (away from the main 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). read more

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Decided to try out Gray's Peak on a recent trip to Big Bear (Nov. 2017) This certainly is a beautiful area - no question. And on an off-week, my girlfriend and I felt like we had the mountain to ourselves. Didn't encounter any wildlife although we did see some bear poop here and there. What I did not like about the trail is how muddled it all was. There really was no concise trail like I'd hoped. There are many various intersections and at least one actual road (with truck tire tracks). We hiked for nearly 3 hours but never found a memorable end point. Also you have to pay to park in the lot. There are "No Parking" signs on the road all in that area. So if you don't want to pay you have to park a good ways down the highway. Overall this was just a rather forgettable experience. Hills and trees block most the views. There are some rocks to climb but nothing all that interesting or challenging. Definitely the most bland of all the trails I've hiked in Big Bear. read more

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My experience on this trail was pretty awesome. I went midday in the beginning of the off-season (it closes for raptor habitat Dec 1) on a Monday before Thanksgiving. I was weary of tons of bikers and tourists, but I passed just three other folks the entire way. Additionally, I decided to run the trail so I could squeeze in more local sights later in the day. The sandy/gravel nature of this trail and clear cuts made by the bicycle traffic made it extremely user friendly to the trail runner. The distance was just right, the fall setting beautiful with ice, sun, clear views, falling oak leaves. The views are interesting in all directions if filtered at times by large trees. I imagine this trail can get pretty crowded, but I had it all to myself on a perfect day. read more

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A 6.9-mile roundtrip hike with 1150' elevation change to Grays Peak. We walked the sandy trail and sometimes dirt road that is also ideal for non-motorized bikes. With a thin number of trees, the trail is mostly sunny. Despite the lack of trees, limited views of Big Bear Lake existed. Even at the peak, it was hard to find a wide unobstructed sight of the Lake. The boxy boulders along the trail helped to supply visual interest. At the summit, the round plug-shaped rocks with orangish scarlett red circles running through the rock like taffy were unique. The peak is only high enough to see the immediate vicinity like the lake and surrounding valleys but not the San Gabriel Valley or Mojave Desert. The trailhead lot was marked with a large Forest Service sign on the highway, had plenty of parking, a toilet, and picnic tables. Locals and trailhead signs warned of a wide variety of dangerous snakes. Thankfully, we didn't run into any. No bear lockers would indicate bears are not a major issue but we saw another hiker carrying bear spray. A $5 Adventure Pass is needed. See https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/sbnf/recarea/?recid=26369 for details from the Forest Service. read more

Beautiful trail! It was a moderate hike with some incline. The hike is also dog friendly. The views at the top is also beautiful and you can see the lake! There are picnic areas and a restroom at the trailhead. read more

Gray's Peak Trail - Hiking Near Me - Fawnskin, California

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I live about a 90 second drive from the trailhead and can recommend this trail to those with some to moderate experience wanting to get a good look at the different types of plant life in the area as well as those who enjoy some great boulder formations. For those with off-trail experience there's a lot of room to roam. Excellent (safe) night hiking too for those who are in to that. I suggest trying to get up top right around sunset as the light is spectacular with some nice alpenglow on the surrounding peaks. You'll also, more than likely, have the trail to yourself. The trail has been around forever so it's very well groomed (a little sandy in spots), has a moderate incline (mostly rolling) and isn't so long/hard that you're legs are toast when you're done. That said, the trails starts at a shade below 7K and most are going to feel it a bit at the beginning if they're just jumping out of the car and going. What some might consider to be downsides are the fact that there's short sections of fire road walking and not a defined summit that delivers the big views. You can scramble up the hill behind the "summit" via a use path to get better looks west and north. Another option to get to Grays Peak is via either the trail that leaves from Hannah Campground or via Forest Rd. 2N13. This picks up at the (currently closed) gate from Rim of the World from Fawnskin. It's a longer hike with the trail coming roughly 1.5M up the fire road. A really pretty walk up there though as is the trail coming from the north. Keep an eye out for the trail marker to Gray's Peak off 2N70. Note that the trail is closed over the winter and spring to protect the bald eagle habitat. So you can do the locals a solid by not thinking the rules don't apply to you. They do. And while there's a ton of boulders, which are fun to play around on, don't make the mistake of putting your hands anywhere you can't see. Rattlesnakes dig boulders too. Leave No Trace and enjoy. read more

Awesome trail that took about an hour and a half to reach the top. Seen a deer on the way up so there is an opportunity to see wildlife. The parking is closed for the season so we had to park down the road and walk about a quarter mile to the trail. Well with it! read more

Gray's Peak Trail - Hiking Near Me - Fawnskin, California

Went hiking on this trail this past Saturday. Left from Hanna Flats camping lot #49 around 11:30 a.m. and didn't get back till around 5 p.m. Yes we were slow pokes but all in all it was a great trail! Hardly came across any other hikers (just mostly bikers) and the views were spectacular! My phone says the total trail was 12 miles rather than 8 but who knows we might've went off trail a few times but still managed to find our way back to it. HA! It was a moderate type of hike and was definitely worth the trip! Happy hiking! read more

Gray's Peak Trail - Hiking Near Me - Fawnskin, California

One of the best trails I've ever done! Perfect length/incline for a nice easy hike with fantastic views. It's amazing how little people we saw on the trail as well. Started about 9- had the trail to ourselves save for two other couples we passed. read more

Gray's Peak Trail - Hiking Near Me - Fawnskin, California

Awesome hike and moderate. It is exactly 4 miles from the parking lot to the Peak. Total round hike is 8 miles. It is worthy !!! read more

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Beautiful views any a gorgeous hike along the way! Dog friendly as well just keep an eye out for runners & bikers coming down. Can be hit in the summer so bring plenty of water. read more

Great hike - well maintained and generally well marked trail (tho the All Trails app was definitively helpful); gorgeous views along the way, nice diversity of plants trees rocks and bushes. We had a bald eagle soaring above us for a while which was awesome. Took us 2 hrs to the top and maybe 1:40 back. Nice mix of sun and shade for us. You need an Adventure Pass to park which costs $5 and is available just a mile up the road at the Fawnskin Market. Highly recommended hike. read more

This was a really good hike we started from Hanna flat campground and hiked all the way to the peak it was about a good 6 mile hike ,there was not much shade due to the fire. We also ran into 2 female deers on the way back read more

Great choice for my first time in Big Bear. The trail had awesome views, rocks to climb up, and a spectacular view of the whole park from the top. read more

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Started our hike at Hanna Frlat camp site. The map says the hike is nine miles. Round trip totals 13:5 miles, but you have to start at the camp ground. If you start at the camp ground there are no shaded areas so wear pleanty of sun screan and take a lot of water it gets burning hot up in the mountains read more

This trail is awesome!!! We had 3 trails picked out and I'm glad we ended up on this one. We stopped by the Big Bear Discovery center to pick up a parking pass, but it was actually free for that day! All of the volunteers in the center were super informative and helpful, and gave us a bunch of tips for the different trails. We then drove down by the trail head and parked (trailhead is nicely marked.) This hike is on a nice path, no loose gravel or rocks you have to scramble. It is half shaded and half sunny and not too steep. I did get sun burned so don't forget to put some on! We had the trail to ourselves with the exception of some mountain bikers and another couple. It took about 1.5 hours to get to the peak and about 1 hour to go back down. It totals around 7.5 miles. The view at the top is sooo pretty and relaxing. I wasn't sore after this hike either which was nice. We saw one deer and a bunch of lizards (no bears!!) I highly highly recommend this trail ! read more

Nature is always as good as it gets, this trail is not the exception. Open from April to October, this trail is such a relaxing work out. The 3.5 miles uphill can be challenging for those who don't indulge in hiking often. The views are good, the magical part is the fact you are one with nature ( or so I like to think) for the majority of the journey ( I spent up to 30 min hiking without seen a living soul). Remember to have the adventure pass displayed on your car, bring water, and be ready for a steep incline at the beginning ( first 20 minutes) then more mellow yet still decent. Bring something to munch on when you get to the peak. Dog friendly, but keep them on a leash. Kids would like it but the fact that is more than 1 hour on an incline may make them cranky, still take them and see how far you go. Stop by the Discovery Center a few miles away to get the adventure pass and a trail map. Lovely! read more

Very nice hike with beautiful views of big bear lake and surrounding area at hike's destination end. Just under 8 miles round trip. Moderate difficulty. Keep an eye out for mountain bike riders on trail. read more

Great trail. Moderate hike. Was about 8 miles round trip. Did it in 3 1/2 hours with my wife and son.