Awesome trail. Started on a late Saturday morning (11:30) and returned by 3:30, but my party and I also took our sweet time. You need a parking pass to park at the Glen Aspen parking lot down below. Then just follow the sign past the restrooms to get to the head of the trail. It's good to have some sort of paper map from the Big Bear Visitor's center or some sort of device to help you in case you get lost. This trail is moderate and not difficult at all. It doesn't always go up. It has moments when it is going down and you wonder if you're on the right trail. You get to see about 3-4 views of the lake as you hike mostly southward toward the mountain range in the back. Those spots provide good photo opportunities of the lake (however they are peeks and glances, not full views...the best one is probably the first time you see it). The nature walk is great...trees, animals, forest, etc...It was clean. Also people are polite and also be aware of bikers who are coming down the mountain. They were usually good about slowing down or alerting us that they were coming and also saying how many were coming behind them. Great overall experience...and at the top there is a great view of the mountain range and forest south of Big Bear...however I was expecting an area with a grand view to get a good look at everything, but it really was just the top of a small hill and to get a good view you have to find it by going down the top a bit. Def. recommend...can't wait to try more trails at Big Bear. read more

Pine knot trail was a good hike. the trailhead can be accessed at the Alpine Glen picnic area. That is located on the Mill Creek Road, which is a right turn from Big Bear Blvd (Hwy 18) if you are coming from LA. Trailhead parking is limited, so better to get there early in the morning. Parking requires an adventure pass. ($5, available at the Big Bear Discovery Center or some local merchants). the hike actually is not 6 miles as advertised... we went all the way to the grand view point, and I recorded the track with GPS. the hike, out and back, came out to be 8 miels. So plan accordingly. Great view up there, I went in December, so it was chilly and icy. read more

Nice trail to hike at big bear. A bit steep for my 5 yr old in some spots but a really cool hike mostly shaded, lots of cool rock formations. This trail has an actual parking lot unlike the castle rock trail read more

Great trail, took about 4 hrs total to get to grand view point and was worth it! I think it's about 6.5mi to the top and back. Get parking pass at Chrome Shop in Big Bear Lake. read more

Pine Knot Trail - Hiking Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

See all

This was a perfect hike in terms of views, difficulty, and distance. We ended up taking a wrong turn at a fork and made the hike a little bit longer but total it should be ~7 mile walk. Once we got to grand view point it was everything we were hoping for and we ate our lunch up there before heading back down. read more

Pine Knot Trail - Hiking Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

See all

This is a great half-day hike. Not particularly strenuous at any point, but sneaky long. Our map listed it as 6 miles, but that doesn't include the walk to the actual start of the trail or some scrambling to the best vistas at Grand View Point. After a bit of exploring and a slight unplanned detour (i.e., getting lost for about 10 mins), Fitbit sez we walked just over 9 miles in about 4.5 hours. Park at the Aspen Glen picnic area up Mill Creek Road. You need an adventure pass. Rangers were ticketing aggressively. Closest place to get one is the Lakeview Market just a bit west on the main road. Bathrooms at the picnic area were good enough. The trail itself starts back behind the picnic area to the left. You get some decent views of the lake no more than an hour in. These are your only views of the lake though! Don't let wording on the Discovery Center's description fool you, there are no lake views from Grand View Point, just a kickass mountain view. The trail can be a bit confusing toward the end. At one point you intersect with a couple other trails and roads, but there is a map there to help. Keep heading straight back (south). Once you hit the group camp site, you're maybe 30 mins max from Grand View point. There is one outdoor toilet and some picnic tables here, but it's a group camp site, so don't count on being able to use them. We got lost a bit past the camp site when the trail dumped us onto an unsigned T-intersection at a fire road. Turns out the trail (covered in snow at the time) actually jogs off to the left just before you hit the road. It runs alongside the road, a bit above it, before turning a bit to the south. Trail conditions were pretty good in early April. Had to do a little creek hopping, and we got lucky with some spots of firm snow over the last half mile. Was getting just slushy and sloppy enough by the afternoon to soak running shoes. read more

Great trail for beginner hikers, but could use clearer trail markings. At the trail head in the picnic area, you can choose to veer left or right -- the left way is shorter, right is the longer way around. If you go right, it adds about a mile to the track to the lookout point. Park at the Aspen Glen Picnic area - Don't forget the $5 adventure pass for your car, or you will get ticketed ! You can pick one up at the Big Bear visitor center or gas stations. This trails is supposed to be about 6 miles roundtrip, but ended up being about 8.5 miles roundtrip for me due to getting a little lost. But hey, we can all use a little extra exercise right? So be prepared to get a little bit turned around. Bring extra water and snacks. I stopped for a 30 min. lunch at the grand view point and made various quick stops for pictures, and was able to get up to Grand View Point and back down to the Aspen Glen Picnic area in about 5 hours. Great for dogs (on leash) and children that are in decent shape. There is nothing too steep or dangerous. Minimal inclines, minimal difficultly, and I didn't see any wildlife to be concerned about.The trail is pretty well shaded most of the way and it's a nice wide dirt trail. The views are incredible both up and down the hill, so be sure to bring a camera and take some time to look around. We had perfect weather in October. It stayed in the 70s all day and was beautiful. Perfect time of year too because of Oktoberfest going on. Hiked all day and partied all night at Oktoberfest! Loss of star for the lack of adequate signage and trail makers. This is a good trail to keep a map handy. I would definitely do this trail again (and probably not get lost this time ;) ) read more

Parked on a side street (free) right after the picnic area parking. We studied the map before setting on our hike and it came in handy once we were half way there because the roads do split and thankfully there are maps along the way to guide you. The scenery was beautiful, air was refreshing, and the sound was peaceful. I recommend getting there early because as the day continues you see more people and more groups. The grand view definitely is amazing but it's even better when no one else is around. read more

Pine Knot Trail - Grandview point - Hiking Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Easy hike to Grand View Point. Not difficult at all. Trail was well marked and easy to follow. We went off the trail for a while trying to find anything unusual. Found the main trail again in about an hour. read more

Pine Knot Trail - Hiking Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

See all

Last day in Big Bear and my bf and I wanted to enjoy one last hike. Found this place, parked, walked around to find a sign that said no parking unless you have a parking pass (purchased for $5). The poor soul parked next to us had gotten a ticket for not displaying a parking pass, but I was too lazy to go buy one and the fine was for the same amount as the pass so I figured- eh, why waste time and energy looking for a place that sells parking passes. We hiked on. It was a peaceful hike. Our dog thoroughly enjoyed it, no bikers around. It was not too challenging- some steep hills here and there. Beautiful view was a bonus. Highlight of the day? No parking fine! read more

My husband and I attempted to find this trail, we typed the address on the yelp listing into Google Maps and ended up driving down dirt roads and ending up nowhere near the trail, it really got us messed up and lost so I don't recommend doing that! We ended up thinking we had found the trail but didn't and ended up going off trail, 4 hours later, we used the compass on our iPhone to get back to our car. (never thought I've used that!) Not the best hike. Just don't do what we did and "think" you found the trail. Actually find it or ask someone before you start out! read more

This trail had such a Beautiful View and it was so peaceful...Only noise was coming from my 13 yr old daughter and her friend who had a rough time with the climb up. Being I hike alot this trail to me was an easy to moderate I wouldnt take my 7 year old son on it because of the length of walking..I am giving it a 4 star just because we came to 2 seperate forks in the road that didnt have signs pointing you in the right direction and you could easily end up on another trail... read more

Pine Knot Trail - 1st fork in the road and we were wondering which way to go...Came across alot of hikers that felt the same... - Hiking Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

Pine knot trail is a good trail. Not difficult but if you're not used to exercise I would pace yourself. The path is well groomed and trees turning with beautiful fall colors. Trail is dog friendly. Fyi make sure you have a adventure pass for parking or you'll get a ticket as we did!:( its 5$ thats how much the pass is for the day. read more

Pine Knot Trail - Hiking Near Me - Big Bear Lake, California

This is a beautiful trail located on the south side of Big Bear Lake. The trailhead starts at the Aspen Glen Picnic grounds. Be sure to have an Adventure Pass as Rangers do check. The hike starts off as a moderate grade and gets steeper until about 2 miles in when you will reach a two track road. Cross the road and keep going, you will pass a group campground area until you reach another road. That is the end of the trail, but I highly recommend crossing the road and taking the Grand View Trail to Grand View Point. Its about a 1/2 mile in and the view is really amazing. You can see San Gorgonio Mountain and the Valley Below. Plan about 4 hours to complete this trek as it is about 7 miles round trip. The great thing about this trail is there is a lot of shade. Also watch out for mountain bikers as they do not slow down and will run you over if they don't see you. Happy Hiking! read more

Really nice trail with sun coverage and not too steep. The dogs loved it! There are also nice views and places to stop and take a break.

Amazing! Worth the sweat and huffing and puffing my husband and I did to get to the skyline trail view points and the Grand View Point. Took us 4.5 hours (including at least 30 minutes spent on taking little breaks and enjoying the views) to get from the Aspen Glen parking lot up to the top and back down. (We are not necessarily "athletic" and live 233 feet above sea level, so oxygen at 7,700 feet is harder to come by!) Great place to get into beautiful wooded areas, some rocky barren parts, green pastures and then into the taller trees, and some incredible views. Lots of birds singing in the distance, and chipmunks running across the trails. Once you make it to the Deer Group Campground (where you can do your business and work on your tan while sitting on the toilet in an outhouse with no roof), it's 15-30 minutes to the views...depending on your pace. Not many people were on the trail during our very spontaneous decision to do this hike. No bikes until we got to the main jeep road on the top. Next time, we'll have a back pack to pack more water and bring lunch. Then we can really enjoy the trail and spend more time up on the vista points! So much beauty to take in! read more

Nice trail in Big Bear. I didn't make it to the top but after a 2 hour hike, I was able to get a great view of the lake below. There were a couple bikers who raced up the hill so be careful of them. Alot of wildlife around too. Lots of birds and small animals. read more

Yesterday, Sunday. Not too many folk. Beautiful, sunny, warm and plenty of snow. Brought my snowshoes. Hiked more than used my snowshoes but, plenty of snow off trail to do that. Absolutely beautiful. Haven't hiked altitude in awhile. Since it's almost straight up it was a little laboring but so well worth it. Maybe one of my new favs. Hoping for one more snow so I can go one more time and use my snowshoes more. Took a picnic and drove to the N end of the lake after. Parking lot is small. It was full so, I parked across the road in front of a rental cabin. No problems but, I did have a day pass. Really fabulous day! read more

We parked at Aspen picnic area recommended by many reviewers . So much fun!!! Loved the view and enjoyed the length of the hike. Lots of the trail was narrow so only one person at a time. There was snow in several places which made it a bit slippery so make sure to take good shoes if going during this season. It is definitely not a hike u can do if you have other things to do so make sure to carve out a couple hours if you can. The view at the top was definitely something worth finishing for. We didn't enounter bikers like others but we went on a Friday and didnt see more than a handful of people. Dont forget your adventure pass. read more

The trail is beautiful, well-maintained, good difficulty, and dog-friendly. Win!

We had perfect weather conditions with some clouds and a high temp of 80. It's a long hike but we made it to Grandview, which was totally worth it. The trail itself is well maintained and easy to follow. My dog went with us and he did fine. Just make sure you bring plenty of water and some snacks. Enjoy! read more

This place Is awesome to hike but you need to type " aspen glen picnic grounds " on ur gps to find parking and when you park the beginning of the hiking trail will be In front, remember to purchase a pass , we didn't and we where fine lol read more

Great hike, great view. Great workout! Freezing cold in december lol.

One of our top hikes in Big Bear! There were lots of people on the trail on a Friday morning, but everyone we encountered was super friendly! read more

Big Bear is very close to heaven

Really nice hike. I took my little puppies and they were really happy on the hike. It's easy but they were dead at the end. Really recommend this hike read more

This trail was a pain to get to by car. You have to be really careful because the roads are narrow and there's on coming cars. The trail itself was not much to look at. There was a lot flat terrain, which is something I don't really enjoy much. The upside to this place was they're a few great picture spots of you're into that kind of stuff. Overall of probably wouldn't visit this hike or trail again. Once is enough for me. read more

I really enjoyed this hike and so did my boyfriend and my 4 year old son. This in itself should tell you that it's a pretty leisurely hike. It had some hill, but no real challenges (aside from the part where we didn't finish the hike because it was hot as Hades and we were already low on water 3 hours in). It's a longer hike, I suppose. I mean we were traveling at the pace of a 4 year old. It's not as shaded as I had been expecting so I got a little burnt (ok, I was fried like a fish! Curse those ginger genes of mine!). The big selling point for me on this hike was the absolutely AMAZING views! You could see the lake clearly and it really made it all worth it just to experience that in itself. There were a lot of people on mountain bikes when we went so you really have to keep your eyes and ears open for them. It seemed to me to be the perfect family hike. So, bring your kids, bring your dogs, bring grandma (ok maybe not Nana, but you get the point)! It's gorgeous up there! read more

Great trail! It is literally across the street from where we stayed at the Old Knoll Lodge. From our lodge to the scenic payoff was 4 miles. It was 95% uphill but very mild to moderate in its intensity. It never got very steep at all and the trail is well worn out to see where to go. It was perfect for between beginner and expert. Only bummer is the scenic point isn't over looking the lake. It is of the mountain range behind the mountain. However, you can see the lake with great views for the first 75% of the hike. read more