Eleven trails around Big Bear Lake and the surrounding San Bernardino National Forest, each with its own difficulty, distance, elevation gain and official map — beyond the daily lift-served bike park hours on our homepage.
A stretch of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail runs along the ridge above the lake's north shore, linking Cougar Crest and Delamar Mountain with views that swing between desert and lake. Northbound through-hikers pass through town each spring and summer to resupply.
Official trail info (USFS San Bernardino National Forest) ↗A short, steep scramble up granite boulders to a rock formation overlooking the south shore. The trailhead sits right off Highway 18, which makes it one of the most-hiked routes in the valley for visitors short on time.
Official trail info (USFS San Bernardino National Forest) ↗Starts near the Big Bear Discovery Center and climbs through pine and juniper to meet the Pacific Crest Trail, then continues to a decommissioned fire lookout tower atop Bertha Peak with a view across the entire basin.
Official trail info (USFS San Bernardino National Forest) ↗A gentle interpretive loop near the Discovery Center with numbered stops explaining the forest's ecology — a good option for families or a short leg-stretch, not a summit hike.
Official trail info (USFS San Bernardino National Forest) ↗A short walk near Heart Bar to the largest and oldest known lodgepole pine in the San Bernardino National Forest — a single-destination stroll rather than a loop or summit route.
Official trail info (USFS San Bernardino National Forest) ↗Climbs from the north shore near Fawnskin to a rocky granite summit with a 360-degree view of the lake, the desert beyond, and the San Gorgonio Wilderness — the steepest sustained climb of the hiking-only routes here. The trailhead closes seasonally, December 1 through April 1, to protect wintering bald eagle habitat — check the official trail page before you go in winter.
Official trail info (USFS San Bernardino National Forest) ↗These are backcountry and multi-use routes maintained by the land-management agency, not the lift-served park terrain — see today's Snow Summit and Snow Valley bike-park hours and closures for that.
A technical, rock-strewn descent that has become a local test piece for advanced riders — loose granite, tight switchbacks and no walk-around option through its harder sections.
Official trail info (USFS San Bernardino National Forest) ↗A ridgeline singletrack above the south shore linking several trailheads, popular with cross-country riders for its flow and with hikers for the views down toward the lake.
Official trail info (USFS San Bernardino National Forest) ↗A beginner-friendly lakeside singletrack along the north shore, often recommended as a first cross-country ride or an easier alternative to the resort's lift-served terrain.
Official trail info (USFS San Bernardino National Forest) ↗Climbs from near the village up to Grand View Point, a shared-use route for hikers and cross-country riders that predates the resort's lift-served bike park by decades.
Official trail info (USFS San Bernardino National Forest) ↗A flat, fully paved multi-use path tracing the lake's south shore — the easiest route on this page, and the one accessible to strollers, wheelchairs and road bikes rather than singletrack riders.
Official parks & trails info (City of Big Bear Lake) ↗Looking for today's lift-served bike park hours and scheduled trail closures? Check current bike-park status →
Browse the activities directory → for guided hikes, bike rentals, shuttle services and other trail-adjacent businesses in the valley.