Big Bear Gravel Experience
Big Bear Lake is one of Southern California's best mountain towns, located just 2 hours from most of LA and Orange County, and 2.5 hours from San Diego in good traffic. Winter in Big Bear is no doubt peak season here with crowds of Angelenos looking to hit the slopes at one of the two ski resorts, Bear Mountain or Snow Summit. In the summer, this jewel of the San Bernardino National Forest becomes a venerable getaway for cyclists, with loads of great singletrack, forest roads and premium gravel. A recent weekend trip to ride some of the area’s gravel gave me a new appreciation for this place, and in this story I’ll highlight a few things that made the adventure special.
The Perfect Basecamp
On my trip in July 2022 I decided to stay at Timber Summit, a 3 BR / 1.5 BA cabin in the Boulder Bay neighborhood of Big Bear Lake. These accommodations are perfect basecamp for family or a few friends, in a very convenient location for riding and other exploring. The cabin is surrounded by beautiful pine trees that provide lots of shade, and we definitely enjoyed the porch swing and fire-pit during our stay. The inside is well appointed and recently renovated with new kitchen appliances and new flooring. Best of all, this place has tons of fun activities including a ping pong table, dart board, cornhole and horseshoe. And if you own a plug-in vehicle, no sweat, the garage even has an EV charger.
welcome to the south shore
This being my first gravel experience in Big Bear, I was looking for something in the 40-50 mile range with the hopes of seeing as much scenery as possible. A quick search led me to a few good ideas, but my final route edit was mostly inspired by Zachary at GBC who did something very similar to what I was able to experience. My route started in Boulder Bay at around 7000ft of elevation, and climbs just under 4000ft over 38 miles. The highest point of the route comes quick at mile 13, where I reached an elevation of just over 8000ft along the ridgeline south of the lake. The route is mostly gravel, with a sample of singletrack and some paved sections that connect the northern and southern sections of region. After departing Big Bear Blvd, climbing quickly ensues with a 3-mile spin up Mill Creek Rd that averages 5.1% over 900ft. Road turned to gravel after just 2.5 miles from the start, and I was glad to have started early for cooler temps and great lighting through the densely packed pine and oak trees.
Bluff Lake Reserve
At mile 5 I turned off Mill Creek to explore the area around Bluff Lake Reserve at 7,600 feet. This beautiful area is home to towering lodgepole pines, a 20-acre lake, and pristine meadows. I followed Kidd Creek Rd to the entrance of the Bluff Mesa Group Campground, then turned onto my routes only singletrack section. Bluff Mesa Trail and Champion Lodgepole Trail are mostly smooth and buffed out singletrack, with the occasional outcropping of rocks. I could have definitely spent a couple of hours exploring the reserve, but opted to push on as I knew each turn ahead would reveal more surprises.
Skyline Drive
A quick view of the San Bernardino Mountains on the Strava Global Heatmap and you’ll notice a lot of activity on the south side of Big Bear Lake. A region well known for its trails, this area is mostly known to mountain bikers for excellent downhill and cross country riding. The next dirt road on my itinerary was Skyline Drive which parallels Skyline Trail, a well known stretch of singletrack that follows the ridgeline east to west. Skyline Drive is a relatively rugged jeep trail with the occasional washboard and sandy traps. The views from Skyline were perhaps some of the best on this ride, with views far south to neighboring ranges and distant peaks. This stretch of dirt seemed to go on forever, although it was around 8 miles, with the last couple of miles being a relatively steep section of dirt that required my full attention. At around mile 15.5 the dirt turns to pavement, for a well earned reprieve as I looked forward to exploring Big Bear’s north shore gravel.
HOLCOMB VALLEY GRAVEL Rush
Just on the outskirts of Big Bear City to the north I jumped on 3N09, also known as Van Dusen Canyon Rd. The 4-mile Van Dusen was probably my favorite stretch of gravel on the entire route, as the surface was more tacky than Skyline and the premium gravel road climbed steadily up towards Holcomb Valley with Caribou Creek to the right. According to legend, William Holcomb found gold here while tracking a bear in the valley that was later named after him. What followed was widely considered the biggest rush for gold in California starting in 1860. The good stuff continued as I followed Holcomb Valley Rd west to where it intersects with Delamar Mountain Rd. On this side of the lake, mountain panoramas are replaced with views of wide valleys and big skies. For this ride I opted to head back from here via Rim of the World Drive, but it was clear that I left plenty more to prospect in these hills and valleys north of Big Bear Lake.
Equipment Highlights
As this Big Bear gravel route was just under 40 miles, I got away with carrying a pretty light load which is always my preference. I brought with me a few snacks, two water bottles and some standard repair gear. The course did take me into some remote sections, but I never felt too far from civilization and a single resupply could be done around mile 19 when passing through the town of Big Bear. For tires, I was happy to have recently installed Maxxis Ikon tires in 27.5 x 2.2” on my ENVE G27 wheels, a great tire for a comfortable yet grippy ride when the terrain is mostly dirt.
Big Bear Gravel Photo Gallery
Big Bear Gravel Route
The route starts and ends in the Boulder Bay neighborhood, but can be easily modified if you’re starting elsewhere in Big Bear Lake. The route would be fine in both counterclockwise and clockwise directions and I recommend riding here between late spring to early fall.
Final Thoughts
Overall I had an excellent time at Tiber Summit and I couldn’t think of a better way to explore the Big Bear Lake area than on a gravel bike. The roads and trails in the area are extremely well suited for this style of riding, and I could easily spend a few more days probing this part of the San Bernardino National Forest while using Big Bear as a base camp. If you’re looking for a mountain getaway in Southern California with lots of promising terrain to ride, that would also be a fun place to hang with family or friends, I could definitely make the case for Big Bear being at the top of the list.
Greatest Gravel Getaway Giveaway
What if you could win a trip to Big Bear and experience the gravel for yourself? That dream could be a reality thanks to the GREATEST GRAVEL GETAWAY GIVEAWAY we cooked up with our friends at Cadence! With a prize bundle valued at more than $12,000, you’ll not only win a trip to stay at Timber Summit with 2 friends, but go home with a ton of awesome prizes from Cadence Collection, Swift Industries, Blackheart, Quoc, ENVE, Poc, Urban Armor, Knog and Subaru.