Big Bear / San Bernardino National Forest
Big Bear Lake · near Big Bear Lake · Los Angeles / SoCal
Off-Road
At a glance
- Skill level
- intermediate
- Size
- 200+ miles of OHV trails and forest roads
- Best season
- May–October (higher elevation routes) · Year-round at lower elevations · Snow adds difficulty — chains required in winter
Permits and booking
- Permit
- National Forest Adventure Pass required ($5/day or $30/year). OHV registration required. Some trails require specific OHV permits — check forest service signs and maps at the Big Bear Ranger Station. Trail conditions change seasonally; call 909-382-2790 for current access.
What is here
- Terrain
- rock-crawling · forest-roads · mountain-4x4
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Off-Road detail
- Vehicles
- 4x4-jeep · atv-utv · overland
- Signature routes
- John Bull Trail · Holcomb Valley · 2N10 / Burns Canyon Road
- Intl tip
- Big Bear Lake is the backdrop for the Bear Mountain and Snow Summit ski resorts in winter, and the entire mountain ecosystem in summer — hiking, mountain biking, kayaking on the lake, and OHV riding all coexist within a few miles. A long weekend in Big Bear combining multiple activities is a quintessential Southern California mountain escape.
The guide
Big Bear Lake sits at 6,752 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains 100 miles east of Los Angeles — a fact that would be unremarka…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Big Bear / San Bernardino National Forest — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.244, -116.7786