Rim Nordic (Big Bear area)
San Bernardino Mountains · near Running Springs / Big Bear · Los Angeles / SoCal
Nordic & Snowshoe
At a glance
- Best season
- Jan–Mar after storms; snow variable (~7,200 ft)
What is here
- Activities
- classic · skate · snowshoe
- Setting
- forest
- Amenities
- Groomed XC in Southern California · Classic & skate trails · Snowshoe routes · Rentals & lessons
- Best for
- Groomed Nordic skiing near LA
- Features
- SoCal's groomed XC area · Classic & skate trails · San Bernardino forest · Rentals & lessons
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Variable, storm-dependent SoCal snow · Cold; sun exposure · Grooming depends on coverage · Check conditions before driving
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Guides, rentals and operators
- Rentals
- Yes
Nordic & Snowshoe detail
- Venue
- xc-center
- Ability
- beginner
- Snow
- 3
- Trail notes
- Southern California's groomed cross-country ski area, near Big Bear — machine-set classic and skate trails and snowshoe routes through San Bernardino forest when storms deliver snow
- Terrain note
- ~7,200–7,800 ft; groomed when snow allows; variable SoCal snow
- Intl tip
- The southernmost cross-country ski area in California, near Big Bear on Hwy 18 — Southern California's rare groomed track skiing, the region's best bet when storms deliver snow (it may not open at all in lean years — confirm first). Across from Snow Valley, Rim Nordic grooms classic and skate trails through pine and fir at ~7,200 ft, with beginner/intermediate terrain, snowshoe routes, rentals, and lessons — a welcoming place to learn within reach of LA. The catch is SoCal's variable snowpack: coverage and grooming depend entirely on recent storms and can be thin or absent between systems, so check conditions before driving up. Cold mornings, strong sun.
The guide
Rim Nordic, set in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear along Highway 18, is the southernmost cross-country ski area in C…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Rim Nordic (Big Bear area) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.24, -116.89