San Bernardino National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
20,408 acres124.5 mi of trail
Pacific Crest TrailSchool Loop2N12YHermonator Donkey Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Magi Media (originally uploaded on en.wikipedia.org by Magi Media; transferred to Commons by JaumeBG). · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Big Bear City
More than half of Big Bear City’s land is conserved: 60%
60% of Big Bear City’s land is conserved, about 12,276 acres. 125 miles of mapped trail cross Big Bear City, 3.9 per square mile of land. 77 acres are parks and preserves, 6.7 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #292 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
60%
12,276 acres · of 32.0 sq mi of land
Trails
125 mi
3.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
77 ac
6.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
51%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Big Bear City?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Big Bear City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Big Bear City is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #292 of 847 in California. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Big Bear City’s overall grade.
Conserved land60% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails3.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (125 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land6.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (77 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home51% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 66%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is San Bernardino National Forest, with 124.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ranch Park
Managed by County of San Bernardino
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Sugarloaf Park
Managed by County of San Bernardino
6 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
San Bernardino National Forest20,408 acres · 124.5 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsErwin Lake Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · County of San Bernardino
DirectionsRanch Park10 acres · County of San Bernardino
Sugarloaf Park6 acres · County of San Bernardino
DirectionsRV Camping?3 acres
DirectionsBagger's Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
12,276 conserved acres
60% of Big Bear City’s land. Who manages Big Bear City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service12,196 ac
State fish & wildlife59 ac
Regional agency22 ac
National Forest · 12,196 acState Conservation Area · 47 acLocal Park · 22 acState Resource Management Area · 8 acUnknown Easement · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 12,196 | Open |
| Baldwin Lake Ecological Reserve State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 47 | Open |
| The Ranch Local Park | Regional agency | 8 | Open |
| Shay Meadow State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 8 | Closed |
| Big Bear City Park Local Park | Regional agency | 6 | Open |
| Sugarloaf Park Local Park | Regional agency | 5 | Open |
| Erwin Lake Park Local Park | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
Things to do
11 places to go in Big Bear City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Big Bear City
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Big Bear City
Bark Park Dog ParkIn Ranch Park
DirectionsScenic views in Big Bear City
Horseshoe Pebble PlainIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsSawmill Pebble PlainIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsSugarloaf Pebble PlainIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsViewIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsPeaks in Big Bear City
Deadmans RidgeIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Big Bear City
Arrastre Trail CampIn San Bernardino National Forest · United State Forest Service
DirectionsCamp Oakes (YMCA)In San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 17.8 miHorses · 15.6 miUnpaved · 72.5 mi
Pacific Crest Trail10.1 mi
School Loop3.1 mi
2N12Y2.9 mi
Hermonator Donkey Trail2.8 mi
Vista Trail2.2 mi
Hermonator Singletrack2.1 mi
Pinyon Trail2.0 mi
Baldwin Loop1.9 mi
Dixie Loop1.1 mi
Don't Shoot Me Trail1.0 mi
15 more trails
Old Saw Mill Roadbed
0.9 miSaw Mill Loop
0.8 miOld Sawmil Roadbed
0.7 miSmarts Ranch Spur
0.6 miCougar Ridge
0.6 miElementary Trail
0.5 miGreen Canyon Spur
0.4 miAlameda
0.3 miIgor Vavrik Singletrack
0.3 miFreewill Connector
0.3 miToulumne
0.3 miPrime Mover Connector
0.2 miArrastre Creek Spur
0.2 miBoulevard Connector
0.2 miNathan's
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Don't Shoot Me TrailBike route
1 miCourts & fields
16Tennis
8Pickleball
3Baseball
2Basketball
2Beach volleyball
1Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Big Bear City: May to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 49 | 48 | 53 | 59 | 67 | 76 | 81 | 80 | 75 | 65 | 55 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 4.0 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 2.7 |
June is the driest month (0.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.0 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Big Bear City →
Next door
Big Bear City and its neighbors
Big Bear City has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bear City | 60% | 3.9 | 7 | 51% | A− |
| Big Bear Lake | 5% | 1.0 | 8 | 56% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Big Bear City
Where can I hike in Big Bear City?
The longest trail networks: San Bernardino National Forest, 124.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Big Bear City is conserved land?
60% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Big Bear City’s trails?
San Bernardino National Forest and Ranch Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Big Bear City?
155,431 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Big Bear City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 12,324 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Big Bear City have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #292 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Big Bear City neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →