San Bernardino National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
12,042 acres29.5 mi of trail
OHV North Shore TrailNorth Shore Recreational TrailNature TrailUpline+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: shadowhound · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Lake Arrowhead
34% of Lake Arrowhead’s land is conserved: 3,828 acres
33 miles of mapped trail cross Lake Arrowhead, 1.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: San Bernardino National Forest (29.5 mi), Arrowhead Ridge (3.3 mi). 31% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #377 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
34%
3,828 acres · of 17.7 sq mi of land
Trails
33 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
53 ac
5.0 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
31%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
6,263 ft
Mount Sorenson
Lakes & rivers
3
9 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Lake Arrowhead?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lake Arrowhead have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lake Arrowhead is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #377 of 847 in California. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lake Arrowhead’s overall grade.
Conserved land34% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (33 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land5.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (53 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13CParks close to home31% 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 68%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 56%
Water is 6% of Lake Arrowhead’s area (1 of 19 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 32%.
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 29.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Arrowhead Ridge
Nature preserve
153 acres3.3 mi of trail
Foxglove CourtWedge Court
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
MacKay Park
Managed by County of San Bernardino
6 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Grass Valley Park
Managed by Arrowhead Lake Association
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
San Bernardino National Forest12,042 acres · 29.5 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsArrowhead Ridge153 acres · 3.3 mi of trail
MacKay Park6 acres · County of San Bernardino
DirectionsGrass Valley Park2 acres · Arrowhead Lake Association
Twin Peaks Rotary Centennial Park1 acres
DirectionsLolipop Park1 acres
Penninsula Park1 acres
Who protects it
3,828 conserved acres
34% of Lake Arrowhead’s land. Water is left out: Lake Arrowhead has 17.7 square miles of land and 1.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Lake Arrowhead’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service3,707 ac
State fish & wildlife74 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits35 ac
Regional agency7 ac
County3 ac
Private owners1 ac
National Forest · 3,684 acState Conservation Area · 74 acPrivate Conservation · 35 acConservation Easement · 23 acLocal Park · 12 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 23 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 | 3,684 | Open |
| San Bernardino Mountains Wildlife Corridor State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 74 | Closed |
| Wildhaven Ranch - Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 35 | Open |
| Harich Field/Twin Peaks Rotary Centennial Park Local Park | Regional agency | 7 | Open |
| MacKay Park Local Park | County | 3 | Open |
| Lollipop Park Local Park | Private owners | 1 | Open |
Things to do
34 places to go in Lake Arrowhead
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lake Arrowhead
Arrowhead Resort BeachIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsBurnt Mill BeachIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsHamiltair Cove BeachIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsHamiltair community BeachIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsLake Arrowhead Village BeachIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsLake Arrowhead Village LakefrontIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsPenninsula Park BeachIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsTavern Bay BeachIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Lake Arrowhead
Arrowhead Resort PoolIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Lake Arrowhead
Grandview PlaygroundIn Twin Peaks Rotary Centennial Park
DirectionsMacKay Park PlaygroundIn MacKay Park
DirectionsMt Calvary Lutheran School PlaygroundIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsTavern Bay PlaygroundIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsDog parks in Lake Arrowhead
MacKay Bark ParkIn MacKay Park
DirectionsScenic views in Lake Arrowhead
6 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Lake Arrowhead
Mount Sorenson6,263 ft elevation · In San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsStrawberry Peak6,155 ft elevation · In San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsCrest Summit5,801 ft elevation · In San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Lake Arrowhead
Arrowhead Ridge Picnic AreaIn Arrowhead Ridge
DirectionsCrest Park Picnic AreaIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsFrontier VillageIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsHamiltair Cove Picnic TablesIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsPicnic TablesIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsSwitzer Park Picnic AreaIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsCampgrounds in Lake Arrowhead
Dogwood Family CampgroundIn San Bernardino National Forest · USFS
DirectionsNorth Shore CampgroundFee · In San Bernardino National Forest · Vista Recreation
DirectionsSkypark Camp + RV ResortIn San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsTrails & water
15 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 14.9 mi
OHV North Shore Trail1.6 mi
North Shore Recreational Trail1.1 mi
Nature Trail0.7 mi
Upline0.5 mi
Forest Road 2N940.3 mi
North Shore Campground Admin Trail0.2 mi
Fantasy Forest0.2 mi
Pinyon Place0.1 mi
ALA Trail0.1 mi
Access Trail 440.1 mi
5 more trails
Access Trail 43
0.1 miAccess Trail 49A
0.1 miAccess Trail 56
0.1 miFoxglove Court
0.1 miAccess Trail 45
0.1 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.
Courts & fields
18Tennis
4Baseball
2Beach volleyball
1Football
1Basketball
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Shady PointBuilding · listed 2009
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Lake Arrowhead: April 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 | 50 | 56 | 61 | 69 | 78 | 83 | 83 | 78 | 68 | 57 | 49 |
| Rain (in) | 7.7 | 7.9 | 4.9 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 5.5 |
June is the driest month (0.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 7.9 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Lake Arrowhead →
Next door
Lake Arrowhead and its neighbors
Lake Arrowhead 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Arrowhead | 34% | 1.9 | 5 | 31% | B+ |
| Crestline | 41% | 0.9 | 14 | 48% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lake Arrowhead
Where can I hike in Lake Arrowhead?
The longest trail networks: San Bernardino National Forest, 29.5 miles; Arrowhead Ridge, 3.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lake Arrowhead is conserved land?
34% 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 Lake Arrowhead’s trails?
San Bernardino National Forest and Arrowhead Ridge don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Lake Arrowhead?
122,621 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lake Arrowhead or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,575 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lake Arrowhead have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #377 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 Lake Arrowhead 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 →