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 Reporter |
Summary: Breathtaking views (and a climb requiring breath to be taken!!) are "de rigeur" along the Cougar Crest Trail, located north of Big Bear Lake. The trail, well-marked and generally in good condition, continues two miles (mostly north) until reaching a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail-the approximately 2638 mile path connecting Canada to Mexico. A four-mile hike along the Cougar Crest Trail to the PCT and back to the parking area is a satisfying and cardiovascular challenge in and of itself, but many hikers like to hike beyond the trail's end, turning east (right) on a dirt road and continuing for about .6 mile to Bertha's Peak, at an elevation 8201 ft. On a clear day, the Mojave Desert can be seen in the distance, and the views of San Gorgonio, Holcomb Valley, and (of course) Big Bear Lake are absolutely awesome. Trailhead: Travel along Highway 18 through the town of Big Bear Lake until reaching the Stanfield Cutoff-turn north, and continue to the north shore of the lake and the junction between the Stanfield Cutoff and Highway 38. Turn left on Hwy 38 and travel 1.3 miles (approximately .6 miles past the Big Bear Ranger Station) to the Cougar Crest Trailhead, situated on the right side of the road. To reach the Cougar Crest Trailhead from the city of Fawnskin, travel approximately 2.4 miles east along Highway 38-the trailhead will be on the left. A Forest Service Adventure Pass is required to park here, and can be obtained at the Discovery Center or at any Ranger Station. (Lat:34.26298 Lon:-116.9065) Trail Guides for Cougar Crest Trail: California Hiking by Stienstra and Brown (Foghorn Press) Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Summer, User Groups: Hikers, Horses, Ranger Contact: Big Bear Discovery Center (Ranger Station)-(909) 866-3437 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Patricia Barnes, who has posted 23 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 1 of 3 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by girljo on 8/29/2008 Beautiful hike w/ great view of Big Bear Lake. Easy trail to follow. Bring water for your dogs too!
Reviewed by Hasnolo on 9/25/2007 Hiked this trail a few weeks ago and loved the view of Big Bear Lake from the top. There are a lot of rocks on this trail, so be careful coming down; the trail is well maintained and easy to follow. If you're not tired, turn right when you get to the end and keep going on PCT; great hike!
Reviewed by DW on 9/16/2007 Did this hike a week ago. Boy Scouts did some major work on part of the trail (great job boys!! about a mile up from the trailhead. The extra trek up to Bertha Peak is well worth the effort.
Reviewed by Bob on 9/6/2007 Have hiked this several times. Start of hike unremarkable but the view on top is worth the effort. Catch the PCT on top and spend the night at several remote camps. Water available at Horse Trail camps. During the summer the nightfall can be spectacular! Love it!
Reviewed by AM on 9/4/2007 One of the best hikes I've done so far. Did it on Sep, 03, '07, right at the end of the holiday weekend. Got to the trailhead at 7:30am and was the only car in the lot. We pretty much had the trail to ourselves as we took our time to reach the PCT (we took over an hour to do the 2 mile stretch to the PCT junction). DEFINITELY DO TURN RIGHT AND CONTINUE ALL THE WAY UPTO BERTHA PK on the famous National trail, the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Breathtaking views of the lake and surrounding mountains all alond the way and amazing 360 views from the top by the cell tower. We were lucky to be there on a coudy day so it was perfect hiking weather and I got some awesome pictues or cloud formations.
Reviewed by RON J on 6/12/2007 Me and my wife hiked this trail on 6/10/07 and really enjoyed it. Although, they did have a trail race coming down the trail as we were heading up. So we had to stand aside every so often. But other than that, it was a nice easy trail. The view of Big Bear lake was wonderful. Once we got to the top of the trail, we headed down the Pacific Crest trail for about a 1/2 mile before turning back. It was a great trail overall!!
Reviewed by David on 6/11/2007 I've hiked this trail but it's not as stunning as some of the others I've hiked. This is a pretty easy jaunt from the parking lot but since then I like to access it via the Pacific Crest Trail and Van Dusen Road - especially if you're not into the crowds. From the Discovery Center, drive the opposite way of Fawnskin, past Division St. Look to your left for Van Dusen Road and turn left. Go up about 2-3 miles on the fireroad and look for the Pacific Crest trail signs to your left and right. Find a turnout nearby and park. Take the PCT trail to your left and follow it for several miles until you intersect with the fireroad that takes you to Bertha's Peak. From there continue straight for a 1/4 mile to the Cougar Crest Peak.
Reviewed by MWN on 5/21/2007 I did the hike with 5 Wolf Cub Scouts (8 years old) in about 3 1/2 hours round trip. We went to the Bertha Pk road and started up, but realized that was a bit too much. The boys did very well and loved the views! Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, San Bernardino County Hiking, San Bernardino County Trails, San Bernardino County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
