“Do you know what this is?” asked Driz Cook, as he held up in his hand something that looked like the axe Jack Nicholson wielded in The Shining. Standing in the parking lot of a campground in the hills above Big Bear Lake in late July, my friend Vince and I confessed we had no [...]
The Trails Foundation had its monthly board meeting last night, and we went over the general progression of steps for this next spring and summer in regards to South Shore and Skyline. Here are the next steps: General Information: if you haven't already, make sure you've read all of the information on this page. Talk [...]
Finally. A bit of snow. While that's welcome precipitation for the local Big Bear economy, it's also a welcome relief for the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation. Snow means a brief respite from the large amounts of work that have been taking place up on Skyline and the South Shore Trail System. This winter season [...]
Last Build Day of 2012 - Come help us build the next section of the Skyline Trail! Weather permitting, this will be the last build day of 2012, and your chance to both see what our mechanized builders have done and put the finishing touches on their work. Build now and boast later...you were part [...]
Mechanized Building is Underway! We've now got 4 days of building Skyline with Bellfree under our belts. Despite the snow and super cold temperatures from last weekend they were up here getting started, and now that things are melting it's going even faster. Check out this video, and then get ready for the final 2012 [...]
We had seven builders from the Professional Trail Builders Association respond to our bid request for the Skyline Trail. After putting everything into a confusing spreadsheet, talking to references, and confirming with board members, Hans at Bellfree Contractors was asked to come up and help us build a flowy, sinewy, undulating and fun trail for [...]
While we're off to a great start in building the Skyline Trail, the miles are going to pile up and eventually the volunteers will get tired. This is when the machines come into the picture. In an ideal world we would have professional skilled machine operators bring their dozers in and rough cut a trail, [...]
Come help us build the next section of the Skyline Trail! Have fun in the forest with great people while making a difference in the world. What else could you want? No experience necessary. Check out this video if you need more convincing. RSVP's are required. When: Sunday, October 21, 2012t. Crews start [...]
Come help us build the next section of the Skyline Trail! Have fun in the forest with great people while making a difference in the world. What else could you want? No experience necessary. Check out this video if you need more convincing. RSVP's are required. When: Sunday, October 18th, 4-6pm. Quick and [...]
We're off and digging! September 23rd brought hands, shovels, and permission all together for a successful day of trail building. See it all here, and come join us next time!
Despite the massive rain we've had in Big Bear over the last month, we've been in a drought; a trail building drought. The skies are opening up finally, and Sunday September 23rd will bring down the first official shovels as we hit the ground up on Skyline Corner. Come join us as we work on [...]
On Tuesday, September 11th the Trails Foundation and special guests took over the upstairs of Captain's Anchorage. Dinner, drinks, and the promise of Big Bear trail news brought together a key group of influential local trail users. Our goal: listen to their feedback and get them involved in the challenging trail based projects headed towards [...]
As the summer of 2012 closes down on us, here’s a summary of trail related news for the Big Bear Valley. JUNE Economics of Big Bear Trails The Trails Foundation hosted a presentation about the economic benefits of trails by IMBA (International Mountain Bicycling Association) Southwest Region Director Patrick Kell. Bottom line: trails generate revenue, [...]
This once proud tree, which came off second best in a high wind, had completely blocked the popular Grout Bay trail. No problem for Gary and his chainsaw. We were there early Saturday, knocked the job out and were home drinking coffee by 9:30am and the trail is open once again for all the diverse users to enjoy! Good [...]
The Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation cleared a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail this past Sunday, October 23rd. The area of the PCT was south of Hanna Flat Campground, in a beautiful area with views of Holcomb Valley and the Butler 2 Fire. A large portion of the trail had buckthorn growing onto it, [...]
All of us know what a great asset the Pedal Path on the North Shore is for our Valley. No it’s not a great challenging path for strong hikers or riders. It is just a great path for families and folks who want a nice hike or ride along the lake. And I am sure [...]
Come join the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation, meet some locals, see a different area of Big Bear, rehabilitate a trail, and do some good! We’ll be heading out to a section of the Pacific Crest Trail above Fawnskin and YMCA Camp Whittle on Sunday, October 23rd. Seems that last winter, and the fire burns, [...]
We made it out to the 7 Oaks trail again last Wednesday for a productive hour or so of trail maintenance. It’s amazing how much you can get done in a short amount of time. It’s equally amazing how much fun this “work” can be! We’ll keep rocking the Wednesday night fun fests, so get [...]
Don't listen to them. Trail work is not easy. However, it can be fun...and social...and good exercise. This is exactly what happened on Wednesday night when three Trails Foundation board members worked on the 7 Oaks Trail. We met at Aspen Glen picnic area at 5pm and rode 2 miles up to the 7 Oaks [...]
We made it out to the 7 Oaks trail again last Wednesday for a productive hour or so of trail maintenance. It’s amazing how much you can get done in a short amount of time. It’s equally amazing how much fun this “work” can be! We’ll keep rocking the Wednesday night fun fests, so get [...]
