Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation Expanding Their Reach to Include Paths for Cross-Country Skiing, Hiking, Biking, Running, Cycling and Horseback Riding

When the snow melts, outdoor enthusiasts will again be able to enjoy the 30 miles of bike routes throughout the Big Bear Valley, though, through the efforts of the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation, the hope is to have paths available for non-motorized travel year-round by incorporating routes not just for cycling, but cross-county skiing, hiking, running and horseback riding. In 2009, the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation expanded their reach, became a non-profit 501C3 corporation, and are now pursuing grant funding—which is a considerable effort for the group which, only in 2006, was a handful of volunteers operating as an ad hoc committee of the Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District focused on establishing Class 3 bike routes within Big Bear.
This initial focus was accomplished, given support from the City of Big Bear Lake and the County of San Bernardino, and, on Memorial Day weekend 2008, the coalition celebrated the ribbon cutting for 30 miles of bike routes (15 in Big Bear Lake and 17 in the East Valley), the installation of 37 “share the road” signs around the perimeter of Big Bear Lake and beyond, the completion and distribution of Valley-wide bike trails maps, and a community Bike Ride for Ryan, in support of local Olympic marathon runner Ryan Hall. The group has since incorporated equestrian, hiking, running and cross-county skiing enthusiasts into their Foundation Board, as well as representatives from the San Bernardino National Forest and the City, to achieve their mission, which is to create, enhance, preserve and promote non-motorized use of Big Bear Valley trails and roadways for the enjoyment and transportation of residents and visitors. Ongoing efforts of the group include the design and development of a multi-use path around Baldwin Lake, as well as one between Stanfield Cutoff and Division, and the pursuit of funding for a Valley-wide master plan of trails both on the Valley floor and perimeter mountains; they are also working with the City and County as developments are proposed, to incorporate right of way access and funding for the multi-use paths. A long-term goal of the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation is to explore the possibility of providing a trail guide and information service.
To fund these efforts, the foundation will next week host their first fundraiser, billed as “Pizza and Pizzazz”; all-you-can-eat pizza (for $15), as well as salad and soft drinks, will be provided at Maggio’s in the Interlaken Center, and the pizzazz will be provided by local entertainers Mike Cross and Emily Dunn, as well as Brian Adams, Kim Boda, Steve Cassling, Beth Gardner, John Grandi, Elena Peavy, Nancy Walker and Ty Warren. The entire community is invited to the February 9 event, from 5 to 8pm, to enjoy pizza and pizzazz and find out more about the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation. For more information on Pizza and Pizzazz, see our event listing or call Phil Hamilton at 585-3467; for more on the Trails Foundation, visit their website at BigBearValleyTrailsFoundation.org.

Get Outdoors! The Big Bear Discovery Center Provides Plenty of Opportunities in Saturday’s Celebration of National Get Outdoors Day

The Big Bear Discovery Center will, this Saturday, June 13, offer a number of fun outdoor activities as the San Bernardino National Forest Association celebrates National Get Outdoors Day, which is featured at 60 different sites on public lands throughout the U.S. Our local “Go Day” features a number of activities, many of them designed for youth, that launch from the DC, including the 9:30am Seven Summits Youth Challenge; this free hike to Bertha Peak with 12-year-old mountaineer Jordan Romero is a challenge for 9 to 15-year-olds of all fitness levels. Other programs offered at the Discovery Center on Saturday, between 9am and 3pm, include gold panning, guided nature walks, small fry fishing, and birdhouse building. At 11:30am, there will be a group fun run along the Alpine Pedal Path, and this is open to all runners and walkers, as well as parents with strollers, those in wheelchairs, and leashed dogs. The SBNFA’s Go Day wraps with an outdoor concert featuring Eagles tribute band The Long Run at 7pm; adult tickets are $20 each, $10 for teens, and free for children 12 and under. Proceeds from the June 13 concert will benefit the Lighthouse Project’s Peace Gardens program and Forest Aid.

Pancake Breakfast in Memory of Hiker Dean Christy Will Allow for Community GPS Devices; Mobile Health Clinic Will Also Be at Saturday Event

County Supervisor Neil Derry is planning to attend a pancake breakfast hosted by the Green Valley Lake Disaster Recovery Foundation this Saturday (May 23), as proceeds will be used to purchase GPS devices in memory of hiker Dean Christy. In January of 2008, 62-year-old hiker Christy had become disoriented when hiking near his Green Valley Lake cabin in a snowstorm; despite the efforts of a nine-day Search and Rescue operation, it wasn’t until three months to the day later that Christy’s body was located within two miles of Green Valley Lake. Proceeds from Saturday’s 8am breakfast at the Green Valley Lake Clubhouse will go toward the purchase of global positioning satellite devices that will be available for use by area hikers. Says Supervisor Derry, “Allowing hikers to check out GPS devices like one would rent a movie at the video store is an innovative idea. This project will undoubtedly save lives.” In addition to Derry’s attendance at the breakfast, offered at a suggested donation of $5, will be Christy’s wife, Joan, and Assemblyman Paul Cook. (The Green Valley Lake Clubhouse is located at 33268 Green Valley Lake Road; for more info call 867-1946.) Also in Green Valley Lake, at the same location on Saturday morning, the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s Mobile Health Clinic will be offering diabetes/glucose screenings, body fat analysis, and high blood pressure screenings to mountain residents.

Devitos Lead Saturday Morning Hike to Grays Peak, the Second Climb in the Seven Summits Challenge

The Seven Summits of Big Bear challenge continues tomorrow, as hikers are welcome to join fitness experts Ted and Heather Devito to tackle the second in a series, Grays Peak, at 9am. Grays Peak has been added to the list this year, the second in the Seven Summits challenge, as Butler Peak is still closed due to fire damage from 2007. The Grays Peak hike, which launches from the trailhead just west of Fawnskin, is a steady, three-mile climb with about 1,000 vertical feet of climbing; from the peak, hikers can enjoy views of Big Bear Lake, Fawnskin and the high desert, as well as the re-growth sprouting up in the Butler #2 Fire burn areas. Before joining others in the Seven Summits challenge tomorrow morning, hikers should pick up a Seven Summits punch card, available at Fawnskin’s North Shore Trading Company and the Big Bear Discovery Center, as well as Equada Outfitters, Sol Food Market and the Mountain Fitness Center. Remaining hikes in the Seven Summits series include Gold Mountain on June 27, Sugarlump/Bear Peak on July 19, Delamar Mountain on August 1, Sugarloaf Mountain on August 22 and the biggie, San Gorgonio, on September 19.

Trekkin’ Through: Pacific Crest Trail Hikers Stop in Big Bear During Their Cross-Country Adventure

The annual trek along the Pacific Crest Trail, from the U.S./Mexico border north to nearly Canada, is underway as both hikers and equestrians partake in the adventure, many of them stopping in the Big Bear Valley for postal service, supplies and showers. This year there are more hikers on the PCT, according to Suzanne Wilson, a regional rep for the Pacific Crest Trail Association, a non-profit partner with the U.S. Forest Service. As Wilson tells KBHR, “We have a lot more people on the trail this year and it could be due to the economy, since it is a fun and relatively inexpensive adventure.” This season, during which PCTers arrive in Big Bear anytime between late March and mid-June, over 450 “thru” hiking permits have been issued by the PCTA, and over 500 section permits for portions of the trail, as some hikers tackle just a bit each year, rather than making the complete (and often arduous) trail, which includes both deserts and the Sierras. The Pacific Crest Trail drops into the Big Bear area just southeast of Heart Bar off Highway 38, goes over Onyx Summit, travels east of Baldwin Lake, then goes along the Valley’s northern ridge by Bertha Peak, and beyond Fawnskin—roughly 93 miles ’round our Valley, by the time hikers get to Lake Silverwood. Jim Dooley of the North Shore Trading Company tells KBHR, “The Pacific Crest Trail is only a mile and a half or so from Fawnskin—we can drive to it on one of the 3N roads—so hikers can drop down to Fawnskin for supplies.” To that end, the Fawnskin Chamber of Commerce this year placed an ad in the PCT magazine. According to Peter Fulkerson, a board member for the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association and owner of Equada Outfitters, “By the time they get to Big Bear, they’re rethinking their stuff. We get a lot of people looking for new shoes, or fuel for their cook stoves.” Fulkerson notes that they often stop at post offices to mail some things forward, such as an ice ax or heavier clothes that they won’t need for the desert leg of the journey. In fact, the Big Bear City Post Office has a wall of photos of PCTers, each including the nickname they picked up on the trail, their age and where they’re from. As PCTA’s Wilson says, “The backgrounds and ages of the hikers and equestrians who travel the PCT are of a wide variety and include all levels of experience. Folks come from all over, including Europe and South America.”

Seven Summits Challenge Hits the Trail on May 2

Ted and Heather Devito, current title holders for the Fastest Bears in the Bear, are once again challenging the mountain’s residents and visitors to join them in conquering the Seven Summits of Big Bear. Seven climbs are planned, starting next Saturday, May 2, to the seven highest peaks surrounding the Big Bear Valley as a means of experiencing the Valley—and health—from a heightened perspective. Butler Peak is still closed due to fire damage in ’07, so Grays Peak will be added to the list of summits that includes Bertha Peak, Gold Mountain, Sugarlump/Bear Peak, Delamar Mountain, Sugarloaf Mountain and, the biggie, San Gorgonio, which will be the seventh summit, to be climbed on September 19. To track each peak conquered, climbers will need a punch card, which is available online at SevenSummitsOfBigBear.org, or from local merchants, including the Mountain Fitness Center, Equada Outfitters, the North Shore Trading Company, Sol Food Market, and the Big Bear Discovery Center.