Dunno about you, but around here we’ve been itching for an adventure. After more than a year of lockdown and the stress of starting two companies (yes, GX Basecamp is just a side-gig!), a little time to unwind and connect with nature was quite welcome. So we decided to escape to the nearest mountains with a calm trail where we could enjoy the breeze in the trees and some peace and quiet. Big Bear turned out to be just the ticket.
We were lucky enough to score some beta on a stellar campsite with a view (above) before hitting the Skyline Drive trail just south of Big Bear lake. This was one of our first adventures on National Forest roads, and we appreciated the ability to get out and into nature without committing to anything overly difficult on the trail. We’re honestly not in this for the rock crawling or obstacles so much as we enjoy getting out and seeing new places that we haven’t been before.
We selected Skyline Drive (aka 2N10) in the San Bernardino National Forest for just that reason.
After some debate, we opted for the East to West route (pictured above). You can tackle the trail from either direction with little consequence. The Eastern section of the trail, where we camped, proved to be higher in elevation with some nice views, but little shade. We would find on our way out that the Western portion of the trail has many more shaded campsites amongst the trees, but we’re not complaining. The view from our selected campsite was stellar, and the large pine gave us enough shade to survive the afternoon heat. (We did, however, come home and order an awning immediately!)
We may have to purchase an extra chair for this lazy pup.
Skyline Drive is an easy loop that could be done in just a couple of hours if you’d like. But this weekend, the trail was only part of the point. This trip was as much about being out in nature as it was being on the trail. We had a new tent to test out (fail! — review to come) and a new stove as well (win!). We also got to enjoy some hammock time which is never a bad thing.
Dinner was paella (yes, again — you may begin to notice a trend here). If you’re looking for a delicious, easy to cook meal that feeds and army and tastes delicious, we highly recommend this stuff:
After which we enjoyed a beautiful sunset…
The following morning was comfortably cool with utterly gorgeous sunrise views.
Coffee, breakfast, and a slow start to the morning were just fine with us before packing up the GX to head up to the north side of Big Bear lake. We’d heard about a nice loop on easy forest roads that were were interested in checking out. Of course, we were shocked to find the town of Big Bear suddenly looked like rush hour in LA due to the influx in tourists swinging through for the weekend.
After grabbing a quick lunch, we hustled north to enjoy another relaxing loop on the trails before heading home.
All in all, a great trip! We’ll definitely be back to the area.