Monday, July 17, 2023

Big Bear Jeep Trip

On a hot weekend, Jyoti and I head up to Big Bear for some jeep trails.  We started the long slog up to Morongo Valley and made a short stop in Pioneer Town.  We then headed up Burns Canyon which winded its way up from the desert up to the pines of Big Bear.  The views and terrain were awesome.  We made several stops at various mines or other points of interest.  Luckily, I think the heat kept folks away as we saw very little traffic.  Once up at Big Bear, we stopped at the Discovery Center to cool off a bit and pick up a brochure for our next trail, the Gold Fever Trail.  We had a great time following the trail to historic points from the gold rush period.  Along the way, we found a nice campsite so set up our tent to hold it while we finished the trail.  After the Gold Fever Trail, we went into town for a nice lunch at the 5-paw rated Nottingham's restaurant.  We finished up in town by walking the village which was pretty crowded.  Heading back up to camp, we stopped at Holcomb Valley Ranch which took over the old Boy Scout camp.  It was a nice camp and a good option if you have a large group.  Back in camp, we finished setting up and had a nice somewhat cool night.
Next morning, we woke up early, packed up and headed down Van Dusen Canyon.  The canyon was very pleasant the trail very easy.  After a stop at Moonridge Coffee, we took the short but nice Sand Canyon Road to meet up with Wildhorse Meadow.  This trail headed south and we eventually got back on pavement and headed home.
It was a great trip with awesome off road trails and good camping.  It was also Lily's first time camping and she did great, but I don't think she likes the car ride very much.

Lily in the tent

Looking north from Wildhorse Meadow trail

Exploring Pioneertown

Entering a mine

Our campsite