It’s December 24 and I figure I should get my money’s worth out of my 2013 fishing license.
It may be Christmas Eve but I’m off to Big Bear to go for a run.
Or a hike.
Or both.
With possibly a side trip for fishing thrown in.
With possibly a side trip for fishing thrown in.
I tried to look up info on this Bear Creek hike I am attempting today before hand and could find almost no information on the hike online.
I honestly had no clue how long the hike would take me and was prepared for everything today.
I brought enough snacks to last all day in case I ended up hiking sixteen miles today. I didn’t have to get ready for church until four so I had enough time in case the hike turned out to be very long.
It was frustrating not to be able to find details for this hike online when Bear Creek is a very popular spot to fish.
From what I have read online it seemed that taking the Glory Ridge route would be an easier way to go but the details on how to get to the trail head and the mileage of the hike are pretty much non existent.
The only reason I know where this trail head is was because I stumbled upon it last winter on a lark.
I honestly had no clue how long the hike would take me and was prepared for everything today.
I brought enough snacks to last all day in case I ended up hiking sixteen miles today. I didn’t have to get ready for church until four so I had enough time in case the hike turned out to be very long.
It was frustrating not to be able to find details for this hike online when Bear Creek is a very popular spot to fish.
I’m hoping this blog will help some one out with details for this awesome hike.
The fishing at Bear Creek for native trout is suppose to be spectacular.
I visited Bear Creek for the first time a few weeks ago, via the Snow Valley route. That hike was about five miles round trip from Snow Valley, all in the sun, south facing switch backs, well maintained trail and super steep with a ton of elevation gain.
From what I have read online it seemed that taking the Glory Ridge route would be an easier way to go but the details on how to get to the trail head and the mileage of the hike are pretty much non existent.The only reason I know where this trail head is was because I stumbled upon it last winter on a lark.
I was really just guessing how long this hike would take.
I was trying to find info on how to get to Bear Creek via Angeles Oaks, what I have heard explained as the easy way and I could not find details on how to do this route.
To do the Bear Creek via Glory Ridge route you take highway 18 towards Big Bear Lake. You make a right on Glory Ridge Road a mile below Big Bear Dam.
This area is at a high altitude and I was unsure how much snow would be on the dirt Glory Ridge Road.
As I began driving down the incredibly steep Glory Ridge Road the dirt road became snowy and icy fast and I ended up parking about a mile down the road, instead of driving the icy corners with no guard rails.
I parked a mile from the trail head and ran down the rest of the road, the elevation gain would not be to bad on most of the road going back to my car later.
The reason I have never done this trail before was that I have heard the trail is not maintained and there are a lot of rattlesnakes here, except for a few months in winter.
The fishermen’s survey trail sign had been graffitied saying “horrible trail, don’t go!” and it made me wonder, how bad can the trail really be?
I mean unless you are on the trail in Compton you are still on a dirt trail in the forest, how can that be so horrible?
As I began going down the trail I was so thankful I had my trekking poles.
This trail was really steep. Large boulders and downed trees lined the path and I had to climb over and around them.
I would not suggest doing this trail with out poles, they really helped keep good footing in the loose sandy trail.
I was really surprised as I made my way through the pine and manzanita forest as I came closer and closer to the creek bed that I could hear the creek water already.
From the trail head to the creek was only about a mile and a half hike one way! This was miles closer than I expected the hike to be!
Good news was the hike was so short; bad news was the creek was running too high to fish. I’ve been looking for good places to fish for so long, I’ve even been considering going on a chartered fishing trip (Learn More here) just so that I’m definitely able to get some great catches, and catch the sun while I’m at it, so this was disappointing. However,
I can not wait to come back here in the spring and fish with friends.
This was a awesome new fishing hole I discovered today!
Here is a recipe for one of my favorite trail snacks.
As I began driving down the incredibly steep Glory Ridge Road the dirt road became snowy and icy fast and I ended up parking about a mile down the road, instead of driving the icy corners with no guard rails.
I parked a mile from the trail head and ran down the rest of the road, the elevation gain would not be to bad on most of the road going back to my car later.
The reason I have never done this trail before was that I have heard the trail is not maintained and there are a lot of rattlesnakes here, except for a few months in winter.
The fishermen’s survey trail sign had been graffitied saying “horrible trail, don’t go!” and it made me wonder, how bad can the trail really be?
I mean unless you are on the trail in Compton you are still on a dirt trail in the forest, how can that be so horrible?As I began going down the trail I was so thankful I had my trekking poles.
This trail was really steep. Large boulders and downed trees lined the path and I had to climb over and around them.
I would not suggest doing this trail with out poles, they really helped keep good footing in the loose sandy trail.
I was really surprised as I made my way through the pine and manzanita forest as I came closer and closer to the creek bed that I could hear the creek water already.
From the trail head to the creek was only about a mile and a half hike one way! This was miles closer than I expected the hike to be!
Good news was the hike was so short; bad news was the creek was running too high to fish. I’ve been looking for good places to fish for so long, I’ve even been considering going on a chartered fishing trip (Learn More here) just so that I’m definitely able to get some great catches, and catch the sun while I’m at it, so this was disappointing. However,
I can not wait to come back here in the spring and fish with friends.
This was a awesome new fishing hole I discovered today!
Here is a recipe for one of my favorite trail snacks.
Thai Trail Mix
One bag Trader Joes spicy Thai trail mix
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup flaked roasted coconut
Mix all the ingredients together, put in plastic bags for hiking trips.
Comments
Have you ever gone back to Bear Creek recently? Is a sedan able to drive down to the end Glory Ridge Rd before the trailhead?
Thanks
If you drive slow you could make it down there in a car, not a SUV or truck.
If the road gets to bad there are turnouts to park a long the way.