Ride Report Skyline Trail

Ever have one of those days when you feel like everything is right in the world? I know, it probably doesn’t happen often. When the perfect trail comes along, I can’t help but feel as if all my worries are washed away with a fresh, heaping helping of singletrack and epic views. Nothing beats Mother Nature. Big Bear is one of those magical places. Only an hour away from my home I can visit this great little mountain town filled with beauty, a gorgeous lake and some amazing trails.

Let me back up a little. Tuesday, while reading STR, I came across a ride report for what looked to be an awesome trail up in Big Bear. Looked like new dirt for me and that is alway something I strive for. Riding the same local dirt can get rather monotonous. I saved the route from Geoladders to my Garmin 500 and decided I needed to get my tires dirty. Yesterday, my neighbor Katy and I took the day away and headed up the mountain. The mapping suggested the trailhead was somewhere off Mill Creek Road. As usual, we parked, loaded up our packs, flipped on the Garmin and made way for the trail. After searching for the trailhead in all directions watching as my Garmin was epic failing all over the place, we decided to take off and ride elsewhere. We found a few spots that looked like it could have been the trailhead but unfortunately the Garmin was bouncing around all over and every time it seemed we were getting closer to the START, it then said we were almost a half mile away. FAIL.

Feeling a little bewildered, I made an executive decision to ride somewhere I knew would be good dirt even though it wasn’t new to me. With our bikes loaded back on the rack, we made way for the 2N10 just outside Bear Mountain off Moonridge Road. Although I wasn’t excited about the impending miles of fire road that we needed to traverse before getting to some good singletrack, it was new dirt to Katy so there was that. Less than a mile from the start, I spotted what looked to be a nice singletrack trail just off the side of the 2N10 following us. At this point, I had no idea what we were about to ride.

We hopped off the 2N10 and proceeded to discover the newest trail in Big Bear, Skyline. I had only briefly read about this trail on STR but had no idea where it was or just how amazing it would be. Instantly, we were riding buff singletrack, countless switchbacks, small rock gardens, crazy beautiful views the entire way and even found a few pump track like sections. Every time I looked back to see how Katy was doing, she pulled up with a smile running from ear to ear. Several times throughout our ride both of us cheered and yelled, “Oh my god this is amazing where the hell are we!?” Then, we finally spotted a trail marker. We were indeed on Skyline.

We continued on Skyline for around 5 more miles just shy of Clark’s Grade. It was getting late in the day and we hated leaving Skyline behind. Just below the 2N10 we made our way to Plantation Trail, another fun, fast singletrack section, down into town. As the dirt turned to pavement, we realized we were back on Mill Creek Road. Laughing hysterically as we passed the earlier spot where we had parked the car and gotten lost. As we made our way down Big Bear Blvd, stopping at Bear Valley Bikes to see what the shop had going on and learn a little more about the trail we had just finished. As usual, Derek and his staff are amazingly nice people and always willing to help and chat you up about the local trails. We learned that Skyline is already 8.5 miles long with more miles planned for 2013. Instantly, I knew I was coming back to ride the entire length, maybe even both directions. Katy picked up one of their kits to wear during her upcoming Xterra Triathlon and I grabbed a couple new water bottles.

With several pavement miles ahead of us back to the car, we made our way to Moonridge and up to the 2N10. Do yourself a favor, visit Big Bear and get on this trail. Riding this during the week, we had the entire trail to ourselves. Seriously, not one other person was out there. It was quite magical. Enjoy the photos below and have a blast!









***20 more images on my site. Yes, I am too lazy to copy and paste them all here, haha. agentlemansword.com

Can't wait to go back!


Jordan ​

 

Bummer ya got lost.....or the Garmin failed. That Geoladders route had zero pavement riding.

Really a fun trail though. Can't wait to check out the whole trail when it is completed.

 

Thanks Jay. Yeah, I just wasn't sure where to start. Did you start by climbing Pine Knot? Where we parked off Mill there was a little signpost also with a break in the fence that looked like the start too but the mapping started saying we were way off trail. We looked all around the Oak Knoll Lodge and it kept bouncing us around. Someone needs to take a picture of the actual trailhead.

 

Yeah, we started right at the corner of the Park just a bit in on Mill Creek Rd.

You start on Pine Knot, but take the left fork that begins to lead you over towards Towne Trail. We have done Pine Knot a bunch of times, so I am already familiar with where it dumps out.

 

Good to know. We went up Pine Knot a little bit to see if the GPS regained control, negative. It started saying I was a mile off trail. Oh well. Next time I am going to start and do the entire Skyline trail the same direction. I wouldn't have wanted to go the opposite which it sounded like you guys may have done? More fun descending it from Moonridge towards Mill Creek.

 

Skyline must be the best XC singletrack trail in Socal now. Probably one of the best i've ever ridden anywhere. And with the ability to connect to so much other singltrack, BB now again is at the top for MTB in SoCal.

 

We do a clockwise loop starting at Snow Summit. Up Fern Trail to 2N10, across Skyline to Treat or Treat, 2N10 to 2N17, to Hoe Chi Min Trail, to Town Trail and back to Snow Summit Parking lot.

Dean

 

Dean are you on Strava? I'd love to see this trail map. If you have a link to it anywhere online let me know I'd like to grab it.

 

I only take a GPS when in new areas so I have no Big Bear Tracks. If you can find the Folley 2.0 map it is a easy route to find except for the top of Treat or Treat. At the insistance of the Forest Service many trails have been removed from the Folley 3.0 map.

 

Glad you have fun, sorry you got lost. Was it my geoladders route you were following? On my route, I started at the mill creek picnic spot, then up pine knot to the meadow and down fire road to ho-chi-man trail to town trail. I may have screwed you up since I turned my GPS on at the cabin. Its a really good idea to have a map and GPS up there because there are so many trails without markers.

Skyline was such a good idea,as it really makes riding riding across the ridgeline so much fun. I wish there was also a singletrack across the bottom linking into Town so that you didn't have to climb all the way back up pine knot from the picnic area to get to Snow Summit when you take the far west side trails all the way down.

Do you know if "secret trail" was one of these on that map? I have been looking for that one, but don't know if it actually is an "official" trail.

 

Thank you for the RR, Jordan! I can't wait to hit Skyline as well. My trip is planned for the end of July - I honestly don't think I can hold out much longer!!

 

Dean, does this route cut out the horrid steep climbing on Town Trail (that you have to do coming from Pineknot)?

Gorgeous pics! Definitely one of my new favorite trails! Thanks for sharing =)

 

Skyline trail is fun.

 

It seems like maybe a dozen trails have been removed on the new map. There is a Folley map packet being sold at Bear Valley Bikes that has the removed trails in small grey dots with the trail names removed. That is as good as your are going to get unless you have the older maps.

Some of it but you still have climbing on 2N17.

 

Great RR!
If anyone is planning to do Skyline and XC type rides up there this next week, I'd love to have a tour guide...

 

I ride that area a few times a year. I always start from my sister-in-law's cabin on Metcalf bay and head towards Tulip then to Mill Creek Road. Climb 2N10 to Plantation. Take Plantation until it reconnects with 2N10. Jump on Skyline. Ride it east all the way over to Snow Summit or further. Do some laps at SS if you want. Head back over to Skyline the other direction (west) and descend Pine Knot Trail where Skyline, 7 Oaks, and Grandview intersect (just off 2N10). Another option down includes Cabin 89, but I've never done that.

Great Ride Report and beautiful pictures!

 

I'm going to sample Skyline on Saturday. It's getting lots of good comments lately. I'm looking forward to it.

 

I rode most of what's there a few weeks ago. I decided it was my favorite Big Bear trail. I need to go back for more. Maybe soon, since it's so damn hot here right now.

 

Not the most detailed mP but more than enough to follow all of those trails: the new Snow Summit mountain biking trail map. Get a printed copy from the lifts. Or pick it up on their website. Ire than sufficient to follow all of the above trails.

 

Nice pics and report.
This looks like a trail I'd really like. This is now going on me schedule in the next few seeks.