9/6/14 and 9/7/14 Ride Report (no GPX needed)
So the family went to Big Bear this last weekend and Snow Summit wasn't in the schedule #-oI will admit that I was a bit bummed that I wouldn't have the time to play around at Snow Summit, but that went away after riding Jordan's Skyline route.(
http://app.strava.com/activities/63128337). If you get the chance, do yourself a favor and go ride this trail.
Information about the trail network in Big Bear is somewhat difficult to find online, which is a shame because the online presence doesn't speak to how well the trails are marked. Here is a picture of the huge trail map that is posted at most major junctions on the Skyline trail. I was shocked to see they even include a "You are Here" marker. This allowed us to put away the GPS and just ride.
For those that want to check out a larger version of the trail map: http://s90.photobucket.com/user/YzMx...tml?sort=3&o=2
Most of the climbing is done on the 2N10 fire road, so the hard work is out of the way by the time you reach the Skyline trail head. As I mentioned before, everything is really well marked. You can see the little brown post to the right of the tree marking the single track trail head. There is also one of the awesome trail maps to the left, which you cannot see in the picture.
Once you enter into the single track, it becomes pure snaking, switchback, and BERMED bliss that goes on for miles with some technical spots and small climbs mixed in to keep it interesting. I was to busy enjoying the trail's flow to take alot of pictures, but you get the point...
The views were amazing too. There was always an ongoing conflict between riding hard to play with the trail features and riding mellow to enjoy the scenery.\\
/
Eventually, Skyline comes to 4-corners type junction between Pine Knot, Seven Oakes, 2N10, and 2N17. This is about the trail's half-way point and there are nice little benches to sit, enjoy a snack, and take in the view. Of course, you will also find a trail map and trail markers at this junction as well. In fact, this is where took the picture of the trail map I posted above.
On the first day, we continued on Jordan's route and kept following Skyline to Plantation. Skyline gets a little more technical from the junction, but still an amazing amount of fun. My only critique of Jordan's Skyline route was that there was a significant amount of fire road descending at the end of the ride. The second day, I dropped into Pine Knot in the hopes of eliminating some of the fire road descending. It did.
Pine Knot was a downhill, switch back, blast for me that might have been a bit technical for my wife. So depending on your skill level, you might consider taking Pine Knot down.
The views from Pine Knot are amazing too.
My only complaint about Skyline was that it was a bit dry and dusty, but what trail isn't dry and dusty with the current California drought? As for skill level, the beautiful thing about the Skyline trail is that it runs parallel to the 2N10 fire road. So in the event that you get over your head, you can usually drop out of the trail.
Oh! Almost forgot to mention. There are little "hidden" features, such as log rides and small rock drops, on the edges of the trail that (I believe) were purposely built into the trail. So keep you eye's open. I was actually leaning on a large log watching a rider and didn't realize it was meant to be ridden until the rider was on top of it.
Anyways, thanks again for the ride report Jordan and I will be back to that trail!
