June 2022 Big Bear Today Magazine

Page 16—June 2022
Big Bear Today
THE BACK PAGE
2nd phase means more Maple Hills hiking
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he second phase of new hiking
trails in Big Bear’s newest system
is now open, complete with Tsignage.
Maple Hills Trails Complex in Big
Bear City sports 213 acres of hiking and
biking utopia that debuted with its first
phase in 2020. Now still more hiking has
opened, complete with the installation of
about 70 trail signs earlier this year, with a
planned third phase still to come.
Like School Loop, the primary path
in the first phase that essentially circles the
property’s perimeter at about 3.2 miles
long, the new section has a main path as
well. Baldwin Loop heads up the ridge
from the complex’s west side with a trailhead
off Big Bear Blvd. at Shore Dr. It
scales the hill above, eventually reaching
Baldwin Lane school at the top and connecting
with the Dixie Lee section.
Like School Loop, Baldwin accesses
many connectors and short sections, making
for infinite exploration possibilities.
Two steep sections, Pat’s and Tom’s,
geared to mountain bikers pays homage to
Team Big Bear founders Follett and
Spiegel, respectively, with black diamond
terrain best suited to two wheelers. Even
so I felt compelled to hump it as a two
footer on a recent outing.
Otherwise Baldwin Loop traverses
back and forth up the ridge, connecting
with School Loop to completely circumnavigate
the system. While School Loop
orbits around the high school, Baldwin
works westward to the elementary school
of the same name, tied together by a terrific
connecting path.
Indeed options abound in both phases:
Gavin’s Gulch, Two Turns and Big Pine
are but a few. As the trails work their way
around the property they pass through pine
forest, exposed manzanita and more, serving
up stunning East Valley views. In most
cases trail junctions are spread out every
third to half a mile so users remain engaged
and connected with amazing signage at
both trailheads and access points. Maple
Hills is mountain hiking done right!
While School Loop, paralleling Maple
Drive, at times feels pretty urban with traffic
noise in the distance before it ditches
the road, that’s not the case with Baldwin
Loop. Double and triple wide track twists
and turns along the ridge in isolation for a
real wilderness feel. Sprawling views
emerge and the only sounds are the whispers
of wind in the trees and the occasional
bird call, the only signs of civilization an
airport beacon tower the route winds past.
Amazing that there’s so much hiking
and biking in just a couple hundred acres
right above the highway! Not just hikers
and bikers benefit either; it’s ideal terrain
for high school cross country runners and
bike team members to train on and will afford
field-based learning opportunities galore.
All thanks to RCK Properties,
which in 2018 donated 213
acres to BVUSD Education
Foundation, so Maple Hills Trail
Complex is private property.
Handy during last falls forest closure,
for instance, when most
hikes were shut down by order
but not this one. Southern California
Mountains Foundation
and its Big Bear Trails program cut miles
of trail by hand and with machinery in creating
the trail system.
Maple Hill Trails is located between
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Ride Our
Double
Water
Slide
Water Slide Rides • $25 All Day • 10 Rides ... $15
• Single Ride ... $2
Summer is
NEW!!
New!
Water Slide
Season Passes!
$75 Anytime,
$60 Sun-Fri
(non-holiday)
Soaring Eagle Ride
Great at Alpine Slide!
Second phase at the new
Maple Hill Trails Complex is
now open for hiking, biking
Your Alpine Slide experience begins
with a scenic chairlift ride above the
beautiful Big Bear Lake. Then, with
you controlling the speed, your toboggan
plummets back down the mountain creating a thrill you’ll want to relive
again and again!
Now Open!
• Miniature Golf • Go Karts
• Video Game Room • Delicious Snack Bar
Parents!... Sun On Our Spacious Deck While The Kids Play!
Year-Round Family Fun
With 300 Clear Days A Year!
Big Bear Blvd. and the high school west
of Maple in Big Bear City.
—by Marcus Dietz
Visit bigbeartrails.org for information.
Cool
Summer Spot
Check website for current operating hours
www.AlpineSlideBigBear.com
FAMILY FUN! • 909.866.4626 • FAMILY FUN! • 909.866.4626 • FAMILY FUN! • 909.866.4626 • FAMILY FUN! • 909.866.4626 • FAMILY FUN! • 909.866.4626
FAMILY FUN! • 909.866.4626 • FAMILY FUN! • 909.866.4626 • FAMILY FUN! • 909.866.4626 •