Back at my all time favorite place to backpack, Trinity Alps Wilderness!!
This time we are backpacking to Big Bear Lake!
TRAVEL TIME: 4 hours north of Sacramento, located off Highway 3, about 30 minutes north of Trinity Center
DIFFICUTLY: HARD.
LENGTH: 2 night stay (June 26 – 27)
DISTANCE: 8.5 Miles there and back
As always, I HIGHLY recommend using the Alltrials app! Always informative!
Click here to download the Big Bear Lake via Big Bear Trail
The actual trailhead was difficult for us to find!
Look for Sunflower Cabins! If you are coming up Highway 3, heading north, the turn will be on your left, and take another left heading towards the sunflower cabins. (not the steep hill to your right per experience) Drive down the dirt path for 10 minutes and you will be at the trailhead!
We got to the trailhead at 6pm. (would have been 5pm if we could have found the trailhead!) I would not recommend hiking a trail you have never done before in the dark. By the time we made it to the top, we could not see the correct trail.
A couple mistakes that were made:
- Being my first backpacking trip of the 2020, I 100% over packed. I would say my pack was around 40-50 lbs. Less is best!
- I only packed pants. I honestly have never backpacked in shorts to protect my legs. but I overheated within the first 10 minutes and Jordan had to let me wear his basketball shorts the rest of the weekend. Bring Shorts!
- This is a hard freakin hike! It took us 6 hours to get to the top, while it only took us 3 hours to get back to our car. Mentally prepare!
This hike is 4 miles of STRAIGHT INCLINE. I am not going to lie, I struggled! (It definitely feels a lot longer than 4 miles)
The bugs are BAD, especially during our evening hike up. Bring Bug Spray!
We did not make it to the lake that first night because of the darkness. We turned back to a boulder campsite we had just passed and set up camp at 12 a.m.!
I will say the best part of getting up so late was that we were up till 2 a.m. and got to experience one of the clearest sky’s I have every seen! Milky Way was the milkiest!
Waking up to the sunrise is something real special.
Looking at the positive side of hiking in at night is waking up and seeing what is actually around you! Trinity Alps Wilderness never disappoints.
We were up at 7am, packed up our site and headed to Big Bear Lake!
The lake was only 5 minutes away from our boulder campsite… we were so close! Definitely had a good laugh at the trail we tried to take the night before vs the one we should have taken to the lake. But everything happens for a reason! & we were able to snag a prime campsite on the water as a couple were heading out in the early morning!
- There were three main campsites along the lake when you first walk up. (We were able to get one of these!)
- There are a number of campsites in the rocks/boulders right next to the lake that have easy access to water.
- & There are a couple of nice campsites on the other side of the lake. We tried to get to those spots but could not reach them. (later that day we saw a group scale the side of the mountain with ease to get to those campsites, I guess it might look scary and not doable but it can be done.)
You cant go wrong with any of these campsites!!!
From there we set up our new campsite and enjoyed the day!
Check out the video below to see what your in store for at Big Bear Lake!
Make sure to pack a swim suit! Take a dip in the crystal clear Alpine Lake! There seriously is nothing more magical and peaceful than swimming in untouched water.
This time of the year, the wildflowers were poppin off!! Some of the most stunning wildflowers I have ever seen! Everywhere you turned there was a vibrant color catching your eye! The California Carpenter Bees were having a ball!
The biggest Dandelion Flower I have ever seen! 
I mean this cotton candy flower looks like it came out of a Dr. Seuss book!
All in all, Big Bear Lake is breathtaking and it is totally worth the 6 hours it took of straight up hill. It is worth the struggle! To be able to experience something so pristine! Definitely do this hike!
Red-headed Woodpecker! 
Trinity Alps Wilderness just takes your breath away!
With a pandemic going on right now, I can’t recommend it enough to get outside, connect with Mother Nature as much as possible, and breath in that fresh air! She makes me be present in the moment, rather than being anxious about the future.
Get your hike on & Stay Kind,
Such an amazing looking hike! I can only imagine what awe you stood in once you got to the Alpine lake. I would love to take my cat on a hike there one day, that’s for sure!
Such an awesome looking hike!!! I can only imagine the awe you stood in as you reached the Alpine lake in the morning. I would like to take my cat on this hike if I ever get the chance, she really likes rocks! Do you think it is a pet friendly hike?
The hike it pet friendly! We saw dogs and even horses!
Found your review from Alltrails, thanks for the detailed post. I always forget bug spray. I thinking of heading up for a day trip of fishing!
I am going to have to put this on my list. Looks like a great backpack. – Pursuing Balance Through Adventure
can you camp at little bear lake?
I have heard of people camping at little bear lake! It looked like a difficult climb to get to, so just prepare to scale rocks and boulders.