Snow Summit Mountain Bike Park

Snow Summit Mountain Biking Trails

I just got back from an afternoon mountain biking session at Snow Summit and I was extremely impressed.  The park opened this year, so there wasn’t a lot of information about it online. The lift tickets for the afternoon 1pm-5pm session are very reasonably priced at 22$. If you have to rent a bike, this is where they’re going to hit your wallet. Bike rentals start at 59$, not including the 10$ damage waiver.  The rental bikes are higher end Trek XC models with full suspension. We brought our own bikes, so it wasn’t an issue for us anyway.

The lift takes approximately 10 minutes to reach the Summit. Your bike rides up the mountain on a separate lift from a metal hanger. Our first run of the day started on the easy fire road trail 2N10. This trail is a wide double lane fire road with no obstacles or rocks. We skipped the turnout for the Coyote Trail that went back to the lift and headed down the Pine Nut Trail instead. I would call Pine Nut an intermediate trail. It was mostly single track with  quite a few small obstacles. A fairly novice rider could manage this trail is they were in good shape and not too clumsy. This route required a small amount of uphill riding, which is much harder at 10,000 feet above sea level.  I definitely wouldn't take my mom down Pine Nut. From the bottom of the trail, there is a 2.5 mile ride back through town on Big Bear Blvd to the resort. I wasn't expecting this, but the lake is beautiful in the summer and it was a fun ride. This would have been a good last run of the day to cool down. This run took up 90 minutes with a few small breaks in the middle for picture taking.

Read More

West Fork Trail

West Fork Trail Waterfall

The West Fork Trail is actually a paved road that runs approximately 7 miles to a small campground. It’s a very easy hike with plenty of shade, bathrooms, and almost no elevation gain. I saw a ton of people pushing strollers and young kids riding razor scooters on memorial weekend. The trail runs parallel to a creek with a ton of fishing areas, swimming holes, and sandy beaches. There are several decent sized waterfalls along the trail on the tributaries that feed the creek. Several of the seasonal waterfalls along the upper part of the trail are fed by a natural spring and are probably potable. After passing the campground, the road climbs steeply out of the canyon for an additional mile to the Cogswell Dam. We had to walk our bikes up the last stretch of the road to get to the dam. There are several confusing “No Trespassing” signs at the top of the hill, but these refer to the private homes and not to the road itself. You can actually ride your bike across the dam, which was a pretty awesome and unexpected bonus. Although the road is open only to foot traffic and bikes, you will likely encounter the occasional construction or maintenance vehicle along the road. Bring plenty of water and snacks and make sure to have plenty of time to make it the dam and explore all the waterfalls along the way.

The trailhead is located about 14 miles north of the 210 freeway in Azusa on route 39.

Read More