The trails around Big Bear Lake, CA, enjoy a rich mountain biking heritage. Big Bear has played host to several World Championships and has the potential to become an outstanding riding destination for cyclists of all styles and abilities. Over the past few years, the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation (BBVTF) has grown into a well-known and well-respected group of multi-use, non-motorized trail advocates, with the goal of developing a vibrant trail network in partnership with the San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF).
The current focus of the BBVTF’s work is the Skyline Trail, a planned, 15- to 20-mile network of singletrack to be located on a ridge just to the south of the ski resort. The trail will be designed inside a firebreak and will have options to ride short loops or the entire trail. “The Skyline project stands to become a premiere mountain bike trail network in southern California and within the Western states,” says Patrick Kell, IMBA Southwest Region Director.
Recently, the BBVTF held a showing of the documentary Pedal Driven to a packed audience. The group presented its work and committed $40,000 in cash and in-kind volunteer time to the project. The USFS committed $80,000 to the project. “Our partnership with the trails foundation is the example of how land stewardship is going to happen in the future,” says District Ranger Scott Tangenberg. “It’s the peoples’ forest; they are here to take care of it. I want to facilitate that and encourage their help.”
The work on the Skyline Trail has fostered a positive relationship between the BBVTF and the SBNF that has led to the consideration of the South Shore trail network, including a desire to maximize connectivity of the existing system so it best meets the needs of a variety of trail users. IMBA Trail Solutions will likely be contracted this summer to begin the planning process of the Skyline Trail. Kell hopes to see construction begin as early as late summer.
Copied from IMBA Trail News, Summer 2012
