Big Bear · Trails & routes
Maple Hills Trail System
Easy/Moderate multi-use community trail network on private property
Heads up
Private land — access depends on how we all behave
Visit Big Bear states plainly that the Maple Hills trail system sits on private property and public use is dependent upon responsible behaviour. Follow the posted rules, stay on the trail, and treat access as a privilege that can be withdrawn.
Managed by BVUSD Education Foundation (private property — public use by permission)
A multi-use community trail network on the north side of Big Bear City. Visit Big Bear rates it Easy/Moderate and describes it as sitting on private property, with public use dependent upon responsible behaviour.
The BVUSD Education Foundation, which built the system, says over 10 miles of trail have been constructed, consisting of four primary loops, with system maps posted at the Baldwin Lane, Shore Drive and high school access points.
It is the valley's everyday walking, running and riding network rather than a forest destination — close to town, gently rolling, and shared with other users and wildlife.
Getting there
- Visit Big Bear lists access from Shore Drive or from Big Bear High School.
- The BVUSD Education Foundation also shows trail access from Baldwin Lane, just west of Baldwin Lane Elementary School, and access near the corner of Shore Drive and Highway 38.
- The Foundation asks visitors not to block the gates, including the gate to the Peery Reservoir near the high school access.
- System maps are posted on-site at the Baldwin Lane, Shore Drive and high school access points — we do not reproduce the trail map here.
Popular loops in this network
Named routes as mapped by the guides below. We don't publish distances, grades or conditions of our own — open a link for the map and stats.
Baldwin Loop
One of the network's best-known loops, mapped by riders and hikers.
MTB Project map ↗Lookout Loop
Mapped by AllTrails as part of the Maple Hill trail system.
AllTrails map ↗Dixie Lee Loop
Listed in the Maple Hill Trails network on rider-maintained maps.
MTB Project map ↗School Loop Trail
Loop off the high school side of the network.
MTB Project map ↗Sawmill Loop
Short singletrack loop within the same network.
MTB Project map ↗
Safety & etiquette
- Allowed uses as published: hiking, trail running and mountain biking. Motorised vehicles are not permitted.
- Bikers yield to hikers and horses; hikers yield to horses.
- Dogs must be kept on a leash, and all pet waste must be removed.
- All trail users agree to respect wildlife and refrain from littering — pack out everything you bring in.
Community information — not from an official source
Individual loop names above come from rider- and hiker-maintained guides (MTB Project, AllTrails), not from the landowner or a public agency. We link them so you can read their maps and stats at the source; we don't restate distances, grades or times here. A 'Maple Hill Perimeter Loop' is often mentioned locally, but we found no mapped source we could point you to, so we leave it out.
Keep exploring nearby
- Baldwin Lake Ecological Reserve →
Pebble plains and wintering bald eagles east of the lake
- Big Bear Discovery Center →
The forest's visitor information hub on the north shore
- Cougar Crest Trail 1E22 →
North-shore climb that meets the Pacific Crest Trail
What we don't publish
Current trail conditions, snow, mud, closures, loop distances, grades and parking availability: information currently unavailable here. Read the maps posted at the access points and the linked guides.