Meadows. Mt. San Gorgonio. Oaks. Dense forest. Views of Big Bear Lake. Wildflowers. A campground. Terrific trailhead with picnicking. There are any number of reasons to enjoy a day on Pine Knot Trail; these are a few.

    Add to this a seasonal trickling stream. In autumn, some of the best fall colors in Big Bear. Grandview Point, one of the most spellbinding, 360-degree views to be enjoyed this side of the Sierras. The list of reasons to enjoy this centrally-located, three mile path--tack on another quarter-mile to Grandview Point--is a long one, which is why it attracts a wide variety of users as well.

    Photographer John Daskam and I thought we’d seen every kind of user on Pine Knot Trail before our outing last month. Hikers like ourselves enjoy the challenging but not-too-strenuous uphill climb that features occasional level stretches and descents along the way. By the time you’ve huffed and puffed to forest road 2N10 (Skyline Drive) high above the south ridge of Big Bear Valley, you’ve experienced an elevation gain of several hundred feet that feels like much more.

    For mountain bikers, Pine Knot Trail is one of the main components of a popular ride from Snow Summit, and it features some of the most preferred singletrack riding around. On our trek Dan from Maine was enjoying the not-too-steep descents along the way and he stopped to have a chat. “My wife was attending a convention in Orange County and I heard there was good riding up here so we decided to make a vacation of it,” he said.

    Yet we were introduced to a hardcore of another kind. We were on our way back from Grandview Point, about halfway down the trail, when a guy rounded a bend running up the path. “Does this lead to the point?” he asked in between gasps for air. We nodded, and he continued at a near- sprint over rocks, pine needles and tree roots. Hiking, biking, and horseback riding we understood; running up Pine Knot Trail seemed an unfathomable concept.

    For starters, you’d be missing out on some of the most scenic country around. With every step Pine Knot Trail radiates beauty; small wildflowers were out on our visit, blue and yellow and red, creating a colorful forest mosaic that blended in with pine trees and oaks. The green found in the lush meadow near Deer group camp was refreshing and cool on a summer day.

    Run the trail and you might miss the great views too. Peek-a-boo vistas of Big Bear Lake become more prominent as you climb, when Holloway’s Marina, Pleasure Point Landing, and the dam gradually emerge from behind trees. Near the top, Mt. San Gorgonio, at 11,502 ft. the highest point in Southern California, suddenly rises into the sky in dramatic fashion.

    The real reward of Pine Knot Trail is not the workout nor the scenery and views. An extended stay at Grandview Point is something every hiker, biker, rider or yes, even runner, should experience. The quarter-mile path to the Point leads from 2N10 at the end of Pine Knot Trail to a fingerlike peninsula that juts out from the south ridge over and above the Santa Ana River canyon, and really it’s a world into itself.

    Grandview is almost like an island in the sky, a place of rocks and trees and breezes and unending views. On a clear day you can see clear to the basin and even Catalina Island, though for such clarity you pretty much have to get there early in the morning; otherwise the smog and haze of the basin obscures the far-reaching views and can even drift into the canyon on really gloomy days.

    —by Marcus Dietz

    Pine Knot Trail is located on Millcreek Rd. off the boulevard. Adventure Pass required to park at the trailhead; call (909) 866-3437.