SANTA ANA RIVER TRAIL

Ride type: Mostly singletrack, some fire roads, pavement; loops and out and back depending on the ride option
Elevation start and Gain: 5000 ft., Gain 1200 ft.
Topo Maps: Big Bear Lake, Moonridge
Seasons: Late spring, summer and fall
Roads: 2E03, Glass Road, Seven Oaks Road, Mill Creek Road, Forsee Creek Road, 1N45,1N04,2N06
Mileage from start: See each of the 5 options below
Approximate ride time: 2 to 6 hours depending on the ride option
Water: Campground on the Santa Ana River, Angelus Oaks
Level of Difficulty: Option 1: Beginner but challenging; Options 2-5: intermediate, challenging, technical and risky in spots
Parking: Intersection of Seven Oaks Road, Mill Creek Road & Santa Ana River
Campground: Seven Oaks Resort, San Gorgonio, Barton Flats
Nearest Services: Angelus Oaks, CA

Caution: Trail options 2 through 5 are thrilling and risky in spots and should be attempted only by experienced riders. This trail was designed and built for hikers and horses - very slow movers! Portions of the singletrack twist sharply while clinging to the sides of very steep slopes. In addition, during the fall, many of these same sections are carped with acorns. Ever ridden on marbles? Here’s your opportunity! If these turns are taken at more than a mere crawl, or if you slip, you may be launched into space. Take plenty of food and at least two water bottles for these rides.

Getting there: From Big Bear take Highway 38. Turn Right on Glass Road, drive downhill toward Seven Oaks Campground. Follow the road past the campground and cross the Santa Ana River bridge. Park in the dirt at Mill Creek Road, a dirt road which starts just past the bridge.

Trail Map

Map to get you there

Park of the road on either side of the river (popular parking spots for fishermen) and bike up Mill Creek Road, At 0.9 mile, look for a dirt road angling back to the left. Take this up to and over the locked gate. This is Hill Ranch Road or 1N07 (formerly Forsee Creek Road). At 2.7 miles, a spur road takes off to the left that dead-ends at the top of a plateau. If you feel like a short Hike, this is perfect. If not, continue around to the right, down a short slope to Santa Ana River Trail marker, 2E03, junction branching left. Drop onto the trail here to begin riding the longest singletrack in the entire forest.

The trail crosses Forsee Creek, the flow could be heavy and deep, depending on the snow runoff and time of year. At 3.2 miles, Seven Oaks Resort is to your left at the bottom of the canyon. Look for manzanita (Spanish for little apple-the red berries are edible in the fall and taste like apple), desert sage and occasional holly. You also ride through small stands of license cedar (red, Stringy, Gnarly bark) and past many pines that have been killed by the bark beetle. The infestation became epidemic as the years of drought weakened the trees. At four miles, you cross two streams (deep if winter snows were heavy) and then cross Glass Road At 5.4 miles.