Southern California mountain vacation ideas

Planning a vacation to Southern California should include hiking, boating, skiing or sledding in the mountains.

There are wonderful options for seeing the mountains in Southern California and many are within a 90-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles (just make sure it’s not rush hour).

The mountains amaze me since they point to the incredible varied terrain available in Southern California. Alpine forests are within an hour drive of deserts. Wildflowers from spring through early summer add color to the hillsides.

For out-of-state visitors, the mountains to the east are accessible by flying in to Ontario airport. Los Angeles International airport will have some of the lowest rates flying from major cities of the East Coast. Bob Hope Airport in Burbank allows for easy access to the San Gabriel Mountains.

Here’s my mountain vacation list for Southern California:

Idyllwild is a quiet mountain community about two hours east of Los Angeles and located above Palm Springs;

Big Bear is a year round resort with skiing, boating, hiking, and camping. One of our favorites is Serrano Campground. It’s one of the most commercialized spots located north of San Bernardino and also about two hours from downtown Los Angeles;

Lake Arrowhead is west of Big Bear. It’s not as commercial. There are numerous small communities.

Wrightwood has wonderful camping and skiing. It’s easily accessible off the 215 freeway near the 210 freeway interchange.

Mt. Baldy towers above Claremont and Upland. There is skiing and hiking. It’s visible from the 210 freeway and the 605 freeway. It’s a beautiful site when snow is on its peak which happened in May this year;

Buckhorn campground is located along the Angeles Crest Highway. It’s one of our favorite mountain getaways. It’s just over a one hour drive from our home in Altadena-Pasadena (close to the Rose Bowl). It’s fairly quiet during the week and fills up on summer weekends.

In addition, the Santa Monica Mountains to the west are quite popular with many miles of hiking trails to explore – both inland and near the ocean.

Idyllwild

There are a number of cabins to rent in Idyllwild for those taking a vacation there or in the area. Palm Springs is about a 45-minute drive for those who stay on the desert floor.

There are several hikes that can challenges the experienced hiker and ones that are mild enough for the beginning hiker. They offer wonderful views of the surrounding valleys. The Devil’s slide trail is a steep climb that meets up with the Pacific Rim Trail and can lead hikers to the tram that then carries passengers to and from Palm Springs.

A variety of shops in downtown Idyllwild make it a comfortable place to look for antiques, gifts, candy and coffee. There is a movie theater, too. The town has various festivals throughout the year.

The drive from the east and south from the Riverside and Hemet area is more curvy as I recall than the drive off Interstate 10 from Banning.

It is possible to take a day trip from LA to Idyllwild but the round trip drive will take about four hours.

Big Bear offers resort-style lodging, camping, and cabin rentals. Serrano Campground near Fawnskin is a favorite campground of ours. There are plenty of sites that are a 5-minute walk to the lake.

Many of the sites are well shaded and there are hot showers. The restrooms and showers are kept quite clean.

We usually go camping with a group of about a dozen people in mid-August each year. We make the reservations about six months ahead of time for the group. Individuals should try and call ahead for reservations for camping. If the campground is full, there are plenty of cabin options available.

Big Bear is worth the drive and it connects easily with Lake Arrowhead.

Wrightwood is known for its skiing / snowboarding. Winter 2010 kept the ski area packed and busy. There is camping, too. Highway 2 leads from Wrightwood. It’s the Angeles Crest Highway. The Buckhorn Campground which is one of our favorites is about 30 miles to the west.

A word of caution if driving from Wrightwood to Buckhorn: my wife remembers the drive as one of the curviest and longest 30 miles of her life. I, however, enjoyed it but probably because I was driving. It’s worth exploring the mountain trails and streams in the area that has access to several peaks from 7,000 feet to 10,000 feet.

Buckhorn campground is easily accessible for us. A vehicle like a Pleasure-Way or Road Trek can make the drive. We take our Toyota Dolphin motor home which is about 20 feet in length. But RVs larger than that should not make the trip because they won’t be able to make it into the campground.

Buckhorn is about 7 miles from Chilao Campground. I can also recommend Chilao as a spot to visit. The difference between the two areas is Chilao was affected more by the Station Fire in September 2009 while Buckhorn remained untouched.

There are no signs of burned out trees. Instead, the pines are tall and the water was flowing nicely through the campground in late June and early July when we went. There’s a nice waterfall off the Burkhart Trail to splash in. The water hole is about four feet deep.

There are 38 camping sites and there are no showers. There are pit toilets.

Buckhorn is accessible from the Los Angeles area off of Sunland Boulevard and the 210 freeway. As of July 2010, the Angeles Crest Highway entrance from La Canada remains closed up toward Mt. Wilson.

Exit Sunland Boulevard, go east about one mile to Oro Vista, turn left for one mile and Oro Vista turns in to Big Tujunga Canyon Road. While there are still many burned hillsides and scarred trees, the drive is still worthwhile. There are signs leading to the Angeles Forest Highway and to the Angeles Crest. It’s easy to find.

This area points to the beauty of the forest so close to the second-largest city in the United States. It’s worth the drive. Buckhorn is just about one mile from Cloudburst Summit and the former Mt. Waterman ski area. Next to the ski area is the Mt. Waterman trail head which is a hike I recommend.

There’s a vista on the ridge that gives a view of the LA basin to the south and the High Desert communities to the north.

Farther to the west, on the road to Malibu off the 101 freeway and the Las Virgenes exit is Malibu Creek State Park. There’s hiking and camping. The area is known as the park where the television series MASH was filmed. While I won’t write much about it here, the mountains around Malibu are worth the drive.

Taking time to explore the mountain communities during a Los Angeles vacation offers travelers a chance to see a different side of life that often goes unnoticed and unmentioned . . . and many times unappreciated.