Trails Offer Challenges at Big Pines

There’s a land for all seasons in the San Gabriel Mountains.

In winter, Big Pines is big on skiing. Downhillers take advantage of three popular slopes. In summer, Big Pines is big on camping--a place to beat the heat and sleep out under the stars. Eleven campgrounds are within a five-mile radius of the Big Pines Visitor Center.

For the hiker, 1 1/2-mile-high Big Pines is an attractive destination in spring and autumn. The crisp alpine air, Sierra Nevada-like terrain, tall Jeffrey pines and white fir portray the Angeles National Forest at its most splendid.

Over the years, Big Pines has seen some big dreams materialize, then disappear. In the early 1930s, four ski jumps were constructed on the steep slopes below Blue Ridge. Due to the efforts of local boosters, Big Pines was selected as the site for the 1932 Olympic Winter Games ski-jump competition. Alas, poor Southland snow conditions that year prompted Olympic officials to move the competition to Lake Placid, N.Y.

Big Pines County Park, operated by Los Angeles County from 1923 to 1940, was once a huge recreation complex: lodge, cabins, campgrounds, coffee shop, ice skating rink, swimming pool, tennis courts, groomed slopes for skiing and tobogganing. A beautifully crafted stone pedestrian overpass crossed Angeles Crest Highway and connected twin castle-like towers. The towers were more than mere architectural whimsy; they served as holding cells for drunks and troublemakers until the sheriff could transport the miscreants to jail in the flatlands below.

Unable to afford the cost of operating the facility, the county turned it over to the National Forest Service in 1940, but not before removing everything from plumbing fixtures to picnic tables. Since taking over Big Pines, the Forest Service has maintained a more low-key presence by emphasizing camping, hiking and nature study.

Today, the former Swarthout Lodge is the Forest Service’s Big Pines Visitor Center. Stop in Wednesday through Sunday to pick up pamphlets and inquire about campgrounds, trail conditions and interpretive programs.

Families--or anyone wanting to learn more about forest flora and fauna--will enjoy three Big Pines nature trails:

* Big Pine Nature Trail (0.5 mile), which begins in back of the visitor center, winds through Jeffrey pines and assorted conifers. The path also interprets chaparral shrubs and the various uses of these plants by native peoples.

* Table Mountain Nature Trail (1.0 mile), keyed to a pamphlet available at the visitor center, begins at the entrance to Table Mountain Campground. You’ll get up-close looks at pine forest and oak woodland ecosystems.

* Lightning Ridge Nature Trail (0.75 mile) begins opposite Inspiration Point, just off Angeles Crest Highway, two miles west of the visitor center. The path switchbacks up a pine- and fir-blanketed slope to join the Pacific Crest Trail. Near the junction of the trails is a panoramic view even more inspiring than the one available at Inspiration Point.

More challenging than the nature trails is Blue Ridge Trail, which switchbacks up a steep slope to meet the Pacific Crest Trail at Blue Ridge Campground. Plan a picnic under the pines at the campground. Reward for the climb is an eye-popping view of Mt. Baldy and Mt. Baden-Powell.

You have a couple of options with this hike, besides the usual out-and-back. You can walk over to Inspiration Point and arrange for a ride. You can also arrange to have a car waiting for you at Blue Ridge Campground, assuming the road is snow-free and open.

Directions to trail head: From Interstate 15 at Cajon Junction, take the Highway 138 exit, heading west. After a bit more than a mile, the road forks and you leave 138, bearing left onto Lone Pine Road. Proceed 8 1/2 miles to the Angeles Crest Highway (2). Turn west, passing the resort town of Wrightwood, and in five miles you’ll reach the Big Pines Visitor Center on your right. The trail head and parking are across the highway from the visitor center.

The hike: Begin your moderate ascent through well-spaced, mature stands of Jeffrey pine. To the north, you’ll get over-the-shoulder and through-the-trees glimpses of two observatories atop Table Mountain.

A mile out, you’ll cross an old road, then tackle some more switchbacks before intersecting Blue Ridge Road. Blue Ridge Campground, with its viewful picnicking, is just down the road. Up the road a short distance is a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail, which you can follow on a steep ascent near a ski run to a viewpoint offering a superb look at the snowy north shoulder of Mt. Baldy.

San Gabriel Mountains, Blue Ridge Trail Where: Big Pines area, Angeles National Forest Distance: 4 1/2 miles round trip, with 1,000-foot elevation gain. Terrain: Pine and fir-forested slopes. Highlights: Tall pines, alpine air, views of Mt. Baldy and beyond. Degree of difficulty: Moderate For more information: Call the Big Pines Visitor Center at (619) 249-3504.