In Big Bear Valley Eagle Territory: Hiking from Hanna Flat to Gray's Peak

Big Bear Lake

Date: April 18, 2026

Place: Big Bear Valley, Fawnskin, California

Coordinates: 34.286808, -116.975264

Length: 12.5 miles

Level: Moderate to strenuous

My plans for last April involved a long road trip with friends, following the California wildflower hotspots. Unfortunately world circumstances prevented my friends from coming to California and I reverted to my usual daily routine. When a weekend became available to me however, I didn't think twice. I tossed my camping gear into the car and headed south to Big Bear Lake, in San Bernardino National Forest. 

By now, there are only a few places left in California that I haven't yet explored at least a little bit, and the Big Bear Lake area was one of these places. It has been on my plans for a while now, but the chance simply didn't arise until last April. My choice of destination was also fueled by my desire to get a glimpse of the local bald eagle power couple, Jackie and Shadow, who nest in that area, and became national celebrities. The nest area is off limits of course, but I did get a long distance view of one of the eagles, and of their nest. 

After I was satisfied with having seen the eagles I continued uphill north of the town of Fawnskin on a rugged dirt rad to the Hanna Flat Campground where I settled for the night. Before checking in for the night I had a chat wth the campground host who recommended to me some trails in the area. 

My hike as captured by my GPS

I took a long time to fall asleep that night because in the campground near me was a group of merry young men that played loud music and when they finally stopped playing the loudspeakers they continued singing at the top of their voices. I contemplated going over there and talking to them but the temperatures had dropped below freezing I kept hovering on the border of sleep. I also hoped that the campground host would come and tell them off, there was no chance that he wasn't hearing this racket, but he didn't for the longest time. 

Snow Plant, Sarcodes sanguinea,  at my campsite

 

Eventually I did fall asleep. I woke up early, eager to go hiking and I found out that the men in the nearby campground were already awake as well, and being loud again while making their breakfast. I got over there and one of them welcomed be with a broad smile and a happy, "good morning!" than melted away all my anger. I replied in kind, hoping that they'd be gone by evening, and wend back to get myself ready for the hike. 

My choice trail for the day was the Hanna Flat to Gray's Peak Trail, which started at the campground. The trailhead was actually on the opposite side of the campground from where I was so I started my hike with some observations of other campers morning habits. 

Hanna Flat Trail

The trail started with a mild uphill slope that took my up the ridge southwest of the campground. Just as I was reaching the crest that group of vocal men, my campground neighbors were descending down the very same trail. They went out on an early hike and were already coming back. They were the last people I've seen all the way to Gray's Peak. 

Hanna Flat Trail

The area south of Hanna Flat Campground was in the process of recovering from a wildfire that burned the forest there a few years back. Some of the tree remains were still visible, but more visible were the newly growing trees, the young pines and oaks.

Oaks recovering from fire

From watching the live streaming of the eagles' nest I knew there were acorn woodpeckers in the area, because I have heard their raspy calls in the background. I heard them again when I arrived at the campground, but now I actually saw the oaks themselves - the staple of these woodpeckers. The first oak species I saw was the canyon live oak. The oaks that survived the fire were well on their way to recovery. 

Canyon Live Oak, Quercus chrysolepis

 

Between the trees towered beautifully chiseled granite boulders. The boulders were not glacier-polished like the rocks in the Sierra Nevada. These rocks were grainy and rough. 

I hadn't seen too many wildflowers yet. The docents at the visitor center where I was the day before had told me it was a day winter over there. I also suspected that I was a bit too early - it was still pretty cold in that 7,000 ft elevation. I was very happy then, when I started seeing some flower colors. 

Wavyleaf Paintbrush, Castilleja appelgatei

While the paintbrush was pretty conspicuous, other wildflowers stood out a bit less against the grayish gravel. They were also fairly small and flat to the ground. I was happy to see them nonetheless - spring has arrived into the Big Bear Mountains too. 

Strigose Lotus, Acmispon strigosus

The view was wide open in all directions. The trail's description on the brochure I got at the visitor center was of a very mild, almost flat trail all the way to Gray's Peak Trail. It was hard to believe that a mountain trail would be that level, but looking at the view, it did seem correct. I guess that's why it was named Hanna's 'Flat'. 

One of the tell tale signs that it was still early in spring here were the black oaks, most of which were only starting to bud out at the time of my hike.

Black oaks can be really big. The black oaks I saw along the trail were relatively small and thin, I assume because they too were newly grown after the fire had burned the previous generation of oaks. 

I didn't have a proper map of the area. What I did have was the brochure I received at the visitor center which had a minimal sketch of the trail and a short description. According to the description I needed to turn left on a forest dirt road numbered 2N7O. Well, the first dirt road I came across wasn't it, for sure. It was also way too soon to be seeing the correct one. 

From where I was walking I had a really nice view to the southeast, where I could see the snow-capped peak of Mount San Jacinto. 

San Jacinto

Ahead of me near the trail was a little smaller peak - a mound of granite rock that was topped by a single pine tree. The pine looked almost like one of them cellular antennas. It wasn't an antenna though, but a real pine that survived the fire which consumed its lower branches. 

Below the mound near the trail, a healthy-looking young pine was stretching its needles to the sunlight, warming up after the frosty night up the mountain. 

The hardest to see were the tiny popcorn flowers. Once I saw them however, they seemed to be everywhere. Theses little flowers were by far the most prevalent wildflower I saw on this hike. 

Mountain Red-root Cryptantha, Eremocarya lepida

 

Somehow it survived the fire - a large oak, clearly an older tree, was standing aloof and away from any other trees. Unlike the young black oaks that I've seen so far, this large tree was already fully foliaged, having budded out earlier in the season. I decided to get off trail briefly and go over to that oak tree.

California Black Oak, Quercus kelloggii

Budding out too soon comes with a risk - the leaves on the lower branches looked frost-bitten. Perhaps some of them beyond repair. The tree as a whole however, seemed to not have been affected that much by the frost. Most of its leaves, especially on the higher branches, looked okay. 

I rejoined the trail and resumed my hike. The trail meandered between mounds of granite, passing through occasional stands of trees that were spared by the fire. The day was warming up nicely and soon I was compelled to remove my jacket. 

Hanna Flat Trail

Some of the rocks had colors other than the gray that characterizes the granite in that area. The other colors often came from lichens that were growing on the rock's surface. 

I crossed another dirt road which wasn't the one I needed to turn on. The brochure had the trail marked, Hanna Flat to Gray's Peak Trail' and labeled it 7 miles round trip, moderate. At first glance I thought that was the hike going all the way to Gray's Peak but as the trail continued I realized that the mileage on the brochure referred only to the junction with the trail to Gray's Peak. I still had a good way to go before getting to the junction in needed. 

Hanna Flat Trail

The trail, although mostly level, was taking me steadily downhill. Other than the small flowers I saw close to the ground the scenery looked quite uncolorful. Also, I was alone on the trail, there was no other human in sight. I haven't seen any wildlife either so far. 

Another curve of the trail and in front of me appeared Mount San Gorgonio, beautifully dressed in winter white. 

 

I increased my lens zoom to the maximum to get a better image of the mountain. Big Bear Lake, I knew, was somewhere down there between me and that gorgeous mountain. 

San Gorgonio, enlarged image

The trail continued south, curving left or right every now and then. For some time it was going through a scrub area of mostly low buckthorn shrubs. I was glad that the trail was wide enough because these bushes are quite thorny. 

Hanna Flat Trail

Here and there were also taller and greener bushes. A wild gooseberry was one of these bushes, and it was nice to see it blooming. 

Wax Currant, Ribes cereum

I've also encountered clamps of wild roses. These were not blooming yet. They were still putting forth their new spring foliage. 

Rose, Rosa sp.

When asking about running water on this trail, the campground host told me I should expect none. Past the next dirt road crossing however, run a small trickle of a creek, fed by a small spring. 

I didn't have a filter with me and anyway, I had enough water with me and didn't need to rely on wild water, but it was nice to see a flow. I was surprised that I didn't see and ephemeral wildflowers next to the little stream. There were plenty of algae in the water though. 

The fine granite gravel turned even finer, almost sandy. I felt my feet digging into the sand as I marched onward down the trail. A small bird was foraging near the remains of a burnt tree It was a mountain chickadee - the first bird I managed to get a good photo of since the morning.  

Mountain Chickadee

The next little creek that I come upon was a little wider. Still I could hop across quite easily. Here too I saw no early spring wildflowers.  

The next dirt road crossing still wasn't the one I was looking for. I crossed it and continued on southward. 

Hanna Flat Trail

Here and there I was seeing other wildflowers besides the popcorn flowers and the paintbrush. One of them was the western wallflower, and all of those that I've seen were at the early stages of their bloom. It was early in spring here, for sure. 

Western Wallflower, Erysimum capitatum

I came upon a bigger stream, where it seams that the fire that ravaged the forest had stopped. The forest on the other side of that stream seemed tall and healthy. 

The stream was the biggest I've seen so far. The water wasn't high though, and I did not need to take of my shoes in order to wade across and remain with dry feet. 

The trail continued a little bit along the willow-lined stream before climbing the bank and veering off to the south. 

Past the bigger creek I was beginning to get a bit anxious. By that point I have crossed numerous dirt roads, neither of which was labeled 2N70. In one case the label was so faded that I had to consider other factors before deciding that wasn't the right one. 

The living forest was not very thick. There was plenty of space between the trees for full sunlight to wash the ground and support a thick story of bushes, many of which were manzanita. 

Greenleaf Manzanita, Arctostaphylos patula

Eventually I did come upon an intersection with a dirt road that was labeled 2N70. The problem was that the junction didn't look quite like the description in the brochure. According to the description I was to turn left on the road and the trail to Gray's Peak would split off to the right in 50 yards. Well, I turned onto the dirt road but the only split I saw, and in much less than 50 yards, was to the left again, and it was still the Hanna Flat Trail. 

2N70, Gray's Peak Road

Considering the directions I decided to continue on 2N70, assuming that someone must have omitted a 0 from the brochure and that the number might be 500 yards rather than 50. On the way I found evidence of other trail users imprinted in the mud where until recently, so it seemed, was a shallow water flow. 

When I finally found the junction with Gray's Peak Trail I realized what was the problem. About 50 yards before that junction Hanna Flat Trail reconnected again with the 2N70 Gray's Peak Road. What was missing from the brochure's description was the simple detail that Hanna Flat Trail meets 2N70 twice, and that the desired trail junction is after the second Hanna Flat Trail/2N70 intersection. 

Now I needed to decide if to take the trail to Gray's Peak or not. That trail involved a more significant elevation gain. According to the brochure the distance would be 2 1/2 miles each direction, but someone had 'fixed' the sign, scratching off the 1/2 and labeling it a 'lie', scratching instead 1/4.  I looked at my navigator to see what distance would it measure going there and back. 

I was in need of a break but I didn't want to have it near the trail junction so I started up Gray's Peak trail for a little bit. Below me was anther flowing little stream that made a lovely trickling sound. 

A found myself a nice rock to sit on in the shade of a large pine tree, and ate in peace, looking down at the creak. A bit upstream from me was a blooming serviceberry. 

Utah Serviceberry, Amelanchier utahensis

On the next curve of the trail I crossed that creek, once again noticing that no ephemera wildflowers were blooming next to it. There were however, more wildflowers blooming in the dry gravel forest floor near the trail. Most of them were the popcorn flowers I've seen earlier already, but there were others as well.

Mojave Linanthus, Leptosiphon breviculus

Little purple gilia flowers were also blooming here and there along the trail, although not in large numbers. 

Nevada Gilia, Gilia brecciarum

The one-seeded pussypaws I've seen all along the hike, but here was the first place where I've seen them in bloom. Everywhere else it were too early. 

One-seeded Pussypaws, Calyptridium monospermum

The trail wasn't very steep but I was going steadily uphill. I walked at a good pace, not rushing but also not lingering anywhere. Realizing that my hike, including the peak, would be considerably longer than what the brochure had described (only the trail up to the intersection) I knew this was going to be a full day's hike for me. 

Usually I ignore grasses. Not only are they not colorful they are also very, very difficult for me to identify. They are however, quite pretty and very interesting. Sometimes I do give them their due respect. 

Pine Bluegrass, Poa secunda

The trail was becoming a bit steeper and the day got much warmer. Soon I was sweating seriously. The I was walking up the north-facing slope didn't help much because the trees were too sparse  and didn't cast much shade. 

Gray's Peak Trail

The lizards loved the sunlight. If earlier on the hike I didn't see an, now I was seeing lizards pretty much with every step. 

Southern Sagebrush Lizard

Most of the lizards I saw were of the same species - southern sagebrush lizards. There was however, much variation in their appearance. 

Southern Sagebrush Lizard

Then I saw a violet. One violet plant that was blooming, on the hole entire hike. Violets usually don't come in singles, but there was no other near it. 

Mountain Yellow Violet, Viola pinetorum

On my way to Gray's Peak I was steadily going uphill. When I reached a part of the trail that rose above the trees I had a good view north towards the Hanna Flat Campground area and the peaks that were north of it. I could swear that the farthest ridge had a bit of snow still, but it was too far to be sure.

View North

 

After a good mile and a half of a fairly steady moderate incline walk all of a sudden the trail steepened considerably. Soon I was huffing and puffing as I clambered up the trail. The trees were also absent from that part of the trail so I was ascending under the full sun. The night's frost was a dream long gone by now.

Gray's Peak Trail

One more flowing creek crossed my path. It was very refreshing to wash my face and dip my hat in the cool, clear water. 

The trail started curving around the west side of Gray's Peak. Why wasn't it cut in a more direct way I didn't know but this way had some very nice views and one large pinnacle of granite that stood erect in solitude. 

A sleek reptile crossed the trail in front of me. It moved too quickly for me to take a photo of its entire body, but not too quickly for me to see that it had legs. It also had a brilliant blue tail, and that was enough to identify it as a western skink. 

Western Skink

The trail continued curving and I was treated to another nice view of Mount San Jacinto in the southwest.

San Jacinto

For the longest time Gray's Peak was hidden behind a healthy grove of firs and pine. Eventually I stepped into a clearing and the peak popped into view. Still, the trail was circling it - the summit access was on the peak's south side. 

I crossed another trickle of a creek. The creek was lined with lovely willow bushes that were blooming well before spreading out their new spring leaves. 

Past the creek I was walking again through a sparse forest and thick undergrowth bushes. The trail cut through thigh-high chinquapin and manzanita bushes. It continued curving around the west slope, turning south. 

The last curve of the trail before the top gave me a nice view point of Big Bear Lake far below, a view that was obstructed by only a few trees.

At the top of the trail I realized that it didn't go all the way up to the summit itself, but stopped a few feet below it at a beautiful ledge of rock outcrop marked by a sign. I noticed an unofficial trail going up through the scrub. I decided that natural viewing deck of provided by the rock outcrop was good enough for me. The photo I took from there of Big bear Lake I used to head this blog post. 

I sat at the rock ledge for a good half an hour, eating, resting, and enjoying myself. Then, all of a sudden, I was no longer alone. A middle aged man that looked in great shape appeared from behind and climbed the rocks behind me, but when he saw me he remained at a comfortable distance. We greeted each other and had a little chat. He told me that he biked up the trail, and that he was local and knew all the mountain biking trails in the area. He shared some trail recommendations with me.  

I had a very nice break at the top of Gray's Peak but eventually it was time to head back downhill. I said goodbye to the biker, and the the wonderful view from the top, collected my stuff and climbed down from the rocky ledge. back to the trail.

By that time I had already known that the hike would take the best part of the day and that my way back would be on the same trail. I resolved to not pause as often for photos, but my resolve disappeared when I saw better photo ops of certain wildflowers, such as the pinewood lousewort. 

Pinewood Lousewort, Pedicularis semibarbata

Still I adhered to my decision for the most part. I galloped downhill concious that the biker would likely catch up and pass me any time soon. I wondered if I could make it to the trail junction with the Hanna Flat Trail before he overtook me. I hopped over a fallen log that blocked the trail, knowing that the biker would have to stop and carry his bike over the obstacle. 

Gray's Peak Trail 

I did pause to take a better photo of the Utah serviceberry flowers when I passed a bush that was close enough to the trail. 

Utah Serviceberry, Amelanchier utahensis

For the most part however, I didn't bother to stop although I did take numerous photographs while on the move. I liked the flat top shape that one of the pine trees I saw on my way down had. 

Well, the biker did overtake me before I reached the trail junction, but not by much. When I reached Gray's Peak Road my navigator had measured 2 1/2 miles from the peak, basically agreeing with the brochure and not with whomever bothered to scratch-correct the mileage on the trail sign. 

2N70 Gray's Peak Road

About 50 yards up Gray's Peak Road I turned onto Hanna Flat Trail, this time at the trail junction that the brochure referred to. I knew that in less than half a mile I'd be at the northern junction of those two paths, and this would be the only loop part of my hike.  

Hanna Flat Trail

This part of the Hanna Flat Trail wasn't noticeably different than the uphill part of the trail. There were some wildflowers - mainly the popcorn flowers and wallflowers and more of the pinewood louseworts. I saw a nice looking penstemon plant but it wasn't blooming yet. It did carry the old, dried flowering stems of last year. 

Grinnell's Beardtongue, Penstemon grinnellii

Along the hike I saw a few three-rock arrangements (natural, of course), that reminded me of Japanese gardens' rock trio arrangements that meant to signify the Earth, the Water, and the Air. Of these photos I chose the one arrangement that I saw on this part of the trail. 

There was also quartz here and there. The gold rush didn't pass on  the Big Bear Valley area but I don't know if there was any prospecting in Hanna Flat. The quartz was pretty to see, with or without the prospect of gold. 

The forest changed from mostly conifers to mostly oak trees. The oaks were just beginning their spring budding so plenty of sunlight washed the ground, and many popcorn flowers dotted the gravel below the trees. 

Hanna Flat Trail

Just before the Hanna Flat Trail met the 2N70 dirt road again it crossed another creek. This one I could hop across with no problem. I looked around the water for a bit, but even here, I saw no shooting stars, monkeyflowers, or other ephemeral mountain wildflowers. 

In the short distance that I walked on the 2N70 Gray's Peak Road I came upon a procession of very determind ants that was crossing the wide dirt road. That procession wasn't there earlier when I first walked this path on my way to the peak. 

Western Velvety Tree Ants

There were also a fresh set of animal tracks there, not far from where I saw the deer tracks earlier. The tracks looked like the animal had non-retractable claws, meaning it wasn't feline. They were also too small to have been coyote's. I wondered if that might have been a fox, or maybe a raccoon. 

Soon I was back on the Hanna Flat Trail, going north on the same path that I came down on earlier that day. 

Hanna Flat Trail

I was coming from above to the big creek that I waded through earlier. This time I was at the right angle and with the right lighting to see the fresh spring foliage of the poplars shine like jewels next to the darker, evergreen conifers higher on the slope. 

I waded across the creek again. A small wavyleaf paintbrush was also shining in the bright sunlight. the sun was already on its way westward. 

Wavyleaf Paintbrush, Castilleja appelgatei

I was striding up the trail, making a good time. I stopped only occasionally, whenever I saw something interesting. One of the things I stopped for was a lei of plastic flowers that was arranged neatly in a heart shape near the trail. This place was far enough from the regular road, and unlike balloons, the lei couldn't have flown here. I believe someone placed it there on purpose. Maybe it was a gesture for someone that died there or maybe it was simply incidental. Either way, it made me sad, because plastic leis do not belong in nature. 

On and on I went, crossing the dirt roads and the little creeks that I knew from the earlier part of my hike. Then I saw movement up ahead and I stopped. A green-tailed towhee was scratching the gravel right on the trail. The bird was active in the shade of a small oak tree. I was happy to have seen it - my bird count on this hike so far was pretty low.

Green-tailed Towhee

I felt that I could use a break, but upon checking my watch, I decided to continue onward. I already knew that I wouldn't have time for any other hike that day, but I hoped to arrive at the campground early enough so I could drive down to the town where there was cellular reception and check out on my family back home. 

Hanna Flat Trail

My best intentions went awry when I came in sight of two water tanks, clicked my camera at them, and found out that my camera's memory card was completely full. I still had about a mile and a half of hike to do and the thought of not being able to take photos was too much. I found a clean-cut tree stump, sat down and begun to manually erase old photos, clearing up more space in the memory card. As it turned out, I got my break after all. 

Before resuming my hike I looked south again to see Mount San Gorgonio. There was still so much to explore in this area. I have merely begun to scratch the surface. 

Mount San Gorgonio

My unplanned break had consumed significant time. I tried to increase my pace but somehow sitting down had made me more sluggish than before. Still, I made good progress. 

Hanna Flat Trail

When I reached the rock mound with the sole survivor pine tree the sun was already low enough to hide behind the tree's canopy. It was getting late.  

I hurried along the trail. The campground was near and I was already hearing the voices of other paople. Soon I started seeing some too - not hikers but people that went out on the trail a little bit. Some were climbing the rock mounds, and others were sitting in places where they could view the sunset. 

Coming up on the ridge just before the Hanna Flat Campground I saw another bird - the very common dark-eyed junco. 

Dark-eyed Junco

Finally I was within sight of the campground. On the trail was a lovely family, two parents and a child that looked about 10. They were having a pine cone rolling competition and were having a great fun, laughtng exuberantly. 

A small chipmunk was active on a big rock down the slope. It was too far to get a good photo, but it is visible on the right side on top of the rock. 

I descended quickly down to the campground, pausing only briefly to photograph the rushes that grew on the side of the trail, indicative of a moist spring in that location. 

Western Rough Sedge, Carex senta

I still had to cross the entire campground to get to my campsite, where I had found that the group of jolly, noisy men were still occupying the neighboring site. Oh, well. I was able to get in touch with my family, then wend back to the campground, had dinner and spent some time by the campfire before going to sleep. After that full day's hike I was tired enough to not mind any noise. My first full day in the Big Bear Valley area was well spent indeed.