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California
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California
Southern California Region
San Bernardino National Forest
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San Bernardino National Forest San Jacinto Moutains © James Basa
Taken from roadside rest
San Bernardino National Forest © Cheyanne Reseck-Francis
Valley below from a turnout at about 5000 feet elevation
San Bernardino National Forest © Cheyanne Reseck-Francis
Valley below from a turnout at about 5000 feet elevation
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SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL FOREST
SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL FOREST
1824 South Commercenter Circle
San Bernardino, California   92408-3430
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If it weren't for the San Bernardino Mountains, Los Angeles probably would have sprawled all the way to Phoenix a long time ago. It takes a formidable wall of rock to contain a city the size of L.A., and the San Bernardinos are that.

And the national forest, with its towering oaks and manzanitas, serves as an oasis that protects these mountains as well as those of the San Jacinto Range to the south. Today, rangers have their hands full as the forest receives more visitors than either Yellowstone or Yosemite national parks.

Hikers can explore over 500 miles of trails that penetrate not only the forest's mountain pines, but that also meander through a beguiling landscape of desert flowers. It is this seeming incongruity that makes this forest unique, where desert cactus is juxtaposed against snow-peaked mountains in the distance. And it is the forest's big bodies of water, like Big Bear Lake, that serve as a recreational oasis for parched and thirsty southern Californians.

We can thank President Benjamin Harrison for setting aside 737,280 acres in 1893 to stop the depredations of sheep and the ravages of forest fires that were destroying the mountain watershed. Thank you, Benjie, you're the man.
Featured Areas within the Park
FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES OVERVIEW
Day-UseFishingyes
 Huntingyes
 Hiking Trailyes
 Picnickingyes


Location
San Bernardino National Forest is located near Banning, Beaumont and Big Bear City
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Area Campgrounds
Lighthouse Trailer Resort & Marina
40545 North Shore Lane
Big Bear City, CA
909-866-9464
Holloway's Marina & RV Park
348 Edgemoor Road
Big Bear Lake, CA
Pine Tree RV Park
42144 North Shore Drive
Fawnskin, CA
909-866-2025
Nearby Hotels
Booking.com

Directions
The forest can be accessed from several roads in the San Bernardino area off Interstate highway 10.
Nearby Parks

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California
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California State Parks

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