Sights Along the Way to Bertha Peak
When we were at Big Bear, California over Memorial Day weekend we decided to hike to Bertha Peak. It was a clear day and there are good views of Big Bear Lake and its surroundings along the way to the peak.
The starting point for the hike is from the north shore of Big Bear Lake at the Cougar Crest Trailhead on Highway 38. It is not too far before the first views of the lake which are just enough to wet your appetite for what is to come.
There are also views of the Snow Summit ski area and the grand San Bernardino mountains beyond.
Our destination can be seen which is the peak with the building and the other objects.
As we made our way up the trail we saw different views of the valley. This is to the East of Big Bear Lake and shows the Sugarloaf Mountain area.
Looking to the South we are high enough to see the lake, ski area and the distant San Bernardino mountains.
Toward the west is the damn end of the lake though the damn can not be seen.
This telephoto picture shows some of the boats people are using to enjoy the lake. The white building with the dome top is the Big Bear Solar Observatory.
This panorama shows how immense Big Bear Lake is. When you are at lake level you do not get a feel for the size of the lake since you only see a portion of it at a time.
After gaining more elevation the hills on the other site of the ridge can be seen where some mining is or has been done.
We did not see a lot of flowers on the hike but there were a few like this bunch of pretty purple flowers.
And this bright yellow flower which stands out from its background.
A good view of a portion of the town of Big Bear which has a population of a little over 5000. However being a resort destination there can sometimes be as many as 100,000 staying there.
A closer view toward the outlet of the lake though it is behind the ridge. Lots of wakes from boats can be observed.
It was clear enough to see some distant mountains to the West. Interesting how blue they look.
A telephoto view of the distant mountains and though faint are still pretty.
We finally approach the top of Bertha Peak where we find out the objects we saw earlier were for telecommunications of some sort. The harsh conditions make for some interesting trees.
The trees can also serve to give some framing to the view.
From Bertha Peak more of the other side of the ridge can be seen including this meadow in Holcomb Valley. If you look very closely above the ridge you can see the top of a distant mountain which in this case is brownish.
The lake and town of Big Bear from the peak which has an elevation of 8,201 feet.
The hike to the top of Bertha Peak and return is about 7 miles so we took some time to enjoy the view before we headed back down.
About a month after this trip we returned to Big Bear and did some kayaking on the lake. We decided to stop at the Big Bear Solar Observatory for a closer look. The larger building houses a 1.6 m solar telescope and the smaller building contains two telecopes a hydrogen-alpha solar flare patrol telescope and an earthshine telescope.
The telescopes and instruments at the observatory are used for studying the activities and
phenomena of the Sun. Some of the data is available on their website. Check out the link under more info if you are interested.
It looks like the observatory also serves as a nesting place for birds.
During this trip there were some wildfires in the San Bernardino mountains. Though not very close to Big Bear some of the fire fighting helicopters filled up with water from Big Bear Lake. My brother Galen took a video of one doing this.
More Information:
San Bernardino Mountains Wikipedia article
Big Bear Lake Wikipedia article
