I was lured to the Castle Rock Trail with sweet whispers of waterfalls and wildlife. Although my lover’s heart was partly crushed by not seeing either, I could’ve easily spent a whole day exploring every inch of this trail.

Mountains and boulders don’t exist in my Florida flat world—does Space Mountain at Disney count? The chance to explore the mountains near Big Bear Lake , CA by hiking upward on a scenic trail was my equivalent to winning the experiencer’s lotto.

The trail is begins off main road and can easily be missed. As soon as you enter the sandy and sometimes rocky trail, it goes uphill! Within ten minutes of walking our jackets from the cool morning were off and tied around our waist 90s style.

Trees everywhere… before long some were eye level with us! I briefly lamented over discovering the paths from previous streams and waterfalls—but it was late in the year… all the snow was melted and gone. Further on the trees seemed to step aside and boulders took their place. The nature-loving part of my heart leaped.

Mother Nature probably couldn’t take the lack of ozone layers and air pressure resulting in crapped huge rocks all over. (The more adventurous wanna-climbers are welcome to enter the “castle”) From there it felt like I had accomplished some life’s goal I never created—the views of the lake framed by the trees and mountains are spectacular. God bless!

Although I read mixed reviews stating the difficulty of the Castle Rock hike (how can one trail be shown as “easy for beginners” on one and “intermediate to difficult” on another?) My French-Fry-Loving butt was able to do the whole trail without ever feeling threatened for my safety. I was panting… but I did it!

Go ahead and ogle nature, but be careful where you step to avoid tripping, sprains or even the odd itchy attacking plant. A pack of water and sunscreen are a must—a hat helped too but kept getting in my line of sight. Allow a couple hours for your Castle Rock Trail round trip. Luckily Milkshake and I got there early because the nearby parking lot can only hold about six cars.

Click on any of my photos to climb the Castle Rock Trail with us.

Stay tuned for more entries helping you to enjoy Big Bear Lake after the skis have been stowed. Now if only Space Mountain had a hiking trail…