Idyllwild Idyllwild could easily be a scenic setting created in a Hollywood sound stage — but the small, picturesque mountain town ensconced in tall pines is real. Two and half hours from Los Angeles and San Diego, most visit the mile-high alpine retreat to relax and recharge, which is easy to do amid the idyllic backdrop of the San Jacinto Mountains. Many artists, musicians and actors live in Idyllwild, which was once called Strawberry Valley due to the abundance of strawberries in the area. The best part? Idyllwild does not have one ski slope, so the traffic and pace is much slower than most mountain towns. In downtown Idyllwild, visitors can peruse local cafes and restaurants, art galleries, boutique shopping and antiques, as well as unique snack shops that sell beef jerky and other quick eats for road tripping. A popular weekend escape, the emphasis here is soaking up the great outdoors with activities, especially mountain hiking and climbing. You can take a somewhat easy though vertical hike on Deer Springs Trail through the San Jacintos to Suicide Rock, which looks out onto the entire valley with clear views of Strawberry Valley at Lily Rock and Tahquitz Peak, two rock formations that are famous in rock-climbing circles. The Idyllwild Nature Center is another must-stop, a family-friendly museum and trail system that is great for beginners, particularly the flat-looped nature trail. Biking in the wilderness is a sport here, too, with several trails for beginners to advanced riders.
and includes seven wilderness areas with hundreds of hiking trails, multiple campgrounds, scenic and wild rivers and is a popular locale for off-road vehicle riding. It also claims the highest mountain peak in California south of the Sierra, San Gorgonio Mountain, at 11,499 feet elevation. A favorite day trip or weekend getaway in the San Bernardino National Forest is Lake Arrowhead. Referred to as the “Alps of Southern California,” the small, peaceful town offers visitors endless outdoor recreational activities including hiking, backpacking, bicycling, fishing, snow skiing and water skiing on Lake Arrowhead (through the McKenzie Water Ski School). While the deep blue lake is private, you can take a chartered, narrated boat tour via the Lake Arrowhead Queen and learn about the area’s history and maybe even spot some celebrity homes. To commune with nature, visit the nonprofit Wildhaven Ranch, an animal sanctuary and rehabilitation center for animals indigenous to the San Bernardino Mountains. Another well-visited destination is Big Bear Lake, the only incorporated city in the forest that runs along Big Bear Lake, Southern California’s largest recreation lake. In the village of Big Bear Lake, more than 120 local vendors represent a mix of restaurants and shops, including home decor, souvenirs and boutiques. During summer, fishing is the primary activity, while in the winter, the area becomes a snowy wonderland popular with the skiing and snowboarding crowd. Big Bear is also an excellent place to view wildlife, especially bald eagles during winter.
San Bernardino/Riverside San Bernardino and Riverside are the two anchor cities located in the Inland Empire. San Bernardino, situated west of the San Bernardino Mountains, was settled by Spanish missionaries in the early 1800s and maintains a rich cultural history and heritage today. It lays along famed Route 66 and holds an annual four-day festival in September, Route 66 Rendezvous, to celebrate the importance of America’s Mother Road in its development. The city is well known for its parks, the long-running National Orange Show and the original McDonald’s, which opened in 1948 and is now the site of the unofficial McDonald’s Museum with 80-plus years
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IN YOUR CORNER ISSUE 9 | 2021
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