Los Angeles: Bertha Peak
Catch killer views of Big Bear Lake and hike a short leg of the Pacific Crest Trail on this 7.8-mile out-and-back to an 8,200-foot peak.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Trail Facts
- Distance: 6.3
- Miles from city center: 98
Waypoints
BTP002
Location: 34.2650756835938, -116.910888671875
Hike N, ascending on Cougar Crest Trail, an old logging road. Be constant and move smoothly; it’s a 1,500-foot climb to the summit
BTP003
Location: 34.2684211730957, -116.909622192383
Contour to E side of drainage through piñon-juniper woodlands
BTP004
Location: 34.2694549560547, -116.906784057617
Rest a bit; gradient eases for a short stint
BTP005
Location: 34.2759056091309, -116.907531738281
Big views to the emerald waters of Big Bear Lake. Old news reports say giant bears once roamed the woods here. Now, ski resorts cling to the slopes above the lake
BTP006
Location: 34.2798042297363, -116.915603637695
Hit the ridgeline and head E away from terrain dropping steeply into Poligue Canyon
BTP007
Location: 34.2809906005859, -116.910194396973
R onto the Pacific Crest Trail; note that the path becomes rockier
BTP008
Location: 34.2811164855957, -116.90599822998
R off the PCT onto Bertha Peak Rd., a 4WD track winding through more twisted stands of western juniper
BTP009
Location: 34.2829322814941, -116.89933013916
Bertha Peak (8,201 ft.): If clear skies, nearly endless views to San Gorgonio, Holcomb Valley, and Big Bear Lake—even the Mojave Desert radiates in the far distance. Backtrack to trailhead