Spectacular fall color in Southern California? It exists! Just a short distance from Big Bear we found the southernmost aspen grove in California. The quaking aspen (populus tremoloids) are readily identified by the disc-like leaves about the size of a silver dollar. The slightest breeze sets these leaves in motion, leading to that “quaking” effect. It’s beautiful to see and a delight to the ears.
Time: 60-90 min.
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation gain: 518 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: Year-round
I had heard of this Southern California grove when I was planning my Fish Creek hike on San Gorgonio, but didn’t have time to check it out. Being the first weekend of October, we thought it would be a perfect time to check it out.
Getting There
Getting to the trailhead is an adventure in itself. You take Highway 38 from Redlands up the mountains — about 30 miles to Forest Route IN02 (the sign points to the Heart Bar Equestrian Campground). This Forest Service road is gated and usually closed winters through about May. It begins as a paved road, but quickly turns to a washboard gravel road that made me thankful I was driving my Xterra.
After a few easy miles, we headed right at the fork toward Fish Creek. Here the road narrows to a single lane, and gets very rocky and rutted. You won’t need four-wheel drive, but I’d recommend an SUV or truck. We saw a couple of sedans at the trailhead, but I’d advise against that. The trailhead itself is easy to spot, with a big sign and information about the area. Parking is free and an Adventure Pass is no longer required, but you will need a free permit, which you can pickup at the Mill Creek Ranger Station on Highway 38 at Bryant.
Hiking to the Aspen Grove
The trail begins with an easy downhill jaunt to Fish Creek. As we headed down the trail, we caught glimpses of the aspen trees turning brilliant gold.
At the 0.3 mile mark, we reached Fish Creek. In spite of it being early October with very little precipitation this summer, there was still water flowing.
After crossing the creek, you’ll see a sign marking the entrance to the San Gorgonio Wilderness and noting that wilderness permits are required. Just beyond this sign, the first grove of aspen trees begins.
When you cross the creek, you reach a junction with the Fish Creek trail. To your left, the trail heads uphill toward the Fish Creek Trailhead. We headed to the right, following Fish Creek downhill to the second and larger aspen grove.
One of the unique characteristics of aspen is that unlike most trees, a grove is actually a single organism with a shared root system. So the leaves of a “grove” will turn colors at the same time, and generally the same colors. In areas where multiple groves co-mingle, this manifests itself in variations of colors.
We took our sweet time picking our way down the trail, stopping frequently to take photos or simply enjoy the beautiful colors and sounds of the aspen. There are several crossings as you head down the trail, but all easily manageable.
At the 1.4 mile mark, it looked like we had seen all of the aspen groves, and turned around. Backtrack up the same trail. We attempted to find an easily navigable route into the larger grove (seen in the featured photo at the top of this post), but the growth along the creek was pretty heavy. Instead, we enjoyed the view from across the creek.
We headed back up toward the trailhead. But before we left, we setup the hammock in the first aspen grove. We laid back and enjoyed the view.
Aspen Grove Trail Map
Photo Gallery
Click on any photo to view a larger version. You can also leave comments on any photo.
Aspen Grove Tips
- Getting to the trailhead takes you up a very bumpy dirt road. I’d recommend a high-clearance vehicle.
- Adventure Pass required for trailhead parking
- Wilderness Permit required for entry into the San Gorgonio Wilderness
- Be prepared for cold weather. You’re in the mountains.
- Aprés-hike libations? Check out Hangar 24 Brewery in Redlands, right off Highway 38
Looking for more fall color in California? My friend Josh has created a list of the Best Places for Fall Color in California.
Angeles Oaks Weather Forecast
Angeles Oaks is the nearest weather station I could find. Note that the temperatures are likely to be much cooler, since you’ll be more than 8,000 feet above sea level.
Beautiful photos! So glad there is a place like this so close!
Fantastic write ups and pix. Shared on twitter. Very nice job, Jeff! What a resource.
Thanks, Josh. Yeah, it’s right in our backyard — so to speak.
Much appreciated, Sarah.
So I went there October 5, arriving at the trail head just before sunrise. There were lots of vehicles (mostly pickups) parked in the space available and other vehicles at many other locations along this forest service road. I saw several men…all with guns on their shoulders and bright hunting vests over their coats. And I am dressed in my buckskin colored hiking clothes! I decided not to see the aspens this time around. Too bad the trees start changing color right at the start of hunting season.
@Rob Strain — That’s odd. We were there on October 5th (that’s when I hiked this and took these photos) and I didn’t see any hunters at all. Nor did I hear any hunting. We saw other people hiking and photographing the aspens, but that’s all.
Sorry you missed out!
Great pictures! My girlfriend and I will be in Big Bear this coming week. Do you think that the aspens will still look as beautiful by then being mid-November?
I’m not sure. I will put out a request on Twitter and Facebook and see if I can find out. If you do end up heading out there, please come back and leave a comment to let us know.
When you going to head up here again Jeff? I would like to tag along!
Just hiked the trail this morning with my dog. The people at the ranger station told me that a permit is not required if you are ONLY hiking to the Aspen Groves 🙂 If you plan on hiking further they are required (and there is a limited daily supply (usually 3). Just fyi 🙂 It was a great hike and according to the rangers, only a week or so left of good fall color.
“Hiked” it yesterday and yep Rangers were right, no more Aspen show this year. However apparently a BMW 750Li can make the drive up without busting an oil pan, no info if they made the drive back down, really really would not recommend taking a passenger.
You actually saw a BMW 750Li up at the Aspen Grove trailhead? I guess money doesn’t fix crazy. 😉
Was making plans this past spring to hike this trail this fall. Then the fire hit and erased what hikers had seen in the past. I was pretty sad but found this article a little comforting. http://www.pe.com/articles/aspen-778537-fire-grove.html
Hi Jeff,
My husband and I were avid weekly hikers for a few years and we loved hiking through the aspen groves. It was his favorite trail. He loved following your posts, admired your life and trusted your wisdom. Sadly, cancer took his life this past January. I am slowly beginning to hike again. It’s where I feel the most alive, the most like myself and the happiest, but it’s also where I miss my other half the most. He was “Scout” and I was (still am) “Trooper”. I have to get back to his beloved aspens and I will. Anyway…I just wanted to send a hello, from Scout and I.
The picture looks awesome! Is there’s way to find out if the Aspen start changing the Color?
Unfortunately, Jessie, the entire area will be closed until October 2021 due to the recent fires. These trees are coming back (they actually thrive post-fire) but it may be years before they are as tall as you see in these photos.