The Cut Above

31972 Hilltop Blvd
Running Springs, CA 92382
(909) 867-2111

I get my hair cut and sometimes highlighted here. Suzie does a wonderful job but all of her employees are great too! She is very precise with her hair cutting.

Keller Peak Exploration Trail

Trail type: cross country, single track
Difficulty: medium
Elevation gain: 1100 feet
Length: 8 miles
out and back trail

You can also go to the top of Keller Peak Road which adds 3 miles of extra biking. To get there go past the Forest Service Station in Running Springs on Highway 18. Turn right on to Keller Peak Road. Near the bottom is the trailhead. Make sure that you have a forest Adventure Pass for $5.oo for a single day or $30.00 for the year.

The trail is beautiful through Pines and oaks most of the way. There are several large rock formations on the sides of the trail. You can also park at the top and just ride down hill if you want.

This blog is under construction. Feel free to look around but come back soon for give aways, coupons and more information about Running Springs.

Welcome to our blog all about Living in the San Bernardino Mountains. Our purpose in writing this blog is to make your visit to the San Bernardino Mountains more pleasant. We have lived and played in the San Bernardino Mountains for the past 30 years and understand how to make the most of your visit. If you explore the blog you will find places to eat, places to stay, places to see and tips on how to spend your time while here. Please look to the side bar to the right and it will quickly link you to what you would like to find.

Please share this blog with all your friends because it is only useful to others if they can find it.

Keller Peak Exploration Trail

This is a great hike to do in Running Springs. In the early season there are several creeks that you pass as you are hiking. Late in the fall they are all dry. The trail starts at the bottom of Keller Peak road. You need a Forest Adventure Pass which is 5 dollars for the day or 30 dollars for the year in order to park at the trail head. If the road is open another option is hiking it down only by parking at the top of the trail 4 miles up the road. The trail does not follow close to the road and you can not hop on and off where you want. The views are also very different from the road drive so do not expect that you have seen it all by driving there.

The Exploration trail is one of the best graded trails I have ever hiked on. It is a very steady climb and it has beautiful rock formations and much of the hike is in the trees. It is also an excellent place for Mountain Biking and trail running. At the top of the trail you can go right and continue up to the top of Keller Peak which is 7781 feet. Or you can continue up to Slide Peak 7841 feet. Both offer a beautiful panoramic view of the entire Southern California area including Palomar Mountain, San Bernardino Peak, LA sky scrapers, Big Bear Lake and much more. The view is worth hiking all the way to the top.

My favorite times to hike this trail are in the early spring before the road opens and in the fall when the fall colors are out. There are many oaks around they are beautiful in the fall. It would also be a fun snow shoe hike in the winter time.

Cabin Ready

P.O. Box 2377
Running Springs, CA 92382

(909) 867-9868‎

(909) 867-9888‎
http://yourcabinready.com/

Cabin Ready provides full-time and part-time residents of the San Bernardino Mountain Communities help around the house. Their services include:

• interior and exterior, residential & commercial cleaning
• windows
• yard maintenance
• weed abatement
• hauling
• de-cluttering
• packing service
• room makeovers
• handyman service
• property management

Spotless Cleaning Services

909 337-1000

http://www.spotlessmaids.com/

They offer residential and commercial cleaning.

Hiking

There are many places to hike in the San Bernardino Mountains. But it is hard to find them so I am working on composing a good list. Come back from time to time for updates to the list.


Deep Creek
Heaps Peak Arboretum .9 mile walk on nice path.
Keller Peak Exploration Trail 4-6 miles hike each way depending on where you go
Lake View Point Trail-
San Gorgonio 16 mile hike to top of tallest peak in Southern California.

Rustique Furniture

2483 Hunsaker Dr
Running Springs, CA 92382
(909) 867-7071
http://www.rustiquewoodproducts.com/

They sell wood furniture made from logs. It is beautiful stuff and worth a visit each and every time you come to the mountians. Their

Rim Nordic

Rim Nordic Ski Area
On Highway 18-5 miles each of Running Springs
Across from Snow Valley Ski Resort
867-2600

http://www.rimnordic.com/

On Highway 18 - 5 miles east of Running Springs, across from Snow Valley Mountain Sports Park on the way to Big Bear Lake.

They have Mountain bike races. You can enter and attend the races on their tracks. Many of the races are cross-country.

Local Handy Men

This is not a complete list... there are a ton of different contractors. I want to compile a list of simple handy men who are recommended to me or who I can recommend as being able to complete a simple job quickly and at a small cost for those who need to repair their cabin or full-time house on a budget. Please comment and give me a list to start from.

Keller Peak Look Out

On a clear day this is the best view around- if you are not hiking. If you like to hike there are better views and it always feels like a better view after a good hike anyways. The best time to go is in the fall or when the sky is extremely clear in the summer. The road is closed from first snow until about Memorial Day weekend.

To get there: take highway 18 through Running Springs. Just past the forest service station is a sign that shows the way to Keller Peak. Drive up Keller Peak Road to the top. If it is during the summer there is someone at the look out and you can climb the look out to the top. It is interesting to have the volunteers give you a tour of the Look Out and the views are amazing. You can see San Bernardino Peak, San Jacinto Peak, LA sky scrapers and even can get a view of the beach.

Treasure Trove

31608 Valley View Dr
Running Springs, CA 92382
909-867-9055

Sarah's Attic

31986 Hilltop Blvd
Running Springs, CA 92382
909-867-2232

Raven's Fancy

32013 Holiday Ln
Running Springs, CA 92382
909-867-7170

Angels, Books, Candles, Cds, Jewelry, Puppets, Windstone Editions

Michelle's Hilltop Footwear and Apparal

32000 Hilltp Blvd
Running Springs, CA 92382
909-867-5038

I have shopped here to get snow boots for my girls and also gloves. I think this is an excellent place to go for good quality snow clothes and other clothing on the mountains.

The Deep Creek Narrows

List of Places to stay

Here is a list of the places to stay in Running Springs. There are many private cabins available for rent and I will update the list as I find cabins available for vacations. Please leave me a comment if you have a cabin available for vacation rentals. Click on each for more information.

May Realty- This is a place that rents cabins full or for vacations.
The Rainbow View Lodge- This is a bed and breakfast.
The Deep Creek Motel- A motel that is two stories.
The Giant Oaks Lodge- many different kinds of rooms to choose from.

List of dining options in Running Springs

Here is the list of dining in Running Springs. There is no fast food. Everything is made while you are there. If you are looking for fast food your best option is to call ahead and order take out. The food is all much better than fast food though because it is made for you. So if you want something added or taken away they will usually do it for you easily. Click on each title for more information on the place.

Beary Delicious- sandwiches, soups, desserts. Small dine in or take out.
The Old Country Coffee Shop - All American Foods. Dine in or out.
Dominos Pizza- They deliver but no dining.
Don Pepe's Mexican Restaurant
Neo's Pizza House- Pizzas, subs, salads. Dine in or take out.
Papa Jacks Barbecue - barbecue meats. Dine in or take out.
Toto's Mexican Restaurant - Dine in or out. Mexican/American
The Bus Stop- Soups, salads, sandwiches, espresso bar. Dine in or out.
The Deep Creek Drive In- Mexican Food and hamburgers. Dine in or out.
The Golden Grill- Dine in.

The Old Country Coffee Shop

32019 Hilltop Blvd
Running Springs, CA 92382

(909) 867-3100‎

Dominos Pizza

32755 Highway 18 # B
Running Springs, CA 92382

(909) 867-9567


‎

Don Pepe's Mexican Restaurant

31956 Hilltop Blvd
Running Springs, CA 92382

(909) 867-3526‎

Toto's Mexican Restaurant

31927 Hilltop Blvd
Running Springs, CA 92382

(909) 867-2469‎

It is a Mexican Restaurant and has been in Running Springs for serveral years. It continues to be a local tradition.

Neo's Pizza House

32000 Hilltop Blvd
Running Springs, CA 92382

(909) 867-5373‎

They cook their pizza from scratch. It is very good. They also have sandwiches and salads that are pretty good too. They have a few video games and have just expanded to include a bigger service area. It is locals night on Thursdays and the locals get a discount of 15%.

The Golden Grill

33227 Hilltop Blvd
Running Springs, CA 92382

(909) 867-9500‎

To get there take highway 18 to Arrowbear. They are on the right hand side of the road about a 1/4 mile after the Deep Creek Drive In.

PaPa Jacks

31565 Hilltop Blvd
Running Springs, CA 92382

(909) 939-0227‎

This is the place to go if you are looking for barbecued meat. They have the best meat in town. They also have a nice sit down dining inside and eating outside. The portions are huge and the different sauces are fun to taste. The meals come with coleslaw, cornbread, baked beans and other barbecue options.

To get there take Highway 18 towards Lake Arrowhead from Running Springs. They are about a mile down the road on the left hand side.

coupons

Be the first to put a coupon in here for use in Running Springs or elsewhere in the San Bernardino Mountains.

May Realty

32098 Hilltop Blvd
Running Springs, CA 92382

(909) 867-2786‎

This is a business that rents both full-time and weekend rentals of houses and cabins. If you are looking for a little more seclusion and your own full house to rent for the week this is a good place to call. They do not have a website and I think that it is a little hard to rent a cabin for the weekend without seeing the place first but if you want to call them they will take your information and set you up with a place to rent.

The Giant Oaks Lodge

32180 Hilltop Blvd, Running Springs - (800) 786-1689
http://www.runningsprings.com/

The Giant Oaks Lodge is the nicest lodge in Running Springs. It has an indoor hot tub and pool. There are rooms that include hot tubs in room and there are a variety of different rooms. Some rooms are intended just for a couple and several of the rooms have additional places for kids to stay. There is even a full cabin that you can rent. They are located right off of highway 18 just past the 76 gas station and the Bus Stop on the North side of the street. Their lodge is centrally located to town and you can walk to most of the restaurants and stores in town. You are also located close to the park and the library.

The Deep Creek Motel

2312 Blue Jay Ln
Arrowbear Lake, CA 92382

(909) 867-2312‎

I am sorry that I can not do a good review right now on this motel but I posted it and will try to visit it in the near future. Hotels in the mountains are not my specialty since I live here and have never had the need to stay in one.

Beary Delicious

31966 Hilltop Blvd
Running Springs, CA 92382

(909) 867-3044‎

This is a cute little sandwich shop in town. They make great sandwiches with chips or some sort of salad and they make excellent desserts. Their website is http://www.freewebs.com/. I like the food and enjoy their cute tables where you can also play a game of chess. I love to go in and just buy dessert and enjoy eating it as if it was lunch. Look at their website for a discount on your meal!

They are located by going to downtown Running Springs (the Running Springs exit) and they are on the North side of town by the Coldwell banker real estate office.

Neo's Mexican or the Deep Creek Drive In

There are a lot of names for this restaurant. But this is what the locals call it. We call it this to distinguish it from Neo's Pizza which is also very good. They also have hamburgers that are great but I never like to venture from the Mexican Food. Their phone number is 867-3700. They are a small diner with about nine tables that you can sit at or you can take it to go. When going here do not forget to order the re fried beans. They are the best I have ever tried.

The Deep Creek Drive In is located on Highway 18 in Arrowbear. Drive through all of Running Springs and into Arrowbear. It is after the gas station about a half mile.

Children's Forest- a great place to ride bikes with the kids

Living in the mountains with no sidewalks makes for an interesting situation for teaching kids to ride their bikes. Many of the neighborhoods like our own are not great for children riding their bikes. I worry that without sidewalks my children may be hit by a careless driver who forgets that kids are residents of the mountains too. Children's Forest is a great place to go and let the kids ride without worrying about cars. I am not sure what the rules are... I have never really checked. I do not remember seeing a sign saying you can't ride but I don't think this is the place for adult bike riders. Children's Forest at the top of Keller Peak is a great place to take kids to ride their bikes. Mountain Man rode there as a child and our kids ride there often. The trail is a loop that is about a 1/2 mile of paved trail wide enough for two people to walk comfortably next to each other. I often have run around while the kids are bike riding or the kids ride the loop as we walk.

The trail is not flat but has some gentle ups and downs. It teaches Mountain children how to ride on the hills that they will have to learn to ride on. The trail is not crowded unless you go on the right Saturday or Sunday during the day. We like to go in the evening. Usually twice along the loop is good.

To get there take highway 18 towards Big Bear and drive through Running Springs. After the elementary school there is a road on your right that has a sign saying Keller Peak. Children's Forest is about 4 1/2 miles up the road. There is a sign. You can park in the parking lot and then take the trail. You need a Forest Adventure Pass to park up there. There are picnic tables for eating and there is a outhouse type bathroom. I would not expect running water because at least half the time when I go there I do not see any water.

(One thing to watch out for is rattle snakes. We were walking there one day and saw a fairly large rattle snake. Remind kids that they are not to get close to snakes and they should be fine.)

Heaps Peak Arboretum

I took a walk with the kids to the Arboretum this morning. It was nice and cool about 60 degrees. There wasn't much of a breeze but there often is when you are walking there so it is good to be prepared. The Arboretum is the perfect place to take preschool age children hiking. It is located on highway 18 between Running Springs and Lake Arrowhead. You need to have a forest adventure pass to park which costs $5.00 and can be obtained at the forest service station and at Deer Lick Lumber in Running Springs. The trail is partially paved and mostly hard packed dirt. It is very easy for every kind of hiker. The paved section of the trail goes to the bathrooms and is wheel-chair accessible. (Thanks to an eagle scout project by my mountain man.)

We started the hike by walking around a small loop of concrete at the right of the enterance. In the concrete are the footprints of many different kinds of animals. The kids love to look at all of them. You could bring along paper and crayons and take rubbings of each kind of foot print. There are also picnic tables at the front for bringing lunches.

After walking the small loop we started down the concrete path towards the bathrooms. After the bathrooms the trail is packed dirt. Along the trail there are tons of different kinds of plants including a grove of Sequoia trees that are quite tall and are scarred from the recent fire ('03) and a grove of dogwoods. The dogwoods were starting to change already. There are bridges to cross and a couple of streams that were dry this time of the year but would be wet in the spring. The trail ends where you start and the full loop is 7/10 of a mile.

Evacuation List

Evacuation list (for fire)

Depending on how much time go down this list as much as possible. Get things in order as they are listed from most to least important.

1. Important papers: Birth Certificates, shot records, marriage certificate, passports, church membership records, and whatever other papers you find important. Also wallets, with social security cards. Get Life insurance records, renters insurance records, and an itemized list of stuff in the house.

2. Scrap Books or photo albums: heiloom quilts or needle points or nice paintings.

3. Computer: need to get the hard drive but not necessarily the screen as that can be replaced.

4. Cell phone and cell phone charger:

5. Christmas ornaments:

6. Prescriptions: remember all medicines and also contacts and glasses.

7. A backpack with toys for each child:let them pack while I am packing. It doesn't matter what they pack but make sure it is their favorite stuff. They will need something to do.)

8. A suit case of clothes for each family member: (make sure to include underware, tooth brushes, pj's, socks, shoes, and bathing suits-the hotel where you go will probably have a pool and you will have nothing to do.) If there is no time grab your dirty clothes basket as it will probably have everything you need to wear.

8. Videos and video camera: (plus the regular camera and adapters.)

9. If there is time clean out the fridge and bring whatever you can in a cooler. (What ever I don't bring just throw out so fridge doesn't stink.)

10. If there is time close all blinds in the house. Take curtains down because they can easily catch on fire.

11. Leave message on phone (if the electricity is still on that you have left and where you are going.)

12. Move propane tank away from house. Or take it will us.

13. Lock the house from good so looters won't try to get inside.

14. Leave and know that the fire fighters will do their best to protect your house!

Rainbow View Lodge

http://www.rainbowviewlodge.com/rooms.html

2726 View Dr, Running Spring(909) 867-1810 This is a bed and breakfast that is intended for families.
Many of the rooms have more than a queen or king size bed. Some have kitchens.

The Bus Stop

32150 Hilltop Boulevard
Running Springs, CA 92382

(909) 867-2001‎

One of my favorite restaurants in Running Springs is The Bus Stop http://www.thebusstopcoffeehouse.com They are located on Highway 18 as you drive through Running Springs on the North Side of the road right after the 76 station. They offer a eclectic menu of many different things from breakfast, lunch and a very small selection of dinners. They also have a full menu of coffee and tea choices but I am not a coffee or tea drinker so I will leave that review to others. I like them for their salads and sandwiches but I have not tried their dinners yet (something I am hoping to remedy soon.)

The reason I like their salads is that they are very different than other places. They use very fresh ingredients, lots of avocados and different kinds of cheese. It is worth stop at. Almost all choices are under 13 dollars. I usually order a 1/2 California salad and a half Turkey, bacon, and avocado. The other thing I like about the bus stop is the kids play area under the stairs. This way even the kids are happy while you are eating. My daughter's favorite treat is a chocolate chip cookie... it is really big.

Hiking San Gorgonio

San Gorgonio is the tallest mountain in Southern California and I have always wanted to hike it. So we planned to do it on July 3rd. We got up at 4:oo am on Friday and picked up our babysitter. (She is a wonderful girl who loves to hike too and understands that you need to start early to hike some mountains.) Then we drove to the trail head at Vivian Creek. At about 5:50 we were hiking. The picture is us smiling because we have not started hiking yet.

Here is a pictures of the switchbacks that are at the start of the trail. The first mile is a grueling climb off the valley floor full of very steep switchbacks.

This is a picture looking up at the Yucaipa Ridge.Here is a picture looking at the San Gabriel Mountains from the switchbacks. Isn't it beautiful?After the killer switchbacks you come upon a meadow and creek called Vivian Creek. It is beautiful up there. There is a creek running and some very tall Ponderosa and Cedar trees with very wide bases. The trail levels out and becomes enjoyable. There were wildflowers everywhere! We enjoyed looking at the flowers and decided to keep hiking a bit further before stopping for breakfast. We hiked along the creek which was dry in this area. The trail is easy with gentle elevation gains and seems to be a little Roley.We kept thinking we would wait and eat at Halfway Camp but Mountain Man and I got hungry and so we stopped on a rock and ate our muffins. While we were eating a hippie man passed us. I was surprised by the number of people hiking by themselves. Have these people never heard that taking a buddy is always a good idea?

After our breakfast we had energy and we continued to hike past half way camp. Here the creek came above ground for the camp. After half-way point the trail turns into a couple of very long switchbacks. The trail has been remade from when Mountain Man hiked it and we loved the views of Yucaipa Ridge and then when we went the other way we could see into the canyon.

We stopped at high creek and pumped water and took a short break. Then we headed up the silliest switchbacks ever. I was kind of glad they were so shallow and flat because I got a really bad headache from altitude but Excedrin saved me!

This is a great picture of San Bernardino peak

After awhile the trail switched into the alpine and the trail became very steep. Then our endurance set in and we trudged along for a long ways up the shoulder. I knew that we couldn't see the top based on past experiences but I kept imagining that the top was just right over there.

Finally Mountain Man showed me the top of the mountain. I could see some people standing there and knew that it was the top. I was pretty excited to see it. San Gorgonio is 11,500 feet and the trail is 8 miles each way. The elevation gain is 5500 feet. It was the longest accent to the top of a mountain I have done so far and I am very proud of the accomplishment.

This is the top of the mountain right there and yes I am excited to see it!

We made it!

Mountain Man looking like the rugged mountaineer that he is.

This is a picture of the big tree in the meadow on the way down.

The hike down was the standard hike down from the top of a mountain. I hike too slow down hill trying to be sure of each step and it takes much longer than it should. I was grateful for the trekking pole which seemed to help some with hiking a little faster. We stopped at high creek again and got more water and rested. We passed a lot of people heading up to the top. Mountain Man talked to and instructed lots of them while I just wanted to keep hiking. My knees hurt like crazy the last mile and I really wanted to sit down and cry a little but instead just kept hiking. We made it to the parking lot and sat down in the car glad that we were done for the day.