Van Dusen Canyon - #VanDusenCanyon

Socal - San Bernardino County - Big Bear Lake NickNames: #VanDusenCanyon

Take Hwy. 18 or Hwy. 38 to Big Bear Lake. Travel around the lake to the north shore. The trail head is at the northeast end of the lake. You can park at the North Shore School parking lot or travel east on Hwy. 38 to Van Dusen Canyon Rd. (left) and park at the pavement end.

5 Review(s)Login

• Trail UpdateSmooth And Fast-Van Dusen is still best used as an access road/ride for "real riding", but it's useful to know that it's been graded and is pretty smooth. The dangerous part about this is that faux-offroaders in their urban SUV's or "badass trucks" will play Ivan Stewart on the road and blaze down it at 40mph+...be wary.

  Current weather in Big Bear has mid-morning to afternoon showers, and the dust level is minimal.
  EBasil a Cross-Country Rider riding a Fisher Cake from Whispering Forest

  Posted:08/01/2005

• Trail UpdateDry And Rocky-
  As of Memorial Day, 2003, Van Dusen is dry, rocky and HOT in the sun. There are sections that are so rocky, it's difficult to maintain downhill speed on the FIRE ROAD and others where you can maintain 30+, but then come into rocks the size and shape of bricks all over the place.

  Great access road to drive up in your TRUCK.
  Ride rating: Intermediate
  EBasil riding a Manitou HT from San Diego

  Posted:05/26/2003

• Trail UpdateAn Access Road-Van Dusen Canyon is a fire road access to Holcomb Valley, and is likely to be traveled by Jeeps, tourists in cars and RV's, although there are a few sections where low cars like Honda Civics will have difficulty. It's also a decent gentle climb, descent to and from Holcomb, but definitely NOT a "ride" you would go to Big Bear to "do".

  A better use of Van Dusen is to drive up it, park at the top and then ride the trails and fire roads in Holcomb Valley.
  Ride rating: Intermediate
  Erik a Cross-Country Rider from Whispering Forest, Big Bear

  Posted:04/01/2003

• Trail UpdateHolcomb Valley/ Hanna Flats-as much as it was nice that this is posted, the dirtroad up van dusen is like a hiway of JEEPS...
  another more challenging and less dusty route is up holcomb valley rd, cutting left and up over to hanna flats campground, at least from there you can opt to take some fantastic singletrack extensions to get some sort of pulse going.......
  feel free to email me for the 411 on all the coolest ridng in the big bear area.
  Ride rating: Intermediate
  Ride distance: 5-15miles Elevation change: 500'
  Singletrack=50ish if u follow me% Dirt Road=100%
  0 knobby 1 fattire jedi a 420 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a SuperVtanker from Hell from The Freeride Mecca

  Posted:06/13/2000

• Trail UpdateHolcomb Valley-This trail travels up 3N09 into Holcomb Valley Historic Settlement. About 14 miles from the school parking lot on dirt roads (watch for vehicles using the road).

  Posted:08/15/1996