Summer Lakes

Lakes and Watersports in San Bernardino County

If you haven’t hit the lake yet this summer then you might be experiencing WWS (water-withdrawal syndrome). Symptoms include crankiness and complaints about hot weather. Luckily there’s an easy cure! San Bernardino County has a bounty of beautiful lakes for water adventures and shoreline lounging.

The “hidden gem” of the San Bernardino Mountains: Green Valley Lake, located at 7,000 feet. This best-kept secret is totally secluded and surrounded by National Forest—meaning it’s blissfully uncrowded, and absolutely picturesque. Then there’s Lake Gregory, with its pristine water, sandy beach, and amazing fun—from giant water-play floats in Swim Cove to wild and winding water slides! Big Bear Lake is a 7-mile stunner ideal for soaking in mountain views and getting wet with sports like jet-skiing and stand-up paddleboarding.

A casual paddle-wheel boat offers a narrated tour of Hollywood movie sets, and there’s also a lake tour on a pirate ship (Arrgh, matey!). Summer’s on, so hit the lakes!

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  1. Hike the Rainbow

    Catch all the colors of a rainbow at Calero County Park on this 10-mile hike currently showcasing the season’s best blooms.

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  2. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

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    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

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  4. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

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  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

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  2. Diamond in the Rough

    March Madness may be over, but the wildflower rush has just begun! This spring, in the Southern California regional bracket, Hemet’s Diamond Valley Lake is our surprise pick for the Fab Flowers Finals. Take a 2-mile round-trip hike in botanical bliss.

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  3. Jurupa Jamboree

    If you like a short hike with a side of adventure, try the Jurupa Hills North Trail in Martin Tudor Jurupa Hills Regional Park.

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  4. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

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