Lowlanders who plan to conquer a major summit this summer like Mt. Whitney, Mt. Shasta or Mt. McKinley will want to get accumulated to high altitude before the big trip. Even if you plan to hike the Rockies in Colorado you may want to get accustomed to higher elevation to avoid high altitude sickness.

Big Bear is at 7000 ft., and just a short jaunt for most Southern Californians and Southern Nevadans to get climatized! Big Bear is the perfect solution and will make it much easier on your body when you hit higher elevations at major summits of 12,000 ft. or more.

One week out before your summit hike come to Big Bear for at least a day trip. However, I suggest you camp overnight or a few nights for that matter to truly get climatized. There are plenty of campgrounds in and around Big Bear Valley. There are some great campgrounds off Hwy 38 at the Bartlett Flats area too, however I suggest going to Big Bear to get the highest possible elevation experience. In fact, Big Bear has some great RV campsites right on the lake if you really want to go in comfort. 

The higher you are and the more days at higher elevation, the better chances of avoiding high altitude sickness when you attempt to conquer a major summit. To get the most of your high altitude expereince I suggest doing a day hike in and around Big Bear like Sugarloaf Mountain at 9,952 ft. (my personal favorite), Gold Mountain at 8,235 ft. or Delamar Mountain at 8,398 ft. In fact, there is a planned group hike this Saturday, May 24 at Delamar. And of course, if you really want to challenge yourself and get a solid climatize experience, climb Mt. San Gorgonio, which is Southern California’s highest elevation at 11,499 ft.

Get Climatized,

Daniel Pea