By: Daniel Pea

August 24, 2007

There is a place in Big Bear City that has some great day hikes and lots of boulders for some solid bouldering opps. The place I am referring to is a place I call “The Peter Pan Zone.” 

There’s no pixie dust from Tinker Bell, no pirate with a hook for a hand, no lost boys and not even a mischievous boy that refuses to grow up. I call it “The Peter Pan Zone” because most of the street names in the general area are from the Peter Pan storybook. It is located on the north end of Big Bear City, off Highway 18, between Greenway Drive and Van Dusen Canyon Drive. Some of the familiar street names include, Peter, Michael, Wendy, Nana, Tiger Lily and even Tinker Bell. Some of the streets will actually lead you to “The Peter Pan Zone” right at the cusp of the San Bernardino National Forest.

“The Peter Pan Zone” is one of the local’s best kept secrets, but like Peter Pan says, secrets are meant to be shared. It is a hiking area that is open to the public. It is where residential homes meet the San Bernardino National Forest face to face on Pioneer Lane. There is a trailhead for each street that leads to the “Zone.” The Peter Pan character street names that lead to the hiking area are Michael Avenue and Nana Avenue. However, I chose to venture from Anita Ave., which is just one street east of Michael Ave.

What I like about this area is the various options for leisure hikes; it’s relatively easy with no strenuous inclines. It is common grounds for anyone who enjoys a good hike. In fact, one of the best things I like is the wildlife sightings. In the past I have seen raccoon, deer and coyote. On this particular hike I was stimulated by the songs from a variety of birds. Unfortunately, I was not able to identify all the birds that were singing the chorus of nature, but I did spot a white-breasted nuthatch, a mountain chickadee, a few steller’s jay and a robin. 

The great thing about “The Peter Pan Zone” is the simplicity of the walks and choices of trails that relatively have the same casual and relaxing pace. I came to a fork and went left only to find the trail broke into a dry creek of scattered rocks. I actually found what appears to be a grinding stone that was probably used by Native Americans.

I continued to follow the dry creek to a dead end of towering boulders. This area is renowned as one of the best bouldering spots in Big Bear. Naturally, I decided to scale the boulders to the top. I was solo, so I was extra cautious of the route I took. I chose to scramble up through the crests. I suggest having another person with you if you choose to do more daring rocks. Whenever climbing boulders it is important to take it slow, concentrate and have fun! The great thing about bouldering is there are no right ways and no wrong ways to climb boulders. It’s about instinct and what feels comfortable for you.
I reached the top of the first towering set of boulders and noticed to the east a plethora of rock formations. I understand this area also has some great rock climbing. In the future, I will have to find a rock climbing enthusiast to show me some of the hot spots in this area.

This was a twilight hike, so I didn’t have to worry about snakes. However, this is one area that I tend to take extra caution of snakes. Rocks and snakes tend to go hand in hand.  

There were more boulders ahead and I continued to have fun and climb to the top. I reached a summit and took a break to take in the sights of beauty. I could see a clear shot of Sugarloaf Mountain, the highest peak in Big Bear Valley, a nice view of Big Bear City and on this day the cloudscapes were phenomenal, a red sunset blended with a cluster of grey and purple clouds. I found myself in the middle of a peaceful and calm forest. This is when I realized that maybe I was in Neverland and this is why I call it “The Peter Pan Zone.”

I finished my boulder trek to a plateau. To my surprise there was a trail. I was rearing to take it, but noticed a couple of bats overhead, a tale, tale sign that it is was getting dark. I decided to take the trail back to my truck, but curiosity has me wanting to check out where this trail leads. I will explore this trail next time and report the expedition on the next blog. Until then enjoy the outdoors, it’s what its there for.