A morning at Bluff Lake is the best way to spend a day in Big Bear no matter what season it is! Our tour starts with a drive up to Bluff Lake Reserve in my SUV. Spring through fall I lead hikers on tours all over Bluff Lake, the upper portion of Castle Rock and Skyline Trail. The easy version of this hike is about a two-mile hike over the mostly flat ground, not much altitude gain. This is a great hike for kids. We can even stop on the hike and I’ll teach kids a bit about our local butterflies and instruct them on the best technic to photograph butterflies. We will hike over to our Champion Lodgepole Pine; Which is the oldest and largest tree in our national forest. If you want to do the moderate hike to upper Castle Rock (Castle Rock is the most popular trail in the Big Bear Valley), this hike is available the same pricing. Us locals prefer to hike a less traveled trail starting from the top near Bluff Lake to Castle Rock. It's prettier and not a crowded hike. This hike has a lot more altitude gain and is about 4 miles round trip.