San Bernardino National Forest - California

The San Bernardino National Forest, located in the mountains of Southern California, receives more visitors than Yellowstone or Yosemite. With its towering oaks and manzanitas, the San Bernardino National Forest is an oasis of wilderness and a true American adventure.

Set aside in 1893 by President Benjamin Harrison to manage the mountain sheep and wildfires that frequent the area, the 660,000 acres of the San Bernardino National Forest include the highest mountains in Southern California. With elevations ranging from 1,000 to 11,502 ft, the forest lands cover the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains. Whether on foot, horseback or mountain bike, visitors to San Bernardino National Forest can explore over 500 miles of trails that wind through the forest's mountain pines, its scenic mountain meadows and its landscape of desert flowers. The forest has desert cactus and snow-peaked mountains in the distance as well as huge bodies of water that serve as a recreational oasis for southern Californians.

Other unique ways to enjoy the wilderness at San Bernardino National Forest include indulging in the Deep Creek Hot Springs, hiking a part of the Pacific Crest Trail and taking in incredible vistas and interpretive sites. And those who want to camp can choose from primitive and developed camping sites.

The San Bernardino National Forest can be accessed from several roads in the San Bernardino area off Interstate highway 10.