Little Green Valley Trail In San Bernardino National Forest

Little Green Valley Trail is a hidden little gem within the San Bernardino National Forest. This is a wonderful day hike for those visiting Running Springs or Big Bear Lake.

Little Green Valley Trail travels through a forest with beautiful views of mountains, meadows, and wildflowers along the way.

Although the hike is pretty short, it does have a steep uphill climb the entire time. This trail is a great option for those who enjoy a bit of a challenge with rewarding views at the end of it.

Keep reading to learn more about Little Green Valley Trail and what you can expect to see along this hike!

Quick Trail Highlights

Here are a few trail highlights before I dive into more details:

Length: 2.5 miles
Elevation Gain: Around 600 feet
Time Needed: 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed?: Yes, this trail is dog-friendly

Little Green Valley Trail Parking

Little Green Valley Trail is located within San Bernardino National Forest halfway between Running Springs and Big Bear Lake. Parking for the trailhead can be found in a small dirt lot just north of Highway 18.

For directions, set Google Maps to ‘Little Green Valley Trail 3W10’. The parking lot is located to the left right after the turn off Highway 18.

The visitor lot is pretty small and can only fit a few cars. There are no restrooms, trash cans, or other amenities here.

The starting point for the Little Green Valley Trail is located to the west of the parking lot. There is no trailhead sign so it’s easy to miss the starting point. We met a few people who hiked the wrong trail by accident.

I recommend using the AllTrails hiking app and following the Little Green Valley Trail to stay on track. This is what we did during the hike to make sure we were going the right way.

About Little Green Valley Trail 3W10

We hiked the Little Green Valley Trail on a weekend morning in August. Despite being just a 20-minute drive from Big Bear, we encountered only a few other people on this hike.

On the AllTrails hiking app, this trail is marked as a 2.5-mile long loop, but we did the trail as an out-and-back hike (like most people do). The trek follows a path through the woods with many switchbacks that end at a lush, green meadow.

Meadow at the end of the Little Green Valley Trail.

Despite being a short hike, some junctions were a bit confusing. We kept referencing the AllTrails app throughout our hike to make sure we were going the right way. Thankfully we had reception during the entire time so we could keep checking the map.

With 600 feet of elevation gain, this trek was a bit more strenuous than I expected. Because of the altitude, we took a lot more breaks and went slower than usual.

Hiking Little Green Valley Trail with our 9-month-old baby.

Going up, you’ll climb for 1.2 miles steadily until the end. Once you reach the lush meadow, you can enjoy the views and turn back around to start the descent.

Although there is plenty of shade, packing sunscreen, a hiking hat, and extra water bottles is a must! The sun in the mountains can feel extra harsh in the summer and dehydrate you quickly.

This hike has many sections that are exposed to the sun.

Most of the trail is very steep and rocky. I recommend wearing good hiking shoes with extra grip to prevent you from accidentally slipping and falling.

This trail is pretty overgrown towards the summit so you’ll want to wear long hiking pants to protect your legs from getting scratched up. This hike is also very dusty so long pants will keep your legs from getting dirty.

The Little Green Valley Trail is dog-friendly so we brought our pup along. Be sure to pack extra water for them as there are no rivers or water sources along this trail.

My Experience Hiking Little Green Valley Trail

After parking in the visitor lot, we spotted a narrow trail to the left of the parking lot. We started the hike along this path and immediately started climbing up through the forest.

Little Green Valley Trail follows a narrow trail through a partially shaded forest.

This trail is shared by hikers and mountain bikers. We encountered one mountain biker in this section so keep an eye out for any incoming bikers around blind corners.

After a short climb, we reached a junction in the road. We walked across the road and found a small wooden sign for ‘Little Green Valley Trail’ that we followed.

After the road crossing, keep going straight.

Follow the wooden signs for the Little Green Valley Trail.

In 0.6 miles we reached another junction in the road. We crossed this road as well and kept going along the path.

As you climb up, you will start seeing views of the Snow Valley Mountain Resort in the distance. My husband came here mountain biking the day before and had a blast on the downhill trails!

The next section goes up very steep switchbacks through a pine forest. In 0.9 miles the switchbacks will end and flatten out. There is one fallen tree towards the summit that you will need to climb over to continue.

The last section of the trail is a bit overgrown with thorny bushes. It’s best to wear long pants or high hiking socks to avoid getting scratched up.

The trail ends at an unexpected meadow full of vibrant plants and wildflowers. As we walked around the meadow, we could hear birds chirping in the trees and spotted a small creek flowing through the plants.

Beautiful meadow at the end of the hike.

After enjoying the stunning views and the cooler weather, we turned around and hiked back the same way that we came. Due to the steady decline, it took us half the time to hike back down than to go up.

On the AllTrails hiking app, this route is listed as a loop, but we could not figure out where the other route option was located. We ended up following the same narrow trail up and down.

If you’re looking for a short hike to do while visiting Big Bear Lake or Running Springs, the Little Green Valley Trail is it!

If you have any questions on this trek, be sure to leave me a comment below.

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This post is written by Laura Sausina. Hi, I’m a California local and the founder of the California Wanderland travel blog. I currently live in Ventura County and help 30,000 readers a month discover things to do in Central California! Read more about me here.

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