Distance: 5.1 miles round trip cross country and dirt road
Summit Elevation: 8365'
Elevation Gain: 1675'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.3
Round trip time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: $20 Citation at Highway 18 Lake View Point turnout
Difficulty: Moderate
With an early heatwave still raging, I headed back to the Big Bear area for Crafts (HPS #53). I followed Jason Park's firebreak route from a turnout at Lake View Point. The overlook was closed, but there is a large turnout before you get to the entrance gate and I thought I could park there. A no parking sign was in front of the gate, I thought to discourage blocking the gate, but apparently it applied to the entire turnout. When I got back, I had a San Bernardino County Sheriff's citation for $20 glued to my windshield. The glue residue was worse than the fine. I crossed the highway and started up an open firebreak leading to a communication tower. The firebreak continued behind the tower, wide and indistinct. It followed the ridge line, going over point 8095, then dropped a hundred feet to a saddle where it intersected the road. I took the road the rest of the way. A short use trail to the summit was cut through the brush. I hadn't seen anyone all day, but saw a middle aged man and his son, maybe 5 or 6, half way up the use trail. I followed behind, arriving a couple of minutes after they did. The summit had a metal pin, a wooden sign, and several full registers. I offered to take a photo of the father/son duo and got them with the sign. The kid was noticeably tired and uncomfortable with the red ants around the summit. Views in all directions were quite nice. Crafts may be the best location to see both Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake. On the way down, I missed the exit from the road to the firebreak and had to backtrack. The rest of the descent was uneventful, until I saw the citation on my truck. If I were to attempt this route again, I'd park out of sight on the gated dirt road below it or another dirt road nearby.
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