Kicking Butler

Hiking Butler Peak in the San Bernardino Mountains

When you reach the fire lookout tower that crowns 8,535-foot Butler Peak, you reach a 360-degree panoramic view that captures the grandeur of SoCal’s most epic mountain ranges—the towering ridges of the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the daunting peaks of the San Gabriels to the west. The hike is 9.1 miles (round-trip), with 1,532 feet of elevation gain. The Forest Service website notes that the fire road to Butler Peak is closed to vehicle traffic, but don't worry; it's open to hikers. Contact the Big Bear Discovery Center (909-382-2790) for the latest information.

The 80-year-old tower is one of seven fire lookout stations in the San Bernardino National Forest. Volunteer workers are sometimes at the lookout during the day and can explain how they track fires with mapping tools. Landform ID is a breeze, thanks to a book in the lookout with photos that detail exactly what mountains and features you’re seeing in every direction.

The trail up Butler is a fire road—a clear path to follow all the way to the top. There’s no official trailhead, but the open parking area and campground half a mile up fire road 2N13 is a great place to start. Just over a mile and a half into the trek you can clearly see the Hanna Rocks, a popular climbing spot, to the north. At this point there’s a fork in the trail and you’ll want to take a fishhook left to stay on the right track. Just before the peak is a series of switchbacks and a steep set of stairs that lead you up to the lookout. From there you can enjoy views of both Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead or look farther to Old Greyback and Cucamonga Peak.

The Forest Service website notes that the fire road to Butler Peak is closed to vehicle traffic, but don't worry; it's open to hikers. Contact the Big Bear Discovery Center (909-382-2790) for the latest information. From CA-210 take Exit 81 for CA-330 north. After 15.1 miles, continue onto CA-18 (toward Big Bear) for another 12.3 miles. Turn left on CA-38 west for 3.3 miles and then make another left at Rim of the World Dr. for 1.2 miles of dirt road. Turn left at the fork onto 2N13 and follow that for another half-mile to a parking area on the right. Dog-friendly!

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Serene Las Gallinas

    A serene stroll alongside marshland, passing ponds and grasses frilled in seasonal wildflowers, with Mount Tam a beacon in the background … how nice. As part of the esteemed Bay Trail, San Rafael’s Las Gallinas Valley Birding Loop and Wildlife Ponds comprises about 3.5 miles of wide-open trail.

    View
  2. Paint Brushy

    This time of year you’ll have good reason to head for the hills—the electric-green rolling hills of Brushy Peak Regional Preserve in Livermore. This 4.5-mile loop hike is like stepping into a plein air painting.

    View
  3. Sponsored

    2025 POST Wildflower Walks

    Get flower empowered! POST’s complimentary 2025 Wildflower Walks guide blooms with the best places to see a variety of florals across the Peninsula and South Bay this spring.

    View
  4. All right, Almaden!

    Take a trip through time on this 5-mile loop in Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Explore the ruins of an old cinnabar mine and enjoy the first hints of wildflower season.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Sponsored

    Weekend in Reno Tahoe

    Weekend plans? Reno Tahoe! Just a few hours by car or a short flight away, Reno Tahoe springs to the moment with great ways to combine adventure and relaxation in its beautiful mountains-meets-desert setting.

    View
  2. Hiker walking along the North Bluff Trail on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park

    Purely Wild

    Channel Islands National Park lives up to its nickname as “North America’s Galapagos.” This less-traveled national park is an undeveloped and isolated series of five dramatic and distinct islands reached by boat. Hike the largest of the islands, Santa Cruz.

    View
  3. Woman hiking the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon

    Truly Grand Day Hike

    One of the best spring day hikes in the Grand Canyon? See layer upon layer of the park’s grandeur—including the river—on this 3-mile (one-way) journey to Skeleton Point via the South Kaibab Trail.

    View
  4. A woman stands amid an array of yellow and purple flowers at Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles

    Petal Paradise

    Tulips, lilacs, and daffodils—flower power is in full bloom at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Sprawling across 150 acres surrounded by mountains, the gardens are putting on their best show right now.

    View