I have a dog who absolutely adores the snow. Unfortunately we live in a very hot environment (Los Angeles), but I know we are surrounded by mountains which do get fairly cold in the winter. Last year we tried a few hikes around big bear, but there was scant snow and mostly ice (which he also adores but which was hazardous for us).
I’d love to take him somewhere within driving distance, 1-3 hours, where we could get some hikes with guaranteed snow so he could romp around. Right now he is all pant-y and mope-y and I feel bad for him.
I know there are lots of ski resorts around, but I think those supplement with artificial snow? And none of us really ski anyways.
Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead, Wrightwood… The mountains are the only places you’ll find snow in that area. You just have to go at the right time of year, and hope it’s a good year for snow. When I lived in Lancaster I’d go up to Wrightwood and there was plenty of snow. But there were some good snow years in the '70s and '80s.
I have seem plenty of snow in the Big Bear area in fall and winter. I am sure there is often snow in the other mountain areas of So Cal too. It is not guaranteed, but it is not guaranteed in most places south of the arctic circle. Check the weather maps online if you want to be sure.
Come to that, though, I am sure both you and your dog will appreciate the cooler air up in the mountains, even if there is no snow.
Have you ever been to Julian, outside of San Diego? It’s a nice tourist-friendly little town that gets snow. It’s about 3 hours from LA. Come for the snow, stay for the apple pie.
If you go through Ramona, and you probably will, there’s a little bakery out in the middle of nowhere. Dudley’s. Awesome bread of every imaginable type. I love their jalapeno bread. It’s located in Santa Ysabel at the intersection of Hwy 78 and 79. A must stop.
♫ Julian has clean air, but it’s too far to go
So I’m just gonna head back to the only place I know
But there’s a fly in my soup
There’s gum on my shoes… ♫
We almost got snowed in when we drove up to Julian when I was a little kid.
Dogs are famous for not being able to tell the difference between natural snow and artificial snow. In fact the word “dog” itself is derived from the Indo-European dhogahtsha’ bara’rikkitikikitavi, which is a phrase meaning “friendly and loyal, but can’t tell the difference between artificial show and the real thing. How dumb is that?”
So as long as the Mammoth Mountain Kiddies Play area doesn’t have a “No Dogs Allowed” policy, you guys should be golden.
Frazier park at the top of the grapefine and the 5 freeway has snow every year and is close to you. Most years we get snow down to 5,000 ft. Because of the drought we are seeing much less recently. At 8,000 ft you can find snow as a rule throughout the winter months.
I can one-up you: my father, for many years, was the Postmaster in Santa Ysabel, and, on his lunch breaks, used to play horseshoes with Dudley Pratt, the guy who founded the bakery. I was very young at the time, but I’ve actually met Dudley!
(Dudley was found one morning, stone dead, having been overcome with gas from one of his ovens. Everyone said it was proper, anyway, that he died doing what he loved best: baking bread.)
I’ll bet you know the Inaja Firefighters Memorial at the top of the hill, with one of the prettiest – if shortest – nature trails to be found. One of my favoritest places in the world.
I’ll bet you know the Inaja Firefighters Memorial at the top of the hill, with one of the prettiest – if shortest – nature trails to be found. One of my favoritest places in the world.
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When I was young I used to quail hunt in that area. One of my favorite places. I found a wild orchid up there once with a tiny unspectacular blue flower on it. One of my orchid loving friends fell in love with it and planned on hybridizing it. I never heard anymore about it after that.
Wow! I had no idea orchids existed in this part of the world! You’ve one-upped my one-up!
(My favorite local wildflowers are “Shooting Stars” which are pretty, and have a lovely, soft, sweet, subtle perfume. In the spring, if you know where to look, you can sometimes find entire hillsides of them.)
