I was recently camping in Crestline and I like to come down to Lake Gregory. This time I decided to…read moreget out on the water and the first available rental was the Swan boat that you pedal on the lake. It was very easy to rent and the team there is very friendly and helpful. It was $45 for one hour which was perfect. We felt safe and really enjoyed the boat, and the lake and all the views that came with it. I don't know why I didn't try this sooner since I've been coming up here a few years already. I will definitely make this a tradition every time I come up.

0700 hrs., Medium Gold Phoebe!!! Always s good time here…read more Can't wait to catch a Lightning Trout.

Baylis Park is small and just right off highway 18. You must, I repeat you must, everyone must have…read morean adventure pass presented in vehicle to park here. The parking lot is also very small. They have restrooms, picnic tables, and bear proof rubbish cans. There were loads of rocks and naked trees as the leaves had fallen off. It was also quite windy on the day I arrived. I thought it would be nice to snap a few photos of the city with the high elevation. It's also great for kids and also if you have pets. I'm glad I stopped by as it was really nice to soak up some sun (ooh girls just wanna have sun? Lol) and appreciate all the beauty surrounding me. I had my tripod with me as per usual. It's a nice place to have a picnic, stretch your legs, and take a breather! "Change your expectations for appreciations and the world changes instantly!" -Tony Robbins

A small little park on the rim drive…read more You are able to picnic and barbecue with a permit. We stopped by to enjoy the magnificent view. It was breathtaking.

Wonderful weekend. Seely is nestled in a nice cove next to the Heart rock hiking trail. LA Parks…read moredoes not get enough credit for putting on such an affordable, wonderful weekend for a diverse group of nature lovers. After the second day felt I needed another day! The program staff was fun and patient (Camp Hollywoodland, a 5 star review coming your way soon!), The food was fresh and cooked with care & love, The Rangers led hikes + expeditions + info sessions with humor and wisdom, The campground was clean + well-maintained, And of course mother nature for her everlasting beauty. My family had an amazing time. We returned happy, fufilled, and rested. Thanks to the directors: Sherri Lindsay & Lynette Smith Program Staff: Fauna, Moon, Oasis, Peach & Vanilla Cooking Staff: Justin, Castro, Rozetta Everett, Cristobal Morales, Romero Moseley, Sally Murrieta & Marissa Wichter Park Rangers: Sean Kleckner & Tom Mendibles A+++++ would camp again

Our 4th time here, and probably more fun with kids. Our second trip up since both sons were grown,…read morebeautiful surroundings with cabins that are a bit rustic; 2 bunk beds and 1 single (sleeps 5), heater and electrical outlets. You're advised to never turn off your heater because it gets quite cold at night and after lights out, they won't be out to fix it if you can't get it back on again. There is table tennis, archery sign up, crafts, nature talks, s'mores around a campfire, hikes, etc. that are all optional. Saturday night our Ranger even told "ghost" stories, like the time he was patrolling Griffith Park (where he still works), and spotted a lone woman walking the road near Travel Town around 3 AM. Turning around to see if she was alright and pulling next to her; her face was like porcelain and she appeared to be holding something which she was trying to hide. She responded "I'm okay" then walked off toward an extremely thick growth of brush, disappearing before his eyes. He stated that the whole experience gave him "the creeps" and didn't seem real. But our ranger, who shall remain nameless in my review, was also a great guide and leads all 4 hiking excursions. And if you're up to it, if nothing else, do the hike to Heart Rock. Maybe 2-3 miles round trip, but requiring a lot of up-and-down climbing over rocks and roots on the trail. Heads Up: There are wild animals in the vicinity; and yes, bears and bobcats have been sighted. Owls can also be heard late at night. Storing food in your cabin is highly discouraged. And one more note; none of the cabins have locks on their doors. Also more of a rustic, not romantic getaway. Not much romance with only single and bunk beds provided. With thin plastic mattresses that weren't made for comfort. And you supply your own bedding or sleeping bags; don't make the mistake of forgetting your pillow like I did this time. I had to use one of my wife's extra sheets as a makeshift pillow. Not good! I paid for it with less then 2 hours of sleep. I was in a sleeping bag. The road up to and down from Crestline, Hwy 138, is a bit more treacherous then I remembered as well. Check In is from 10 AM - 12 PM Saturday, and Check Out is at 2 PM Sunday. But for 1 night, it's a very full weekend experience, and at $55.00 per person, which includes 4 meals, everything else is inclusive. That is, everything but water. For some strange reason, all camp drinking fountains have been put out of commission. I'm still scratching my head on that one. Yet throughout the entire day, the general store building provides free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate but you have to pay for bottled water. With the exception of free bottles given out this past Sunday while me and Jackie just happened to be playing a game of ping pong. And there is water at each table during mealtimes. A nice getaway though if you don't mind roughing it for 1 night. Camp Seely is owned and operated by the City of Los Angeles.

Great short hike, about 2 miles round trip, easy to moderate trail, beautiful trees, serene views,…read morepeaceful, and not busy. Stayed at an Airbnb close by and my kids wanted to explore the outdoors. Found this trail and it was prefect for what we were looking for. My 8 year olds enjoyed the view from the top, saw squirrels and birds, and only got tired towards the end. There is a dirt path and signs posted making it easy to follow. There were lots of trees providing shade and a cool feel. There were a few areas (stumps/down trees/rocks) to sit and rest at and some inclines, but nothing too strenuous or steep. It was very quiet and peaceful, and it felt like we were the only ones out there. Although we ran into 3 couples during our hike, we had the trail pretty much to ourselves. There is limited parking, but we were able to park along the curb and didn't have an issue. Worth checking out if you're in the area.

Amazing hike about 2 hours if you have small kids. Beautiful trees really woody…read more It's a round trip loop with the map posted in the middle

What a gem this park is, we got done walking around the Village so we decided to take the girls to…read morethe park for a bit before we went to meet up with our other friends to watch the bands play. Wow this park is amazing, it was very windy and foggy but the kids didn't mind. We brought blankets so through them over us lol and walked over. They have swings when you first walk up, but if you walk a bit further they have the playground. They also have a tennis or bad mitten court and basketball courts too. The playground is so nice and clean and they have a cool zip line for the kids to play on, they loved that so much and had a blast going on it lol. It even has a cute little gazebo such a beautiful park. The girls had a blast we would love to come here again. If you have never been to MacKay Park you should if you have little ones it's really beautiful here. Even if you don't it's peaceful and in the mountains and so lovely. The parking lot is pretty big too so plenty for everyone. Have a beautiful day, be kind to everyone :) Aloha

Beautiful view, well maintained park, picnic benches and tables available. The park features…read morepickleball courts, a volleyball court, and a basketball hoop as well as swings and a play set. It provides great lookout point to Lake Arrowhead.

Came out from OC as we heard great things about this hike and the hot springs we could get into…read more They do charge $10 per person for parking depending on how many people are in your car. The hike down is beautiful with wide desert views. Just remember: going back up is a workout. Bring plenty of water and be ready for sun. The hot springs themselves are awesome--several warm pools and the cold creek right next to them. It can get busy, but still really relaxing. Overall, a great adventure spot if you're up for a tougher hike. Would definitely go again.

Clean, beautifully maintained. There's a fire pit by each camp site, and except for the ones for…read morebig groups, lots of space for privacy. The hike back from the hot springs is no joke, especially on a hot day if it gets to 80s. It is nonstop uphill for about 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your speed. Still gorgeous.

Just went the other day, the road was still open to make it just a very short hike to get to the…read morecool creek and bridge area. IT DEFINITELY IS STILL ILLEGAL TO VISIT UNTIL MAY 21st 2021 at least. The website doesn't say so but several signs out here do and there is no reversal of that order anywhere to be found in the internet. Honestly was a cool place that i can't wait to explore more but I'm thankful it's closed because it's too easy too access which enables non nature people to go easily and trash it and disrespect the area, and not responsibly socially distance. If you aren't a local please don't visit this spot Go explore trails and nature area in your home towns and if there isn't enough than get your voice heard in local city council meetings and demand some more.

This spot was absolutely perfect for a family hike and some fun splashing about in the river and…read moreswimming holes. It is an extremely simple hike, no rough terrain and clearly marked. We had driven from Arizona for some cooler weather and had the hardest time simply finding a good spot for the kids to play and swim without needing to pay a fortune (We dont have to pay to swim in lakes in Arizona which I didn't know was a novelty??) We rented a cabin by Arrowhead lake and found out AFTER we got there that it is a private lake. We were told by locals that a great family lake was Lake Gregory which was about 20 minutes away. We drove to lake Gregory only to be told by park rangers that we cant swim in the lake unless we go to the designated family beach area and pay $10 per person (adults and children included) to use a small crowded beach area. That particular day I gave in and paid so my children could have some fun outside and in the water. I was determined to continue looking... FINALLY, I searched for rivers, streams and hiking nearby to get some peace and adventure and came across this little gem. Maybe we got lucky since it was in the middle of the week, but there were very few people on the trail, not to mention only one other family with kids at the swimming hole that my kids played with. The water was clean and cool, it was not crowded, there was ample shade and sandy beach areas...it was PERFECT. I would highly recommend this area for family use.

I grew up in San Diego and I've lived in LA for many years and a year after year I keep telling…read moremyself that I have to check this place out. For this most recent long three-day weekend in Lake Arrowhead we decided to finally give this place a try. We are two adults in our 30s with no kids. It is important to note that because honestly, this place is for children 10 and under. It is not for teens or adults. It is honestly pretty underwhelming if you are an adult, but it can be quite charming if you are a child. It is also $55 per person and $15 for parking which is a bit expensive, but I understand the inflated price due to the location and having to staff it. One thing about this place that is nice is they don't have a bunch of add-ons once you get inside, so you really do just pay one price unless you decide to get food as well. The other part of this park is specifically designed for people into mountain biking. They have six different trails ranging in difficulty from easy to difficult and about half of the visitors seemed to be doing that which we would go back specifically for. The activities for adults are pretty limited, so the main ones that we did were the bike in the air that goes around the rim of the property. This is the ride that you see in all the marketing and is the most popular. It was probably the most fun we had but it was honestly a bit scary once you get to the steepest point. It's about 50 feet above the ground so it would be quite a fall down. After that, we tried some archery and ax throwing which was surprisingly fun. After that, there was honestly nothing else that we could really do given our age and size so we headed out after that. This would be a great place to visit during December with children 10 and under because they do have Santa Claus and people in costumes and what not and each of the buildings is alpine themed and is very quaint. They also have a very large area that serves as a wedding location so I'm sure that is also another part of this place. There is a large free parking lot attached in front with EV charging available as well.

We've been here 4-5 times and it was time for a review. Ticket prices are high, but I thought it…read morewas OK for 1x a year trip or once every 2 years. We've been here during the fall and winter and I would recommend coming for the winter decorations. The crowd varies during the year, when we came during the fall weekday, it was empty and there was no wait for any of the activities. We came last week (3 days before Christmas) and we had to wait for each activity. It wasn't bad, but it did make the day longer. If you plan to eat, I would eat earlier because in the afternoon lunch our food took about 1hr. The highlight of the trip for my kid is santa and I'm glad we did that first to get a reservations. We did the mountain bike part earlier in the fall and that was nice if your kid is into it. We rented all the gear and opted for the tour guide to help us get use to it.

Updated review: Second attempt after a year. Made it to the top this time but trail was still…read moresomewhat confusing in some areas. Last stretch to the top requires rock scrambling. GPS of the AllTrails route was required to give a general direction. Overall, plenty of nice views including Silverwood Lake from a distance. Short video of the hike: https://youtu.be/LKLBBaKxJ7U

Definitely a hike for experienced hikers! Very few signs indicate the trail direction. If you…read moreaccidentally deviate from the trail (which is very easy to do), the difficulty increases tenfold. I made it to the top only by staying on the trail with the help of my trusty iPhone. The view at the top is amazing - you get a 360 view of Silverlake, Victorville, Apple Valley, and the mountains surrounding Lake Arrowhead. Going back down is much more challenging than going up!

Clean & beautiful. a nice environment in the winter! Loved to hike on little paths with our son &…read moredog

I have to update my review because I've been here so many times, and it's improved vastly since my…read morefirst impression. As I reread my previous review I realized that I had only seen a portion of the lake. In reality, the lake is huge. It extends towards 173 and allows for fishing and boating. A great way to spend time outdoors. I believe they sell California fishing licenses, fishing and boating supplies, and even boat rentals! There are separate parking lots for docking/boating and regular day parking. There are bathroom building facilities available. There are numerous trails, including part of Section C of the PCT runs through the Silverwood Lake SRA. There are many camping spaces and group camping available as well. In the times when I've camped here the ranger station has always been kind and knowledgeable, answering my many questions. I've only been to the marina store once or twice, but the staff was friendly and accommodating. I went to the Silverwood Lake SRA office for the first time recently and parked there while hiking part of the PCT. The lady there was very nice and helped me find my way. The peace officers are very nice and knowledgeable. I recently did some exploring and got lost. LOL. Shout Out to Officer Bakke for going above and beyond and helping me find the PCT on my birthday. That was the best birthday present. Thank you to the helpful men and women at California State Parks for keeping us safe. I would definitely recommend this park for hiking, camping, or boating. It's not safe to drink the water due to algae bloom. I wouldn't fish here either, but some people do it. No swimming during algae bloom as it can cause illness. Hiking: Depending on the trail you may or may not have shade, stay hydrated. Camping: Some campers like to play their music loud. So unfortunately, there's that. So glad this park is here in the area.