The LA Area Boy Scout Ranch, where I spent some time in summer camps and in training sessions at other times of the year is located on the edge of the Holcomb Valley. We often wandered about it as a young teenager. Thanks.
Very well done! I was in the Air Force in Victorville in the Mojave Desert and when I saw Holcomb Valley I thought it was so neat, quiet, and peaceful!
How funny, we probably rubbed elbows somewhere in the Victor Valley in the '80s or early '90s. I worked all over the VV on computers and always saw those F-4s flying around. Yup, Big Bear was a "cool" place go from the desert.
I very much appreciate how you give clear directions, linking each photo to its precise location on the map or Google Earth. Not enough emphasis is placed on using maps these days, and I am very grateful to you for all the time and preparation you put into each video. Well done!
Lived in Hesperia for 19 years and frequently, like weekly, were up in the Big Bear Mountains from Big Bear to Crestline. Your videos bring back many memories.
Fawnskin local here. Nice job with this. And my own personal PSA? NO litter. NO fires. Thanks and we now continue with your regularly scheduled programming.
I did this trail last year for my birthday with my wife in my jeep and my friend in his truck. Seeing these sites brings back happy memories 😎 thanks for everything you guys do! Also, if anyone plans on doing these trails in winter be aware of the snow and ice pack on these back roads!
I’ll be riding my Honda 250 rally adventure bike on this. Your videos are so professional and just so enjoyable to watch. Thanks for bringing us adventure. A stroll into California’s past is magical
I made a video on a camping trip here with family on 4th of July weekend. We happened to camp across from the Hangman's Tree. I've been a member of "The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus" since spring of '05 Your video is extremely informative with all the information needed. Great video. Thank you. Billy Holcomb discovered the gold by tracking a bear he shot and stumbled across gold... it was the start of the boom of the gold rush in Holcomb Valley.
I don't know that Holcomb "stumbled" across gold. I suspect that when he tracked the bear into the valley, and saw what he saw there, he might have known the connection that quartzite rock and gold have, and seeing some quartzite rock, figured there'd be gold around there, somewhere. That might not be Billy Holcomb's story. Maybe he just happened to look down at a rock with a bit of gold in it and had no prior knowledge of the connection between quartzite rock and gold. I'm pretty sure it's Edwardio Luna's, though. He's the guy that Luna Mountain on the USGS Butler Peak, CA map is named for. He tried mining there in that area, not because he was wandering around the desert slope of the mountains and stumbled on to gold, but because he knew about the connection between quartzite rock and gold. And there was plenty of quartzite around his old mine and mining cabin. I know, because my family owned what once was one of Luna's mining claims, from about 1972 to 2020. The shaft outside the cabin had long since caved in, but the old miner's cabin was still habitable at over 100 years old, and had a lot of cool old stuff in it and around it.
@@jerroldshelton9367 We need to get up there and get more people up there. Build a town up there. These days we can attract tourists and the money from that from b and b will build the place.
Yes!! Welcome to the beautiful sights,, PLEASE! Respect the many private properties in the area stay safe and keep litter in its place. Plan your restroom stop at the Holcomb valley campground take plenty of water and check your tire condition. You will love your weekend!
Thank you so much for all your videos.. I love what your doing and wish I was there to explore with you. Ive watch almost all your videos and I'm definitely inspired to do the same... At one point of time I was documenting the remains of the US 91/ arrowhead trail...through Nevada and parts of Utah but my documentation was poor... But there is so many mysteries on that road.. many traces of old settlements and small towns almost wiped off history.
You're welcome and thank you for your comment. I assume you've seen our videos on Route 66 in So Cal? We live in St. George Utah, so I'm very familiar with "Old 91". Someday I'd like to do a video tour from the Utah border near Mesquite, thru St. George and end where it almost touches Zion NP. There's traces of the old road everywhere, including a fully in-tact tunnel.
Its because its on the opposite side of the slopes! Im in bear almost every weekend during snow season and i didnt know about these trails and the discovery center until recently
I enjoyed that. The dirt roads appear to have been improved since I was there fifty years ago. Where in the world did they come up with all those fences?
@@jerroldshelton9367 Awsum I Got to Get Out There Sum Day.. But, Now It’s Big Bear Lake Boating Season and That’s My EveryWeekend Pastime...HeeHawww🤠 See You in Holcomb Sum Time Stay Safe
FYI, the Alhambra Foundry Company is still in business in Alhambra, CA. I believe they are the only steel mill left west of the Mississippi now and have been since the 1970s or 1980s. They started right after WWI. I mentioned this because of the steel bolts at 19:51 that are shown as a closeup. Take care and thanks for the video!
Excellent catch! I was thinking of that company as I watched the final edit before posting, so you've answered my question. That lizard must have been keeping watch on those old bolts. By the way, California Steel, located next to the site of the Kaiser Steel mill in Fontana (next to the Fontana Speedway) has been in business for quite some time. It was started after Kaiser closed in the 1980s. Great history on Alhambra Foundry! I love to hear success stories likethat.
@@BackRoadsWest1 OK, let me refrase it. I applied at Alhambra Steel around 1985, 86, or 87 and at the time, they were the only steel plant going west of the Mississippi. Kaiser in Fontana had shutdown and then started up again. There was no one else for a brief time like 5 or 10 years. Alhambra Steel is still in business because they do manhole covers and that stuff primarily and that is they bread and butter or nitch. No one else did back then. I don't know now, but they still do the manhole covers.
@@concerned1313 Thanks for the follow up! Makes sense that Alhambra stayed operating with their specialty in manhole covers. Ironically, wherever I go in USA & Europe, I try to photograph the manhole covers as many of them, especially in Europe, shows the city/place name very decoratively. I wonder if Alhambra does that. I've known 2 people that worked for Calif Steal and I think I remember them saying they closed down here and there for various reasons.
@@BackRoadsWest1 They bragged that they were all over the West when I was talking to them on that interview. We went around for a couple of hours going over everything.
@@BackRoadsWest1 I was just in Karlsruhe Germany And yes they say Karlsruhe metalwork or similar yes. ....I saw others too. Water. They are always made locally. How interesting.
Im glad i watched ur video. It gives idea where the exact route from start to end. Ive been planning to go to that route for a while now but not sure hows the road looks like too. Nice video and history
If you're a So Cal girl, it might be worth a trip up there to check out. It's a nice place to be on a summer night with a billion stars in the sky and it's historical, and pretty darn scenic in the daytime, too.
Belleville, the town that used to be in Holcomb Valley, supposedly missed out on becoming the County Seat of San Bernardino County by just a few votes. It's hard to imagine how different it might be if the vote on the County Seat had been different.
We went here as Boy Scouts. Circa 1974-1979, "Holcomb Valley Scout Camp." But where is the camp with respect to places in this video? 10:04 And here were the red snow plant's I remember from early June !
I drove part of the route on 7/26/20 in a sedan. I say part of the route because I started at W North Shore and Van Dusen Canyon. I then took 3N16 for the rest of the route. I had no issues. There are parts of the route that one does need to be mindful of due to vehicle ground clearance.
Love your channel! Do you know of any Baja type trails in SoCal? I drive a 2019 raptor and like to do fast paced trails. I found a random one today by cleghorn. But I honestly don’t know of any other ones nearby. Thanks!!!
Somebody needs to make a video on how to an address in Big Bear Lake and surrounding area. I thought it was quite insane but what do I know. I'm not a local. I'm from Down The Hill!
Couple things: Holcomb is pronounced "hole-cum", not hole-comb. Placer mining, that is pronounced "plasser" not "place-er". Fantastic video, thanks very much.
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The LA Area Boy Scout Ranch, where I spent some time in summer camps and in training sessions at other times of the year is located on the edge of the Holcomb Valley. We often wandered about it as a young teenager. Thanks.
Very well done! I was in the Air Force in Victorville in the Mojave Desert and when I saw Holcomb Valley I thought it was so neat, quiet, and peaceful!
How funny, we probably rubbed elbows somewhere in the Victor Valley in the '80s or early '90s. I worked all over the VV on computers and always saw those F-4s flying around. Yup, Big Bear was a "cool" place go from the desert.
@@BackRoadsWest1 That's great! I hope you have a lot more great adventures in the future!
George AFB, was sadly abandoned.
The most informative Trail video i ever seen, way better that Alltrails & Trailsoffroad videos.. You rock man..
Thanks a bunch for the kind comments! It puts a smile on my face.
I very much appreciate how you give clear directions, linking each photo to its precise location on the map or Google Earth. Not enough emphasis is placed on using maps these days, and I am very grateful to you for all the time and preparation you put into each video. Well done!
Thank you for your comments. Yes, I've watched way too many videos that leave me wondering, where is this place?
@@BackRoadsWest1
We need to get a bunch of people and build a town up there. There's not much up there now. We need to get cracking.
Lived in Hesperia for 19 years and frequently, like weekly, were up in the Big Bear Mountains from Big Bear to Crestline. Your videos bring back many memories.
Glad you enjoy them!
how was the drive down into the Lucerne furnace?
Fawnskin local here. Nice job with this. And my own personal PSA?
NO litter. NO fires. Thanks and we now continue with your regularly scheduled programming.
Lots of private properties around too, some friendly some uh-oh!!
I did this trail last year for my birthday with my wife in my jeep and my friend in his truck. Seeing these sites brings back happy memories 😎 thanks for everything you guys do! Also, if anyone plans on doing these trails in winter be aware of the snow and ice pack on these back roads!
You're welcome and thanks for your comment!
@@BackRoadsWest1
We need to get up there. Its amazing how much land
I’ll be riding my Honda 250 rally adventure bike on this. Your videos are so professional and just so enjoyable to watch. Thanks for bringing us adventure. A stroll into California’s past is magical
You're welcome - glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting!
I made a video on a camping trip here with family on 4th of July weekend. We happened to camp across from the Hangman's Tree. I've been a member of "The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus" since spring of '05
Your video is extremely informative with all the information needed. Great video. Thank you. Billy Holcomb discovered the gold by tracking a bear he shot and stumbled across gold... it was the start of the boom of the gold rush in Holcomb Valley.
I don't know that Holcomb "stumbled" across gold. I suspect that when he tracked the bear into the valley, and saw what he saw there, he might have known the connection that quartzite rock and gold have, and seeing some quartzite rock, figured there'd be gold around there, somewhere.
That might not be Billy Holcomb's story. Maybe he just happened to look down at a rock with a bit of gold in it and had no prior knowledge of the connection between quartzite rock and gold.
I'm pretty sure it's Edwardio Luna's, though. He's the guy that Luna Mountain on the USGS Butler Peak, CA map is named for. He tried mining there in that area, not because he was wandering around the desert slope of the mountains and stumbled on to gold, but because he knew about the connection between quartzite rock and gold. And there was plenty of quartzite around his old mine and mining cabin.
I know, because my family owned what once was one of Luna's mining claims, from about 1972 to 2020.
The shaft outside the cabin had long since caved in, but the old miner's cabin was still habitable at over 100 years old, and had a lot of cool old stuff in it and around it.
@@jerroldshelton9367
We need to get up there and get more people up there. Build a town up there. These days we can attract tourists and the money from that from b and b will build the place.
As usual, high quality guide and answered everything before readers wanted to ask.
Thank you!
My 2nd home since 1983 is in Big Bear City Nicely done video
All your videos are very well put together and informative. Thank you!!!!
You're welcome! Thanks for commenting.
Yes!! Welcome to the beautiful sights,, PLEASE! Respect the many private properties in the area stay safe and keep litter in its place. Plan your restroom stop at the Holcomb valley campground take plenty of water and check your tire condition. You will love your weekend!
Thank you so much for all your videos.. I love what your doing and wish I was there to explore with you. Ive watch almost all your videos and I'm definitely inspired to do the same... At one point of time I was documenting the remains of the US 91/ arrowhead trail...through Nevada and parts of Utah but my documentation was poor... But there is so many mysteries on that road.. many traces of old settlements and small towns almost wiped off history.
You're welcome and thank you for your comment. I assume you've seen our videos on Route 66 in So Cal? We live in St. George Utah, so I'm very familiar with "Old 91". Someday I'd like to do a video tour from the Utah border near Mesquite, thru St. George and end where it almost touches Zion NP. There's traces of the old road everywhere, including a fully in-tact tunnel.
CRAP! How do I not know about Big Bear visiting Center! I love Big Bear!
They have info building in the village
lol
Its because its on the opposite side of the slopes! Im in bear almost every weekend during snow season and i didnt know about these trails and the discovery center until recently
I live in Crestline and this is the first time I’ve learned about the exciting past here!
Very nicely done. Thanks!
Thank you for making this beautiful and informative video. I will use this video as my guide and do my very first off road trip to Gold Fever trail.
Thanks for commenting! It's reading comments like yours that makes this labor of love worth while!!
I enjoyed that. The dirt roads appear to have been improved since I was there fifty years ago. Where in the world did they come up with all those fences?
Good job, thank you. I miss my youth and our CJ-5 Jeep.
Awsum... I Got To Get Up There Must Be A Lease One Tiny Gold Nugget Left Up There Sum Where In That Valley..
👍🏻🤠🇺🇸
I don't know about nuggets, but I've panned flakes out of Holcomb Creek. ;)
@@jerroldshelton9367 Awsum I Got to Get Out There Sum Day.. But, Now It’s Big Bear Lake Boating Season and That’s My EveryWeekend Pastime...HeeHawww🤠 See You in Holcomb Sum Time Stay Safe
FYI, the Alhambra Foundry Company is still in business in Alhambra, CA. I believe they are the only steel mill left west of the Mississippi now and have been since the 1970s or 1980s. They started right after WWI. I mentioned this because of the steel bolts at 19:51 that are shown as a closeup. Take care and thanks for the video!
Excellent catch! I was thinking of that company as I watched the final edit before posting, so you've answered my question. That lizard must have been keeping watch on those old bolts. By the way, California Steel, located next to the site of the Kaiser Steel mill in Fontana (next to the Fontana Speedway) has been in business for quite some time. It was started after Kaiser closed in the 1980s. Great history on Alhambra Foundry! I love to hear success stories likethat.
@@BackRoadsWest1 OK, let me refrase it. I applied at Alhambra Steel around 1985, 86, or 87 and at the time, they were the only steel plant going west of the Mississippi. Kaiser in Fontana had shutdown and then started up again. There was no one else for a brief time like 5 or 10 years. Alhambra Steel is still in business because they do manhole covers and that stuff primarily and that is they bread and butter or nitch. No one else did back then. I don't know now, but they still do the manhole covers.
@@concerned1313 Thanks for the follow up! Makes sense that Alhambra stayed operating with their specialty in manhole covers. Ironically, wherever I go in USA & Europe, I try to photograph the manhole covers as many of them, especially in Europe, shows the city/place name very decoratively. I wonder if Alhambra does that. I've known 2 people that worked for Calif Steal and I think I remember them saying they closed down here and there for various reasons.
@@BackRoadsWest1 They bragged that they were all over the West when I was talking to them on that interview. We went around for a couple of hours going over everything.
@@BackRoadsWest1
I was just in Karlsruhe Germany
And yes they say Karlsruhe metalwork or similar yes. ....I saw others too. Water. They are always made locally. How interesting.
Great video thanks for sharing👍
Thanks for watching
Been there few times it’s a nice old area, lived in big bear 7 years city of sugarloaf
The Baldwin mine site is a
favorite place me and my wife to hangout at, and we too live in Sugarloaf 🙂.
Great video!👍🏼👏🏼 Very enjoyable and interesting.
Thank you for commenting.
Im glad i watched ur video. It gives idea where the exact route from start to end. Ive been planning to go to that route for a while now but not sure hows the road looks like too. Nice video and history
Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for commenting.
Never been there,looks beautiful,and I’m a Cali girl 👧🚐🌳🍃
If you're a So Cal girl, it might be worth a trip up there to check out. It's a nice place to be on a summer night with a billion stars in the sky and it's historical, and pretty darn scenic in the daytime, too.
I really enjoyed this. Thank you
You're welcome and thanks for commenting.
Thank you for these, they are great!!!
Thank you
Well done
Thanks!
Belleville, the town that used to be in Holcomb Valley, supposedly missed out on becoming the County Seat of San Bernardino County by just a few votes.
It's hard to imagine how different it might be if the vote on the County Seat had been different.
Ur stuff is cool! Be safe, stay healthy.
Thanks!
Thank you,
We went here as Boy Scouts. Circa 1974-1979, "Holcomb Valley Scout Camp." But where is the camp with respect to places in this video?
10:04 And here were the red snow plant's I remember from early June !
Love music. Sundance and Butch Cassidy?
Nope. Scott Joplin is the composer on most.
At 7:29 that’s Sanddune Wallflower
(Erysimum capitatum) all though good guess with the golden Yarrow
Thanks for the clarification. Flower (and plant) identification is tricky!
Can a 2WD vehicle (sedan) be used to drive the route?
Most likely. I'd check w/Discovery Center if open.
@@BackRoadsWest1 Thanks for the reply.
I drove part of the route on 7/26/20 in a sedan. I say part of the route because I started at W North Shore and Van Dusen Canyon. I then took 3N16 for the rest of the route. I had no issues. There are parts of the route that one does need to be mindful of due to vehicle ground clearance.
Can you take Polique Canyon Rd in a normal sedan? Or only in a high clearance off-road vehicle?
Love your channel! Do you know of any Baja type trails in SoCal? I drive a 2019 raptor and like to do fast paced trails. I found a random one today by cleghorn. But I honestly don’t know of any other ones nearby. Thanks!!!
Try Mojave’s road. Kinda in the middle of nowhere, but I have a prerunner tacoma and I maxed out at 80 but got too scared 😂
Is 4wd needed while on this trail ?
Read the details in our blog www.backroadswest.com/blog/holcomb-valley-near-big-bear/
Somebody needs to make a video on how to an address in Big Bear Lake and surrounding area. I thought it was quite insane but what do I know. I'm not a local. I'm from Down The Hill!
How to address in Big Bear Lake? I don't understand.
Backroads West = The off road Huell Howser
Thank you! I have a new nickname!! My PBS Huell Howser influence has obviously shown thru.
BackRoadsWest1 you have some big shoes to fill! Keep up the great work.
Yes! Huell did a great segment on Holcomb.
I have a question ? Do you air down your tires??? On this Trail On any dirt road trail that you do??
No, but read the details in our blog www.backroadswest.com/blog/holcomb-valley-near-big-bear/
What site did you use for your aerial shots?
It says it in the lower-right: Google Earth
(Small point, but when a rope is used in execution, the term is "hanged", not "hung")
Well someone could be 'hung out to dry'! :)
Akicita A, Correctomundo.
That's what my english teacher said.
(Can you go here with a regular car??)
Yes. But I would check with the Big Bear Discovery Center on the North Shore in case something has happened with the road.
Couple things: Holcomb is pronounced "hole-cum", not hole-comb. Placer mining, that is pronounced "plasser" not "place-er". Fantastic video, thanks very much.
Thanks for the info!