1N54 - Clarks Grade

Ran the trail from the top down to Seven Pines and had no issues. I only used 4wd to smooth out the ride a bit, but it wasn't really needed. There are sections with a bunch of loose rock making it a bumpy ride, but overall quite easy to navigate. Views were amazing!

This was a great trail with some really nice views. I found the labeled rough spot to be in a fairly easy part of the trail now. The upper parts are a big more rough but nothing particularly challenging. As far as we could tell there aren't any good ways to get out (or in) from bottom right now and it will stay that way for awhile. The road across the river at the bottom is covered in debris and it's also washed out just a bit north. We also took 1N04 about half way to see if there was another spot, but that road was washed out too.

Decided to run this up to Big Bear instead of the highway. I loved it once we got up to the trees and especially liked Skyline Drive (only go left, since right is closed due to the last fire). There really wasnt anything that was challenging, at least for an experienced off roader. The hard spot in the review was quite easy. The lower part of the trail before the switchbacks was definitely overgrown, but I didnt get any pinstripes.

There are chances of pinstripping as trail is overgrown. Left with at least a few pinstripes myself

All gates open as of 2023-06-29. See photo for upper gate where it connects to Skyline. Ran this south-to-north (towards BB), would have been more scenic in the opposite direction. Steep and/or rocky in sections, definitely not graded as mentioned in other reviews (maybe they were referring to Middle Control Road which is the access road to this trail?). Lots of opportunities for pinstriping. Waypoint 6 is not bad. Many tall water bars/diversions that require some clearance.

Several misleading status’ on the forestry service site regarding Clark’s Grade - the end of the trail where it meets Mills Creek aka Skyline was closed. The main gate on the south side was wide open - The trail itself has several new washouts and some boulders and felled trees that make it very narrow and right up against the edge. Trail is officially closed and the forest service has been notified that the gate is or was wide open

Temporarily closed: You can read more about the road closures here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sbnf/conditions/?cid=FSEPRD538928

Great to run this original route into Big Bear. Concur with others that the trail was mostly difficulty 2 at the time. But of course with use and rain it could deteriorate. It’s a somewhat steep route that switchbacks up a ridge with some good views across the valley to the San Gorgonio mountain ridge.

As mentioned , seems like this has been graded. Closer to a 2 or 3 max IMO. No issues or real challenges for my gladiator rubicon on stock 33s. Still fun and Scenic way to get to Snow Summit!

My wife and I took this trail in the Jeep as a "short cut" to Big Bear for lunch and some sight seeing. I have driven the trail a few times in the past and was a bit disappointed this time. most of the rocks have been pushed to the sides, the rough spot at waypoint 6 has been graded and was done in 4wheel high but could have easily been done in 2wd in the Jeep. The downed tree mentioned in another review is way off the trail now. There are still some narrow spots with massive drop offs, especially for a full size at night. Still great views and cooler weather at the top.

Did this trail as a night run with a group of 6 or 7 Jeep’s. We started at the bottom and churned our way up this “hill”. For several hours. Certainly more of a ‘trail’ than most fire roads. Quite bumpy. Rocky. Some ruts. Lots of, what felt like, serious cliff exposure. Narrow. I had my top and doors off and looking down was a dark abyss. Very few places to turn around and even fewer passing zones. At one spot a tree had fallen down and been cleared, but the road got very narrow…. And that dark abyss was really dark and very abyss like. My kid actually got out and walked, and when he got back in frankly told me he wouldn’t be going down that way! It was narrow. And cold. And abyss. Turns out all the Jeep’s that had passengers had nervous people who gladly took in the news that we were not going home via 1N54…. But all the way around on Hwy 18 -> Hwy 38. No one objected. Coldest ride in my Jeep yet for this so cal boy. 60mph…. 52 degrees. No top or doors. Stupid Dave.

Clark's Grade has been closed off and on for a couple months... it is now fully open. Always a fun and beautiful trail!

Closed for the winter

Graded now. Can do in 2wd sedan…

A sign with the interesting history of Clark's Grade has been added at the 2N10 Intersection that I have not noticed in the past.

I started on 1N04 and joined 1N54. I found a large part of the trail to be easy. I also found a lot of rocks that were easy, and some that were a little challenging. I have a Bronco Sport First Edition (so has the extra lift, but not a lot) and I mis-judged one rock. Nothing terrible, but it made a good noise. I DO have skid plates but still do not like scraping at all. I used my 4WD mode a lot as it gives me more control. One big truck was coming down too fast in a turn, but I saw the dust and slowed. I can see why it was a control road back in the day. Fun ride overall! I really enjoyed maneuvering around and over the rocks.

We came in at 1n04 Frontline and headed south on our way to Hwy 38. The trail had recently been graded and was very flat and smooth to the end.

Updated: drove this in the 'up' direction yesterday, via 2N06/1N04 which make a nice loop from Big Bear Lake. This was a blast in the GC/WK2 Trailhawk lots of tire placement and two pedal driving, narrow with tons of views.

We were there last weekend and the gate was closed with sign "Road closure during wintertime to prevent road damage."

Found this trail just exploring south of big bear. Came up the mountain from Redlands it was a nice climb nothing to difficult for the 2007 JKU 33’s 2.5” lift. If you come across this trail and the gate is open, take it!

Pretty cool trail we caught from city creek. Took this into Big Bear. Trail was in good shape easy going with great scenery.

Started the trail from the south. Was fun with some rocky switch back sections and a few harder rocky spots but not overly challenging. El Dorado Fire was going on at the time so it became Smokey and could not see the far out into the distance.

My friend Robert was my trail backup when I lived in California. I’m now mapping trails in Idaho. Robert is doing an excellent job of running the trails and providing much needed Trail Reviews, check out this review from 8/24/20

We entered Clark's Grade from the south. At this trail head there was permanent flip sign that said "Trail Closed Ahead". I'm not sure that what was about but the trail was open and drive able. The trail was a more rocky then I remember from my last drive across. Some serious rock slides across the road had been removed in a couple of places and you could see the potential for more slides likely when it becomes wet. I can see why this road is seasonaly closed in the winter. At way point 6, the "Rough Spot", we used 4wd just to be safe. At way point 7 to turn the corner and its such a dramatic change of scenery to be suddenly surround by pine trees.

We did this trail yesterday Followed the written directions We were lead astray Luckily we found our way The mile marker spots were way off The trail was easy NOT moderate i was in 2wd the entire trail Great scenic spots though Not for people that want a challenge. 3 of our jeeps did not even air down or disconnect their sway bars. this is a simple trail for stock jeeps

Very Fun Trail!!! This was our Pre-Run before round 2 at Gold Mountain and this trail did not disappoint. It is a perfect trail for any beginner ( We had 1 in our group ) to learn about approaching ruts and rocky sections. The views are really great on this trail. It offers everything from shelf road panoramic views to tree canopy corridors. Any 4x4 high clearance vehicle will have no problems on this trail but with all the ruts and rocks an AWD car with very little clearance will have problems here and there and may need careful spotting on numerous areas. The dash cam photos show some of the terrain you will encounter including a big boulder in the trail that is easy avoided. So pack some lunch, grab some friends & enjoy!

A lot rockier and rutted than I last reviewed. But that just means more fun! Trails end is confusing to get into Bear. I ran into like 5 other rigs who were as equally as confused. I went right to attempt to go to Knickerbocker (I took that last time) somehow ended at Sugarlump which was a closed gate....went to Radford...then back tracked...then somehow came out of Bear Mountain/Moonridge? Whatever man. Getting shmall kine lost is still part of the ventch. I just referred back to Gaia to find my routes again. I knew I was close so I didn’t mind winging it and exploring, but do your research to prepare better.

Great trail that winds its way all the way up through all sorts of terrain. No issues in stock Rubicon. There's lots of rocks on the switchbacks but nothing very big that would require any crazy amounts of clearance. Don't be intimidated by the 4 rating. Just take your time, choose good lines, and enjoy the bumps! Views on the way up are very impressive making it well worth your time to go.

A fun trail and a nice alternate route into Big Bear! We ran this trail in our JKU Rubicon with 2.5" lift, 35" tires and overland gear. For the most part, it's an easy trail, but there are a few trickier spots made slightly more stressful by the fact that you're on the edge of a mountain. I spotted my husband through one of them, but the rest of the trail was pretty easy to get through. The views on this trail are stunning! It was also the perfect way to transition from a desert ecosystem into the pines of Big Bear. All in all, it took us about two hours to go from Route 38 to the end of Clarks Grade: Clarks Summit.

OPEN ......!!! Awesome, awesome, awesome Not an expert. but would say it deserves it's 'moderate' rating. Stock JKU ( sway bar disconnected and new aggressive tires ) With patience and careful choosing of 'line' ........... No issues Breathtaking and a few 'Oh Sh.... ' moments for the passenger :) Can't wait to do it again

After striking out with Wildhorse Meadows, I headed over to this trail, both lower gates were open and I enjoyed a nice quiet trail run to the top only to find out that the gate up top was closed, on my way back down ran into a nice guy from the Department of forestry, once he found out that I had accessed the trail through the lower gates he informed me that those should have been locked and he followed me back down to the bottom to close those. 🙄

This is only my 2nd trail. I did 2N02 two weeks ago. This was much more challenging. Stone 2019 Wrangler Sport S with the Michelin street-looking tires. Once I got onto the switchbacks there were quite a few parts that were tricky for me. Most turned out to be no big deal but I had to think about them a bit. It gets really narrow at parts. I closed the exercise ring on my apple watch while driving for whatever that's worth. The views were amazing. The pictures with the Jeep were taken at the marker on the map.

Did this uphill direction with a stock Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. No problems with ground clearance and no need for spotters.

We ran it in a Stock Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. It was not an issue but would have liked some more ground clearance, had to get out once to figure out the way. Ran it South bound, very rocky and rutted from 2 miles to about 5.5 miles. Views were okay, but preferred the views on Radford Rd

I love Clarks Grade. It's a trail that climbs rather quickly up to Big Bear. The views as you get higher are spectacular! It's a pretty easy trail, great for beginners. I was thinking a rating of 3 would be good, but there might be a spot or two that barely justifies the 4/10 rating.

Beautiful trail. Stunning views. Soft moderate trail. Ran it in a TJ 3 in lift on 31s. Connected to Knickerbocker which dumps you out nicely into town.

Ran from top to bottom as a sunset run. Came across no obstructions and nothing that I felt would warrant a "4" rating. Though large stretches of the trail are rocky, nearly all of the rocks are well set into the trail surface and 12" or less in diameter. This makes for a really bumpy ride, so maybe a "3"? The views are pretty awesome and imagining Model-T's running up and down it in the '20s is crazy. Overall it was a fun excursion.

From Middle Control Road the gate was open. We took Skyline Drive out and the gate was closed. Luckily a forest service truck was in the parking lot and he let us through and thought the Clark’s Grade gate should have been closed still.

As of today, 12/08/2018, the trail was closed at waypoint 4 due to weather (snow).

I wanted to access the south entrance to Clarks Grade from Hwy 38 via Middle Control Road but as it was closed this day there is another access about another 5 miles east on the 38. From there you can take the newly paved Glass Rd which joins Seven Oaks Rd and arrive at the same spot that Middle Control Road would have taken you. That detour in itself makes for a very pleasant Sunday drive. I started this trail at the south entrance. At the entrance laying on the side of the trail was a inner wheel well and side guard torn from a vehicle. I did not encounter an obstacle along the way that would account for that damage but nonetheless a little unnerving to see it at the start if you've not done the trail before. The trail is not very challenging IMO and I did it in 2WD but clearance is needed but still the trail can be intimidating since the majority of the route is along steep drop-offs. The ride is made more comfortable to travel if tires are aired down as a good 60% of the trail is heavily rocked. The trail was maintained a month prior during a Lost Jeeps SoCal workday and the piles of rocks along found the edges of the trail are probably a result of that effort so this rock gardens highway is probably a little easier on the suspension now since that work was done. I did not encounter a single sole along the way. Both the GPS map systems I use, Garmin and California Trails, both showed a vehicle road at the north end of Clarks Grade called Bellyache Springs and with a name like that I had to include in my drive plans but alas this road is now blocked by a rock wall. At the end of Clarks Grade I found my way back to Big Bear (and McDonalds) using the very well maintained wide dirt roads of Mills Creek and Knickerbocker.

Trail is not bad only 1 tricky spot where I had to get out and pick my line and made it in a stock Tacoma the views are sweet but be careful there are some tight spots for large rigs to fit with large drop offs

I was able to complete this trail in a Subaru Crosstrek. Only at one point had to get out and pick a line. Overall fun trail with amazing views. 🤙

Fairly rough road right now. Have a stock 4Runner and I got out often to plan my route and confirm tire placement so I didn’t scrap my skids. Made it without issue.

It looks like Clarks Grade has closed for the winter thanks to the last Trip Report.

The entrance at the intersection of Seven Pines(1N64) and Clarks Grade (1n54) was gated closed.

We ran some trails west of Clark's Grade today so I confirmed that the south gate is open at this time.

My wife and I love running Skyline after the first snow, it becomes the most beautiful trail in the Big Bear Trail System. Since the north trailhead for 1N54 Clarks Grade is on this trail, I wanted to check since a previous trip report said it was closed. It was open, perhaps someone other than the Forestry Service only shut the gate.

I tried this trail coming from Big Bear via Skyline Drive. I got to Clarks Grade about 2pm. The gate had been closed, the signage read 'Closed for winter'. Considering the mountain is covered in snow at the moment can't say I blame them. Don't know if the gate at the bottom of the mountain is closed or not.

This is the first trail I did in what was then my new stock 4Runner. It was a great day and the trail affords some beautiful views. If you continue on 2N08 east it will connect to 2N10 (Knickerbocker Trail) and drop you off in the middle of Big Bear for a bite to eat before you return home. Good day.