By TIM WILCOX
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
Where: Lake Arrowhead
Length: 2.3-mile loop
Elevation gain: 133 feet
Challenge: easy to semi-difficult
We’ve been to this U.S. Forest Service gem before, paying our “Let’s Go Hiking” respects because it’s home to a well-known trail. This time we’ll simply touch on that route and make the North Shore Campground itself the focal point. It’s smaller and quieter than Dogwood, its sibling campground to the west. It’s also blessed with appealing mountain vistas.
First, though, a reminder that, unless you’re actually camping there, you can’t drive onto the grounds. Instead, you’ll need to find a spot in MacKay Park’s large lot, about half a mile away. That’s just fine because doing so will augment your outing considerably. Also, MacKay offers some of the finest views of Lake Arrowhead.
Off Highway 173, then, turn onto Torrey Road – across from the Arrowhead Lake Association’s boat-launching ramp. Soon you’ll come to a fork. Bear to the left and drive up Rouse Ranch Road, sweeping around the hairpin turn onto Hospital Road. MacKay Park is on the left about one-quarter mile.
On the Road and Trail
After securing your vehicle, head out of the lot and turn right on the road. As you hike by MacKay’s popular bark park, notice how prevalent Spanish broom is in the immediate area. It’s even more widespread between Highway 173 and the top of Rouse Ranch Road. Although it’s an attractive shrub, Spanish broom is clearly aggressive and invasive. Mitigating agencies have yet to discover and apply a “biome balancing” solution.
Anyway, continue on Hospital Road just past the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District’s new corporate yard. Turn left onto pavement that soon gives way to a dirt road (the extension of Rouse Ranch). Walk through a Forest Service gate and proceed downhill.
Nearing the half-mile point of your adventure, look for a pathway on the right between several oaks. This is the continuation of the North Shore National Recreation Trail (“Let’s Go Hiking,” Oct. 26, 2023). Bear right there and wind downhill for about three-tenths of a mile until you come to a large stump on the left and, just beyond it, an upright tree remnant with a fire-scarred crown. This is simply an extend-your-hike trail appetizer, so perform an about-face here and return to the road.
Cross it and pass by a Forest Service wand prohibiting motorized vehicles – in this case, because the path is so narrow, dirt bikes. An especially steep ascent, it’s the North Shore trail’s initial stretch, which will lead you to the campground.
When you’re there, turn right and watch for restrooms on the left and a nearby blue trash bin. Go right again and head uphill past the campground’s highest site. Just beyond it is a short, heavily rutted Forest Service dirt road ascending sharply. Take it, enjoying mountain views along the way. When this route crests, you’ll have reached Old Sawmill Road (“Let’s Go Hiking,” April 4, 2024).
Hiking down from Old Sawmill Road into the campground, Lake Arrowhead residents Garr and Kathy Bywater pause for an Alpine Mountaineer “photo opp” with their black Labs, Clover (left) and Arrow. Garr in particular visits this site and surrounding trails/roads frequently.
Return to the campground and amble to the right past the remains of a large oak and more restrooms until you come to the main-entryway signage. Walk downhill for about two-tenths of a mile through the site’s vehicle gate. Just ahead is the hospital’s principal intersection. Turn left and continue downhill, watching carefully for oncoming traffic, especially around the big blind curve. At a fork in the road, bear to the right and hike another two-tenths of a mile back to MacKay Park.
As long as you’re there, you might as well walk to the gazebo overlook and take in an expansive view of Lake Arrowhead. FYI, if you were able to count all the boatslips on this 782-acre body of water, they’d number approximately 2,600. Wow!
NOTES: The North Shore Campground is hidden away above Mountains Community Hospital. It’s a favorite for visitors with tents or trailers who prefer a relatively quiet, mostly traffic-free setting. It also appeals to hikers who are welcome to pass through the site without disturbing its serenity. For obvious reasons, weekends are the busiest time.
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