Where: Lake Arrowhead
Length: 3-mile round trip
Elevation gain: 112 feet
Challenge: easy to moderate
Its neighbor to the east is nearly 57 times larger. Quite obviously, then, Lake Arrowhead is a much more prominent destination. Still, Grass Valley Lake is definitely worth visiting. Slightly higher than Lake Arrowhead, this 13.8-acre reservoir was created in the 1960s as a supplemental water source.
Here’s how to get there: Find your way to North Bay Road and, whether you’re heading north from Highway 189 or south from Highway 173, watch for Peninsula Drive. Turn there and motor uphill past the Mountain History Museum, then downhill to Tunnel Drive. Turn right and continue going down. When you come to Golf Course Road, turn right.
If you’re an Arrowhead Lake Association member, enter Grass Valley Park and leave your vehicle in the gated lot. If not, there’s an open area on the left just beyond the park’s entrance that’s safe and legal.
On the Road
Once you’ve secured your vehicle, walk north along Golf Course Road for a few paces, then bear to the left on the pathway by the lake. At the end of this short stretch, you’ll come to the lake’s small, rocky dam. Veer left and proceed along the top of the dam to its spillway. There, because the lake is full, you’ll see water running down into Grass Valley Creek. As spring segues to summer, the creek will dwindle to isolated pools and then evaporate.
Return to Golf Course Road and continue north on its beaten-earth margin. The sound of the rushing creek is refreshing. It’s springtime water music.
About four-tenths of a mile from where you parked, you’ll come to Oakmont Drive. Turn left and, watching for oncoming traffic, proceed downhill until you come to a T-intersection. Turn left again and begin a long, moderate trek uphill. This the most aerobically beneficial part of your hike.
Now, from more than 100 feet higher, you’re treated to sweeping views of the lake and surrounding links of Lake Arrowhead Country Club. Soon they’ll be completely free of snow and golfing devotees will return in significant numbers.
From upper Brentwood Drive, vistas are more expansive, with country-club links ahead by the lake on the left and also farther to the south.
Brentwood meanders through a lovely residential neighborhood, with some homes situated on the hillside to the right and others perched above the lake and golf course to the left. Continue on the road past Pinehurst Drive on the right, about 1.2 miles from your starting point.
Next you’ll pass Brentwood Lane on the right and, a little farther on, Riviera Drive to the left. Hike for another few minutes past Bel Air Drive until you come to San Benito Lane. Close to the 1.5-mile mark, that’s a congenial turnaround point. Now, retracing your steps on the right back along Brentwood, down to Oakmont, uphill to Golf Course and back to your parking spot, you’ll have traversed about three miles.
Of course, if you have time, energy and curiosity to spare, you can explore any of the side streets off Brentwood – perhaps hiking to the highest hillside neighborhood. It’s your call. Follow our suggested route or spontaneously create your own!
NOTES: Grass Valley Lake is tiny compared to Lake Arrowhead, which covers 782 acres. As such, the former has a completely different, quieter and simpler appeal. There’s no trail around the lake, but walking/hiking along adjacent roads is an enjoyable way to pass an exercise-oriented hour or more.
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