Lake Arrowbear & Hot Springs

A restless city girls guide to getting outside of Los Angeles. 

If sunbathing occasions in Palm Springs just aren’t hitting the relaxation button like they used to and you find yourself craving a more enriching getaway, then skip the urge to rub elbows with spiritual-tourists at a gong bath in Joshua Tree. Instead point your compass to higher ground for a solo excursion into the forest to bathe in burning wildfire winds and natural festering mineral pools; carrying nothing but a canteen of water and a taser gun. Oh and an iPhone, for photos obviously.

I can’t be the only one with late-summer displeasure, seeking reprieve from the madness of the city’s concrete rule? The air all around me stirs with an angry arid fever that has parched my inner reserves, including the sacred well of my sanity. 

So with my little creature lover (kitty) and a pot of tea amongst the setting sun, I arrive at my fingertips from the balcony of my A-Frame cabin in the woods with a solo girls guide to getting outside out of Los Angeles.

Mid-week cabins are often half the price, making it much easier to budget a three night semi-local-get-away. Just less than two hours east of Los Angeles you can find elevated hiking trails, natural springs, waterfalls and lakes. Residential neighborhoods like Arrowbear, Running Springs and Green Valley Lake are pockets of small-town-respite with cozy log homes, lake lodges, chotchke shops, diners and cafes. 

As per the U.S Forest Service, the San Bernardino National forest officially re-opened just in time for me to experience a soul-satisfying-solo-hiking-hot-springin’adventure. I was shocked but pleased to be the only vehicle at the trail head, both coming and going. A trail all to myself? Hell yeah. Water, check. Taser gun, check. The smokey morning haze lingered for the better part of the day providing a dense layer of shade from the harsh mid-day sun. The crisp commencements of fall breezes carrying the smoke of distant California fires morbidly awakened all my senses. Reminding me of the phoenix rising from the ashes; a glorious imagery of death and re-birth. In the spirit of renewal I kept my quest to the sacred waters.

Three trails converge at Deep Creek Hot Springs, including the great Pacific Crest Trail. If you’re not quite up for 2,650 mile journey, then I recommend entering from the Bradford Ridge Path off Route 173 for a day hike. This moderate to difficult trail traverses the canyon and descends into a lush valley with natural springs. Deep Creek Hot Springs are simply gorgeous and felt like a desert mirage. Baby catfish swam the lower cold pool and tiny lizards scurried the rocks.

Roundtrip the trail is roughly 6 miles and it took me just over an hour to the springs and an hour-half on the way back. The climb is very steep. And more so grueling after soaking in jacuzzi temperate springs for hours under the afternoon heat. On the climb back out of the canyon I had to take several breaks just to keep my heart from beating out of my ears. But I welcomed the vision quest brought on by my dehydrated-desert-day dream.

Other hikes that received my gold star save on google maps were;

1. The Pinnacles
2. Aztec Falls
3. Butler Peak 

Lake Arrowbear is a quaint town with colorful cottage homes dotted along the shores opening to back yard boat docks. I spent a lazy afternoon at the Arrowbear Lodge with the intention to book a spa service but ended up on a private sandy beach with lounge chairs instead. Too soon for ski season and just at the tail end of summer season meant; not a lot of people, like none. I made myself comfortable at the lodge shores before walking over to Lake Arrowhead Brewing Company for a flight of local beers.

Further up the road I stopped at a 50s style diner called Cedar Glen Malt Shop where burgers and shakes are the only thing on the menu. Named after classic cars, the menu is complete with the Cadillac Coup De Ville to the 58 T-Bird. I opted for the classic Stingray aka cheeseburger and fries. 

Completely stuffed I returned to my cabin in the woods, set up my laptop and journal on my balcony, put on a pot of chamomile tea and stared at the timberline until dark. I was greeted by a Spotted Owl and the silence of pine trees until my toes became cold. I climbed the creaky staircase to my loft bed to eye graze a few pages of The Complete Ennegram; 27 Paths to Greater Self-Knowledge. Deep night, good sleep. 72 hours later, my reservoir refills.

Back to LA.