Bear Valley is a ski area located near Angels Camp, on highway 4, between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite, approximately 3 hrs southeast of Sacramento, California, USA.
Near Bear Valley lies Ebbetts Pass, which is perfect for backpacking. Day hikes can vary from unstrained, quarter mile walks to full day excursions on strenuous mountain peaks. One of the best route is Calaveras Big Trees State Park. It is a 1.5 mi/2.4 km loop with smooth walking surface.
The north grove is close to the parking and has easy access. Some of the best things to see on that trail are the Empire State Tree, Big Stump, the Father of the Forest and Pioneer Cabin Tree. Empire State Tree has 18 ft/5.4 m diameter near its base. South Grove is a 3.5 mi/5.6 km, loop forest trail.
The elevation changes are 500 ft/152.4 m, gain and loss. Both of the trails begin with a moderate uphill climb. Bradley Grove trail is a 2.5 mi/4 km, loop forest trail. The elevation changes are 200 ft/61 m, gain and loss. The trail contains some huge sequoias and many younger trees that were planted in 1950’s.