Spring is marching forward like clockwork with shrinking snowbanks, filling streams, and summer paths starting to clear. The Bear Valley Adventure Company reopened with limited services on May 23rd for Memorial Day Weekend. Interestingly it was busiest on Saturday, with a steady flow of respectful people getting gas, minimart items, and even enjoying a burger under a tree from our Bear-B-Que. But on Sunday the traffic slowed, and even more so on Monday. We speculate that many people were excited to visit the mountains but were surprised at how little was available regarding services and access. Without restaurants, campgrounds, and USFS trails/roads open many people headed back home.
A silver lining in this pandemic is that bicycling is experiencing a swell of participation. From our store, we see more road cyclists rolling past to challenge themselves in our backyard, also known as the California Alps. It was unfortunate to cancel our Ebbetts Pass Century event, but it brings a heartfelt warmth to see people enjoying the spectacular cycling terrain in our neck of the woods. Plus, we are here to sell them a well-earned ice cream along the way ;-).
A new addition to our summer operation is a dedicated bike shop building. We repositioned the winter trailhead hut and stocked it with bike repair equipment, where our mechanics look forward to focusing on your two-wheeled needs. We also sell and rent bikes from Specialized and Rossignol, including e-bikes. Swing by, give us a call, or send an email with your bike inquiries; we love to talk about our work!
As spring continues into summer, more trails are clearing of snow, and access to forest service roads and trails are opening. To help folks find and learn about trail conditions, we have developed a Summer Trails Report that is posted on our website and available in our store. Guests can also submit observations that could be helpful to other users.
Until the next time, we wish you well and look forward to seeing you at the Adventure Company, your local Bear Valley hub.
