Rim of the World Highway Reviews

Who ever named this scenic route, got it exactly right. There are terrific panoramic views of the San Bernardino National Forest. We were staying outside of Palm Springs and wanted to do a road trip to Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake and we drove along Route18. The elevation is around 7,000 feet and some of the stretches of road let you feel very close to that rim.
We stopped several times at the different overlook points to take in the great views and enjoy the natural scenery. It was a great day trip, taking this scenic highway and spending some time at Arrowhead and Big Bear.

Rim of the world was the first stop on the Grand Adventure 2023 from California to South Carolina. The views were amazing. It was a quick drive from our base in Rancho Cucamonga.

My wife was driving and I was taking pictures.

The road were really good. It was a great place to drive in the mouna

We were amongst the mountains.

We had fun and wen ejoyed that road.

A must see!

P.S. This is known of the Rim of the World Highway

We took part of this road as an alternate route from Vegas to San Diego to get off the highway. It was nice for that reason, but you can find similar roads. I try to take these scenic roads when I can. The scotch/spanish broom was in its glory on the western side in June. That was the one thing that left its mark for me.

We live in Big Bear Lake and sometimes we have to use Rim of the World Highway. We've been driving mountain roads for 20 years but this highway is still scary to me. I'm always afraid that we're going to go over the edge!

We did a shortened version of this over the weekend, starting and ending in San Bernardino, going as far as Lake Arrowhead, and returning to complete the circle.

Beautiful scenery the entire length, starting at the Cajon Pass, and ending with the long descent into San Bernadino.

Lots of hairpin turns and sub 25 mph speed limits due to the twisting and turning, with plenty of overlooks over deserts, mountains, and lakes.

We went as far as Lake Arrowhead, a terribly commercial area that you don’t expect after all that wilderness, but a good place to get lunch and calm the driver’s nerves. Took us about five hours, including the lengthy lunch stop.

if you are near here take this road up at daytime go back down at night it is super cool.drive slow its a long way downloads of places to pull over for pics enjoy the views.

Road work was ongoing while I was there, but expected as it must get done before winter weather sets in. However, the delays were minimal and the drive was still spectacular. Lots of places to stop along the way, both little settlements and walking/hiking trails.

I was in the area and had a free afternoon so decided to do this drive. It is very curvy and you do ascend many thousands of feet. I didn't find the drive to be as terrifying as others that I've done outside of the US. The road is well paved with good sized lanes and side rail barriers. Even the occasional 'narrow' bridge is not that narrow. There are frequent pull outs to let people pass you, if they seem to be impatient. They're also great for taking pictures as you climb into the clouds. Overall it was an enjoyable drive!

The Rim of the World Highway, aka California HWY 18, is a great ride between Running Springs and Crestline area. The view of Catalina on a clear day is magnificent from around the Rim of the World High School. The highway has places like the CHP offices, Pali Mountain Camp, our Dump/Transfer Station, a heliport for forest emergencies, Heaps Peak Arboretum, a great little hike with a tour sheet that describes the trees as you go (has Sugar Pine with the longest cones, and the Coulter Pine with the fatest cones), the old Santa's Village (now being converted to an outdoor rec area), a few restaurants in Skyforest near Kuffel Canyon, a ranger station, Rim Forest Animal Hospital, Gas Station, and more.

Wel...I guess I'm spoiled. I see this regularily. I live here. It is especially awesome in clear nights. There are abundant 'turn-outs' in which to park and "take it all in". BE VERY CAREFUL on the road up/down the mountain (SR-18) They are installing a barrier. over the years there have been too many fatal head-ons. (people going way too fast, and coliding with vehicles, traveling in the oposite direction) so if you plan to come up/or down, please use caution: OTHER PEOPLE EXIST! The views and scenic value is unique to the area. Most of SoCal is now a concrete jungle with congested freeways. It is a neat thing, to escape it all up here. Hope you enjoy! and please NO CIGS out the window! Please! Wildfires start, without even trying! please be considerate! (smiley -face)

My wife and I drove up there in February to get away from the smog and the noise of the valley. Unfortunately, the traffic is pretty thick on the off-season and the smog is just higher up. The views are extraordinary, with the exception of the aforementioned smog. The area between Crestline and Big Bear is spectacular and so is the drive. Highly recommend doing it in the middle of the week and not on the weekends.

Folks on the east coast don't understand how near the LA area is to remote wilderness. It amazes me that within a few miles from the developed, suburban streets of San Bernardino exist vistas without any evidence of human influence. Make sure you set out with a full tank of gas and then cool down in the mountains above the SoCal basin. Midway, stop in Big Bear at one of the breathtakingly delicious cafes and restaurants before descending back into the frenetic madness of SoCal.

What wonderful drive and beautiful scenery, and clean air. If you get motion sickness make sure you take something for it, bring a bag and wipes especially for children. Other than that enjoy the ride.

This is a mostly two-lane, curvy mountain road that hugs the San Bernardino Mountain ridges and climbs to nearly 7000 feet. Jaw-dropping views! Some steep drop-offs; Not recommended for folks who get car sick or vertigo. Check the weather before you go as the weather can be fine in the desert but raining or snowing on the mountain. Temperatures are quite a bit lower at high elevation. Cloud cover means fog and poor visibility. The road stays open year-round but chains may be necessary in the winter (We went in May and still saw snow at Big Bear). There will be traffic in the summer, particularly on the weekends. Allow plenty of time... There are some turn-outs and attractions where you can stop to admire the view, but they could use more parking areas and restrooms. Consider stops at Heaps Arboretum (short hiking trail through the woods) and Baylis Park picnic area ($5 National Forest Adventure Pass required at these locations- see forest service website). Walk beside the lake and eat lunch at Lake Arrowhead or Big Bear.

One of the most beautiful drives I’ve ever done. Up and up in the clouds! Such a smooth ride. Would love to drive it again!!

If you are planning on going to LA and then heading inland to Palm Springs, I absolutely recommend driving up into the San Bernadino Hills and taking the the ROWH. It will add time on to your journey but its so worth it. Lots of great photo opportunities and a really fun road to drive. Just beautiful/.

Absolutely beautiful drive.
Stop along the way and look out over SAN Bernardino. At the top. Lake Arrowhead. What a quaint little town!

What lovely scenery and very safe, well maintained roadway. Many places to stop and enjoy the awesome views. Slow moving drivers including truck drivers so courteous pulling over to let others pass. So glad we took this route. A highlight of our SoCal trip

I liked driving at the Rim of the World Highway. The highway is solid. While driving we can see the mountains and nice views.

A must to see!

Hwy 18 traverses along the crest line of the San Bernardino Mts. The views are magnificent and there are access roads to the communities of Crestline, Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs, ending at Big Bear Lake. There are a number of overlooks and hiking trails available as well as ski slopes. One can see (on a clear day) the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Mts.

This highway is carved along side of the mountain, so you feel that you are almost hanging off the edge as you drive up the mountain. Very curvy. Gorgeous views when we started.

But, it became foggy and difficult to see the lines in the road at the top. We could see blue skies and trees on the upper left, and a dense fog covering the road and valley on the right. It was like looking out of an airplane window. It was a difficult drive through the fog, and we're used to mountain curves and fog. I would recommend avoiding this road if there's a chance of fog.

This may not be a good road for people who get carsick, so proceed with caution. There are several pullouts and a few places to stop along the way, so you don't have to do it all at one time.

Beautiful views of the valley when the weather is clear.

The road is mostly divided, with plenty of spots to pull off for viewing and pictures. It is well policed, so stay close to posted speed.

Hubby and I just did this drive coming from Carlsbad up to Arrowhead Lake and Big Bear Lake for a few days of R & R. It was spectacular on this particular day the clouds were low so up at the top you felt like you were suspended in space on top of the world. There was one mountain maybe San Gregoria (?) that the peak was above the clouds even making the view more spectacular. We loved the drive and recommend it to anyone heading up to the mountain resorts anytime! :)

Started out at 9 a.m. and took the 10 E to the 215 N, then onto 30E(resorts) and exited on Waterman which is the CA18. Gas is a little cheaper here so if you need it, you should get some before you start on the 18. Very easy drive, but kinda scary too, not too much traffic on a Saturday morning in July. The road climbs to over 4,000 feet I believe in some points. Incredible views, I took advantage of nearly every pull out to take a picture. Hopefully I'll have them posted in 'my pics'. I got a great shot of what I *believe* is a hawk, but I'm not sure. My first stop was Astronomy Village. You make a left into the Rim of the World highschool grounds and circle up on Observatory drive. Good rest stop (restroom available), they sell meteorites, scopes, etc. and in the evenings have a large scope for viewing. continuing north, I stopped for lunch in the small town of Skyforest (I think it was about 6-7000 elevation at this point). I had a couple of fish taco's for $2.50 each at Arturo's (excellent chips & salsa, tacos OK). Oh, and a good bathroom stop here as well, beneath the restaurant with it's own entrance. Take some time to walk about Skyforest, some local artists have a gallery here. there is also a bookstore, and couple of other places to eat which I didn't try. I drove up to Running Springs and stopped there to look around. There was market/deli that had an outdoor BBQ going on that looked (and smelled) really good! I kept going north and stopped to take pictures of Big Bear Lake. Really nice views all along the way. Headed back to LA around 3. I stopped at Heap's Arobretum on the way down and walked the 3/4 mile trail. REALLY worth stopping to do, especially for someone like me who's not the outdoorsy type, but still wants to get a little nature once in a while. Next time I'm going to try to hit Keller Peak Lookout, which I read is "reminiscent of a Hitchcock location, rocky drop-offs at every curve, no guardrails, a touch of vertigo when you peak over the mountain ledge" (from AAA writeup).
Happy Trails

Cool temps as you go up the mountains! 100 degrees below, 60 above! Everything is beautiful! Driving is straight up with crazy curves! Cute restaurant halfway up. To do entire drive leave lots of time! Big Bear lake at sunset is amazing, buy driving back in the dark was a nightmare. Lots of places to pull off and take pics.

Was filming in San Bernardino and the mountains for work and the Rim of the World was such a gorgeous lookout point. It's 100% worth the drive. I'd recommend going up the mountain during the day and down at night so you can see the view in different light.

This was a fun drive from Hwy 15 at Cajon Pass to Big Bear. Folowed 38 to 18 to 30 in Big Bear. Beautiful Fall colors and huge breathtaking views of the valleys. Lots of tight curves and turns keep you at sightseeing speed with lots of turnouts. Several lakes along the way to see and visit. Arrowhead is almost impossible to see because of the buildings in the way, but, the other lakes are beautiful. End at Big Bear lake and drive thru Fawnskin for the best views.

We love driving on the Rim of the World Highway. Sunsets can be gorgeous. It's so fun to take a drive in the mountains and see trees and flowers.

If you are headed to Big Bear Lake and have some time, take this highway for the breathtaking (sometimes literally) ride - you’ll definitely see why they call it “Rim of the World.” We were on about 45 miles worth of it. Important to slow down around curves -again not the route if you are in a hurry.

Go up the Waterman 138 hwy, across the Rim of the world scenic drive and stop off in Lake Arrowhead for lunch, then come down the 330 hwy thru Running Springs.

If you want a longer drive you can go over to Big Bear Lake and come down thru Oakglen. There is lots to do in Big Bear.

From the heat of a summer day, a drive up into the mountains will provide cooler temps and breezes. However you’ll also be likely to see the smoggy air we’re breathing better than the valley floor. On a clear day, you really feel you can see forever...and in some places you can see the sun reflected off the ocean. Lake Arrowhead is a nice retreat, with some great outlet shops and friendly ducks, especially if you have brought some food for them.

The Rim of the World Highway offers breathtakingly beautiful views and it's fun to drive. There are vista points on the way offering great photo ops.

We took out time and meandered along his scenic byway. We stopped several times to hike- Ponderosa Vista Nature Trail and at Heaps Arboretum- Sequoia Nature Trail. The viewpoints are just incredible! Loved every minute of this!

Following the crest of the San Bernardino Mountains is this road/highway. The views are breathtaking, and there are so many places to see and explore. Beautiful!

Terrifying!! But gorgeous.

I avoid this road now, when I drive up from LA, and take the route form the back, past Lake Gregory. Driving the curves on a 2-lane highway with the cliff on one side and the towering mountains is too distracting for me and starts to give me vertigo. This is more than any other canyon or mountain road I've been on (Kanan, Malibu Canyon, Topanga...) Imagine that but climbing 1000 times higher. Yikes!

The back way links up to the Rim of the World later on, to get into Lake Arrowhead for about 5 minuts at the top, so I can't totally avoid it, haha. It's beautiful. If you are not faint of heart and scared of heights like me, I highly recommend it!

At night I found it a little easier to go down the full way. The vertigo is not so bad because you can't see too far beyond you (and the more you go, the closer you get to earth and not feeling like you're in the clouds, which I prefer to going UP). The city lights and the moon are breathtaking at the top, just after you leave Lake Arrowhead. You can pull over and take some great photos, if you want.

Some people drive like idiots and go over the speed limit. Which, IMO, is set at the max,anyway. I took some curves at the suggessted 30 or 40mph, and it was still too much for me. Going down I had plenty of options to turn out so they could speed by. Let them... DON'T push it on this road. And make sure you have chains or avoid it in the winter months if you don't!! People get cocky and forget how dangerous it can be. You're driving straight up a mountain, okay? Lol. It's worth going to get to the beautiful alpine villages and/or if you are okay with heights and cliffs and curves. Just be safe and don't let locals or people with trucks who like to speed push you around. I had someone tailing me and flashing their brights, on a two-lane road, and I was already going the speed limit. I didn't need the extra pressure but you know what? They can wait. Just go the pace you need and pull over when you can if people get impatient.

For southern California Rim of the World is an amazing drive. it gives scenic views with every turn in the road. From the 210 freeway up Waterman Hwy to the Crestline off ramp the 4 lane hwy has recently, 2016, has had a center divider safety divider installed to make it a safer drive. At the Crestline turnoff it becomes a 2 lane road. You will have numerous turnoff to stop and take pictures and gaze at the city below. the first point of interest you will come too is the narrows, notice the landslide barrier wall that tries to mimic the local landscape...it doesn't, you will pass restaurants with a view and then thru Rim Forest, on to the local High School and pass several roadside parks where you can park. To use these area you will need an adventure pass unless you have a SR National Park pass. Travel on thru Skyforest a small community with shops and restaurants. Passing on you may want to stop at the local Arboretum which has a nice trail through the woods. Next comes Running Springs with it's various restaurants and stores. A few miles on is the turn off for Keller Peak Lookout with spectacular views. Next you pass Snow Valley ski area then the arctic circle and the new bypass bridge that takes you into Big Bear.

Scary road glad it wasn’t busy nice views but was busy watching the road ❤️ pumping drive don’t know if I’ll drive it again

We went to a wedding in Lake Arrowhead so drove straight there from LA,, and then back to LA via Big Bear and Redlands. Coming from a lefthand drive country the trip had its interesting moments but, all up, it was well worth the effort. Rim of the World describes the road perfectly. The trip up to Lake Arrowhead is spectacular - straight up from the valley floor with magnificent views back toward the coast. There are lots of lookout stops with easy access so we didnt have any heart-stopping pullouts. We made a side trip to Strawberry Peak fire tower which is brilliant - great views and very interesting volunteers. Driving down isn't quite as scenic but the roads are well formed and easy to drive.

The views from this highway is amazing and breathtaking no matter what season. California has the fantastic geographical land formations to allow you to go to the mountains to ski and 30 minutes later, you can be in summery weather to barbecue in San Bernardino.

Great place for hiking and view sitting. Impeccable scenery of the San Bernardino mountains. Great place to camp out.