Bear Valley Trail to Divide Meadow

This is the Bear Valley Trail out-and-back from Bear Valley Trailhead to Divide Meadow: 3.2 miles round trip, following Bear Valley Creek through Douglas-fir forest. The National Park Service calls it easy and estimates one to one-and-a-half hours of walking, with extra time for a meadow break. The outbound 1.6 miles climbs about 240 feet; the return retraces the same trail. It is a gentle creek walk with a grassy clearing at the turn-around, rather than a route to the coast.

From the trailhead, the broad packed path enters tall Douglas-fir shade beside the creek. The water changes sides and is crossed a few times; benches provide places to pause along the gradual climb. The tread is packed dirt and gravel, about eight feet wide in places, and mostly flat or gently rising, though a few short pitches exceed 5 percent and some patches are rocky. The park says some wheelchairs can manage with assistance, but the route does not meet accessibility standards and the meadow toilets are not accessible. Evidence of the backfires set during the 2020 Woodward Fire remains along this northern stretch. Bicycles and horses share the trail; yield to horses.

The forest opens into grass at the intended turn-around. Two vault toilets are here, but there is no drinking water. Bear Valley Trail continues beyond the meadow into Phillip Burton Wilderness, and Old Pine Trail branches just south of the toilets; those longer routes are outside this walk. Stay on the tread and avoid trampling the meadow’s sensitive plants. The open clearing makes a comfortable place to pause before heading back.

Start at Bear Valley Trailhead beside the picnic area. Use the gravel parking lot on the east, or left, side of the access road; the park directs trail users there instead of the paved visitor-center lot. Full restrooms are available in the trailhead area. Bring water from the start. Dogs are prohibited on trails departing Bear Valley.