Cross-country ski trails near Garden Grove, CA

Rim Nordic Ski Area

The only place in Southern California with machine-groomed cross-country trails, tucked into the San Bernardino National Forest across the highway from Snow Valley. More than 10 miles of runs are groomed for classic and skate skiing and marked green through black, with two more trails set aside for snowshoers. Rentals, lessons and a small chalet are all on site, which makes this the easiest option on this list for a first try on skinny skis. It is also the only one charging a real trail pass rather than a parking fee, and dogs are not allowed during the winter season.

Mt. Pinos Nordic Base (Chula Vista Trailhead)

The paved lot at the end of Mt. Pinos Highway is the traditional gathering point for Nordic skiing in Southern California, sitting at 8,360 feet where the snow lasts longest. Trails spread out from here toward the Mt. Pinos summit, the condor observation site and the Chumash Wilderness, and a volunteer ski patrol staffs a base at the lot on winter weekends. Nothing is groomed and there are no shops or rentals anywhere on the mountain, so bring your own gear. Plan on roughly two and a half hours from Orange County, and carry chains: the county closes the snow gate at the bottom of the road when it needs plowing.

Mount San Jacinto State Park: Long Valley

Ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up out of the desert and you step off into Long Valley, a pine-ringed meadow around 8,400 feet with a ranger station and a seasonal Adventure Center that rents cross-country skis and snowshoes. Trails start at the bottom of the concrete path from the Mountain Station, so this is the rare snow day that needs no mountain driving and no chains. Nothing is groomed, and a free permit from the ranger station is required to go beyond it into the wilderness. The tram ticket makes it the priciest entry here, and dogs are not allowed on the tram or in the wilderness.

East Tumamait Trail 21W03

The Tumamait Trail leaves the top of Mt. Pinos at 8,800 feet, the highest starting point in this table, and runs west into the Chumash Wilderness toward Sawmill Mountain. The Forest Service rates it moderate to difficult over about 4.6 miles. Cars are not allowed on the forest road that reaches the trailhead, so you cover the two miles up from the Chula Vista parking lot on skis or snowshoes before the trail itself even starts. That extra approach, plus the wilderness setting and no facilities beyond a single vault toilet, makes this a route for people already comfortable navigating in snow.

South Fork Trail 1E04.1

A Forest Service designated cross-country ski and snowshoe route in the Barton Flats area, starting from a big paved lot on Jenks Lake Road at 6,900 feet. The first two and a half miles climb gently toward the San Gorgonio Wilderness boundary and the overlook at Poop-Out Hill, which is about as far as most skiers go before the terrain turns serious. Much of the lower trail burned in the 2015 Lake Fire, so there is less shade and more deadfall than older trail write-ups describe. There is a vault toilet at the trailhead and dogs are welcome on a leash.

Big Laguna Trail, Mount Laguna

Mount Laguna is San Diego County's snow country, and the Big Laguna Trail is its signature route: a 10 mile loop through oak and pine woodland and wide open meadow with about 1,000 feet of climbing. The catch is that this far south the meadows hold skiable snow for several days after a big storm rather than all winter, so this one rewards watching the forecast. When it does snow, the open meadows are the gentlest terrain on this list. Parking is $5 a vehicle at the Penny Pines turnout on Sunrise Highway, and dogs are allowed.