State Scenic Highway 18 18
State Scenic Highway 18 is a National Forest Scenic Byway in California. Within California it covers roughly 55 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along State Scenic Highway 18 with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
State Scenic Highway 18, the Rim of the World Highway, has carried travelers through the San Bernardino Mountains since its 1915 dedication. The stretch from Crestline to Big Bear Dam forms the central segment of the 107-mile Rim of the World National Forest Scenic Byway, which also includes Highway 138 near Cajon Pass and Highway 38 past Big Bear. Built as cars replaced horse-drawn carts in the mountains during the 1910s, the highway now connects the communities of Crestline, Lake Arrowhead, Running Springs, and the shores of Big Bear Lake. Pull-offs along the drive open onto wide views of the San Bernardino Valley and Santa Ana Canyon far below, a dramatic contrast between desert-facing lowlands and pine-forested mountain communities within a single afternoon's drive. Switchbacks and steep grades make it one of the more physically demanding mountain highways in Southern California, especially in winter when snow chains are often required for the climb into the resort towns above.
- Crestline to Big Bear Dam
- Rim of the World Highway
- dedicated 1915
- 107-mile National Forest Scenic Byway
- Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear Lake
- San Bernardino Mountains
Plan a drive on State Scenic Highway 18 →
What is a National Forest Scenic Byway?
National Forest Scenic Byways are routes designated by the U.S. Forest Service that thread through the mountains, canyons and old growth of America's national forests and grasslands.
Where to Stay along State Scenic Highway 18
2 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of State Scenic Highway 18.
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