Beeks Place Hike From Black Star Canyon
In This Guide |
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Total Distance (?) | 16 miles (25.8 km) |
Hike Time | 6-8 Hours (Total) |
Difficulty (?) | Hard |
Total Ascent (?) | 2,240 feet (683m) |
Highest Elevation | 2,820 feet (860m) |
Fees & Permits | Free |
Dogs Allowed | Leashed |
Alerts & Closures (?) | Cleveland National Forest |
Park Phone | 951-736-1811 |
Weather & Forecast | Latest Conditions |
Stay Safe | Copy this webpage link to the clipobard and share with a friend before you hike. Let them know when to expect you back. |
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The Beeks Place hike takes you to the ruins of an old cabin compound built at a scenic spot high in the Santa Ana Mountains. From Beeks Place, you can see from San Gorgonio to Mt Baldy to Catalina. The hike is challenging, taking you 2000 feet up fire roads through the mountains, and along the way, you get epic views, hidden pastures, and even a Native American settlement. While Beeks Place might not be a big-name peak bagging experience, it is a nice long mountain hike that you can do all year.
Where is the Beeks Place Hike?
Beeks Place is just off Main Divide Road, the rugged dirt road that traverses the Santa Ana Mountains, and you can actually drive up there in a 4×4. But what fun would that be? We’ll hike to it instead. The most popular hiking route to Beeks Place is up Black Star Canyon Road, and that’s the route covered in this guide.
Use this trailhead address:
13333 Black Star Canyon Rd, Silverado, CA 92676

There are no bathrooms or water fills at the trailhead.

Gear for the Hike
This is a long hike in the mountains, so prepare accordingly. I don’t recommend doing this hike when it’s hot out. There’s almost no shade once you leave the canyon, and the temperatures can be brutal in Cleveland NF. Either way, bring 3L of water, snacks, and sun protection.
Beeks Place Hike Trail Maps
This hike follows fire roads up to Beeks Place. In general they are wide, graded gradually, and easy to follow. Despite the fact that the hike is on fire roads and not single-track, it’s still scenic and fun. Just watch out for mountain bikers who often fly downhill here; there’s a local challenge to ride to Beeks Place and back in an hour or less.
There are a number of private land parcels along the hike, especially on the beginning stretch. They are well-marked, fenced off, and often have multiple warning signs. Just stay on the main Black Star Canyon Road and you’ll be fine.
Explore Map on CalTopoView a Printable PDF Hike MapDownload the Hike GPX File
Elevation Profile

3D Map

Hike Brief

- There are lots of fun haunted Black Star Canyon stories, and you can dive deeper on them in my hike guide to the falls.
- In the middle of the hike you can visit a Native American settlement where the Tongva people would grind acorns and hunt the wildlife that came to drink in the creek. The settlement was allegedly the site of a massacre when local whites accused the people living there of stealing horses.
- A few minutes past the settlement is Hidden Ranch, which is where in 1899 the owners got into a dispute about money owed (about $550 in today’s dollars) and ended up killing someone. The trial was a big deal and the ranch owners ended up getting out free. If you want to dive deeper, see if your library has Shadows of Old Saddleback, which has a good history of the area.
- And then there’s Beeks Place. The first cabins were built in 1929 by Joe Beek, the the longest-serving Secretary of the Senate in California history (1919–68), and the guy who was attributed with developing the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach as a tourist attraction. The cabins once had a pool and wind-powered electricity. In the 1970s Main Divide road opened automobile access to Beeks Cabin, and vandals would come and steal, shoot, and destroy the cabins. Eventually they were abandoned. And today, according to this brochure, you actually buy it. It’s a bit of a fixer-upper.
Beeks Place Hike Directions
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The Mariposa Reserve is owned by the Wildlands Conservancy, a great non-profit organization that protects natural spaces. Wildlands also hosts great hikes like the Santa Margarita River Trail, Whitewater Preserve, and Mission Creek Preserve.























This guide last updated on November 4, 2021. Did something change on this hike? If so, please contact me and let me know. I'll update the guide.