HEADIN' FOR THE HILLS : ARROWHEAD, BIG BEAR A BLEND OF RUSTIC SCENERY, MOUNTAIN GREENERY GREAT ESCAPES.

Byline: Carol Bidwell Daily News Staff Writer

Strapped into a big yellow open-topped Jeep, we bounced off the blacktopped road onto what looked like a rutted cow path, jostled over rocks and through the tailings of landslides, bumped past old gold-mining claims, forded shallow streams.

Suddenly, we lurched to a stop just short of a gurgling brook at the edge of a clearing filled with wildflowers, partly shaded by tall pines. The only sounds were water tumbling over rocks - and a curious whirring.

``Look,'' urged Buck Harbin, my guide. ``Look at the butterflies. Hundreds of them.''

From graceful swallowtails to tiny blue moths, they danced from blossom to blossom through the shadow and the light, the sheer volume of trembling wings emitting a soft buzz. Gracefully, a yellow one the size of a dime fluttered to rest on my sunburned nose, pausing for a moment before hurrying off to do whatever butterflies do on a sunny day.

We were deep in Holcomb Valley, a few miles northeast of Big Bear Lake. It was the site of a mini-gold rush in the 1850s, a hide-out for bootleggers in the 1920s and now is a little-explored piece of the area's rugged past for modern-day adventurers.

It's one of many spots to explore during a long weekend in the San Bernardino Mountains. Skiers gravitate to the two main recreation meccas - Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead - during snowy winters and springs, but there's lots to do there when the days are sunny and the slopes are green.

The two man-made lakes, the products of dam-building to control and conserve winter snow runoff, are about 50 miles north of San Bernardino, and lie about 30 miles apart. Both offer paddle-boat tours that let visitors experience the blue water, the smogless sky and the tall pines that seem to link the two places. But they're very different in character.

Arrowhead has an innovative children's museum and a lakeside factory outlet mall, but the lake itself is private; to fish, swim or boat there, visitors must either own property or be guests of property owners, including local inns.

Big Bear, which is a public lake, has more to offer summertime visitors - trading posts, four-wheel-drive vehicle tours, ski-lift rides, hang gliding and parasailing, in addition to fishing and boating (there are two public ramps where boaters can slide their craft into the lake, as well as ramps and docks at the many lakeside recreational vehicle parks). It also has a museum and shopping area, but the community is less sophisticated and more rustic than Arrowhead.

I wanted to get away from the factory outlets and the expensive lakeside condos and get a look at the real mountain areas where 134 years ago, bears roamed freely and veins of gold were found in the rocks. I found that in the mountains northeast of Big Bear Lake.

Holcomb Valley: Visitors who want to explore the old gold territory on their own can pick up a brochure for a self-guided auto tour at the Big Bear Ranger Station on North Shore Drive.

The bumpy 12-mile trip gives history buffs a chance to see the remnants of Two-Gun Bill's Saloon, where parched miners could wet their whistle in the 1860s; the Last Chance Placer Mine, where in 1860 an average of 3 pounds of gold a day was mined; Hangman's Tree, where claim jumpers and murderers met justice; and the original diggings of William F. Holcomb, who discovered gold there in 1861 while tracking a wounded bear.

I chose a more adventurous exploration with Buck as my guide. We traveled a rugged swath cut into the earth from the mountains 8,000-plus feet above sea level to the hot, dry desert, 6,000 feet and nine miles later.

Even a seasoned four-wheeler would be challenged by this ride. But Buck, a Big Bear resident for 24 years, used to play here with his boyhood friends and knew every rut and gully - and the origins of Big Bear, as well.

In 1845, ranchers hired Benjamin Wilson and a posse of 22 men to chase off marauding tribes that had been raiding their ranches; during the hunt, they discovered a beautiful valley - and more bears than anybody had ever seen.

``In the next couple of days, he and his buddies shot 24 of them,'' Buck said. ``That's how the valley got its name.

Off the rutted road, high up on the mountainsides, are remnants of the old mining claims - sometimes a burned-out shell of a small building or maybe just piles of rocks, discarded when they proved to hold no gold. At one spot - in a small clearing where leaves nearly covered some weathered boards and a few bedsprings - an old-timer known only as Blackie the Bootlegger had run a prolific still during Prohibition.

``But after the sheriff cleared him out, the park rangers bulldozed his place to keep him from coming back,'' Buck said. ``You can see part of his bed underneath there.''

Back on the paved road, Buck pointed out the hillside remains of the Lucky Baldwin mine, where entrepreneur Elias J. Baldwin - nicknamed ``Lucky'' because of his success in other business ventures - bought three gold-mining claims in 1873 and began to mine gold. Baldwin sunk $2.5 million into the hold in the mountain over 3-1/2 years, but mined ore worth only $600,000. Baldwin died in 1909, not so lucky at gold mining.

Cruising the lake: Capt. Dave Bellows, piloting the Big Bear Queen, settled 50 passengers onto the paddle-wheel excursion boat and launched into tales of the area where he has lived since the 1930s.

The lake was created in 1884 when the Bear Valley Water Co. built a rock dam; that dam was replaced in 1911 by a concrete dam. At its deepest point, the lake is 72 feet 4 inches deep, 7-1/2 miles long and a mile wide, with 22 miles of shoreline. It's considered the largest man-made body of water in the world. It's fed by the melting winter snowpack and freezes over during the coldest winters - to the continual surprise of the lake coots, a species of waterfowl.

``Those birds are so dumb they sit down on the lake in the winter and go to sleep and the next morning, they're frozen in,'' Bellows told us, steering around an inlet where steep staircases lead from rustic homes on the hillside down to floating boat docks. ``The eagles that come down from Alaska take advantage of what we call a cootsickle.''

Big Bear's ski runs - Ski Summit and Bear Mountain - cut green swaths through the pines, and are visible from the lake. It was the beauty of the area, as well as the plentiful fishing, that drew movie industry people like Clark Gable and Cecil B. DeMille to build vacation homes on its shores. Some of the homes date to the 1920s. Singing cowboy Roy Rogers operated a marina along the shore until a few years ago.

Back on dry land, Big Bear Lake Village offers a shoppers' paradise: gourmet coffee and jams in the Teddy Bear's Pantry, antiques and pricey paintings in Cedar Rose Lane, jackets and more in the Leather Depot. The Bear Mountain Trading Post, on Moonridge Road, is a log-cabin treasure trove of American Indian goods, old-fashioned candy, kitchen gadgets, coffee beans, even old snowshoes hung from the walls and a full-size sleigh hanging from the ceiling. Just around the corner, at the Sugarloaf Cord Wood Co., you can watch chainsaw artists turn logs into giant bears, Indians or buffaloes.

By contrast, Lake Arrowhead has few of those rustic touches left. The original Lake Arrowhead Village, built in the 1920s on the lake's south shore, has been replaced by a complex of factory outlet stores, art galleries and restaurants. The only way for most people to enjoy the lake itself is to take a ride on the Arrowhead Queen, a sleek, oak-paneled, glass-enclosed cruiser with a just-for-looks paddle-wheel.

Aboard the Queen: Many local residents felt the old Lake Arrowhead Village, where Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey's bands used to play weekend concerts in the old bandstand, wasn't upscale enough. So, with the help of the National Guard and about 800 firefighters, the structures were demolished (except for the bandstand, now an antiques store) and new buildings erected, Capt. Mark Uthus told us as he maneuvered the motor yacht away from the dock.

The new lakeside center would astonish the valley's first settlers - lumbermen who built sawmills and stripped the valley of its magnificent trees. (All the trees on the mountains surrounding the lake are about the same height; they were planted about 100 years ago, in the wake of the timber barons.)

A single-arch dam was built in 1883, creating the lake, which is 2-1/2 miles long, a mile wide and 180 feet deep, with 14 miles of shoreline. Several sawmills - along with a railroad locomotive - still lie under its waters.

In the 1920s, the area east of the lake was dubbed ``Bourbon Gulch,'' as mobsters set up stills in lake-front homes to produce booze to slake the thirst of the Los Angeles film community, Uthus said. (One of the moonshiners' best customers was crooner Bing Crosby, who had two 20-gallon tanks installed in his car to hold the hootch, according to the captain.)

Even after prohibition, the area's glitzy reputation drew the rich and famous: They came to visit Club Arrowhead in the Pines, a casino owned by mobster Bugsy Siegel; it reportedly had revolving walls and three escape tunnels in case the law arrived unexpectedly.

Lake Arrowhead Children's Museum: While waiting for a ride on the Queen, visitors can drop by this innovative museum in the lakeside village.

One wall is a giant replica of an ant village where kids can pretend to be insects and climb along the trails. There's a miniature post office; a veterinarian's office; a wall hung with firefighters' jackets, helmets and boots; a screened-off area where kids can play a game of wheelchair basketball.

Actually, it's one of the most fun places in otherwise private Lake Arrowhead, a far cry from its rustic Big Bear neighbor.

On Location Getting there: Drive east on Highway 101, east on Highway 134, east on Highway 210 and east on Highway 10 to Redlands in San Bernardino County. Head north on Highway 30, then take Highway 330 northwest to Highway 18, which leads east to Big Bear, or west to Lake Arrowhead.

Staying there: There are dozens of cabins and lodges in both areas. Call ahead for reservations both during the summer and during the winter ski season. I stayed at the Eagle's Nest, a rustic log-cabin lodge a few blocks south of Big Bear Lake. Prices there range from $75 to $150 per night; [phone].

Eating there: In Big Bear, the locals are nearly unanimous: Eat at Madlon's (501 W. Valley Blvd.; [phone]), but call for a reservation first. It was closed the Monday I was there, so I settled for dinner at the Big Bear Prospector (40771 Lakeview Drive; [phone], which serves water in Mason jars and promises prime rib ``reely good for yore belly.'' (The view from the redwood deck overlooking the lake at sunset was spectacular.)

At Lake Arrowhead, I lunched at Woody's Boathouse (28200 Highway 189, Building B-100); perched just feet away from the lake. (Much of the restaurant burned in an Oct. 18 fire, but repairs are under way; the eatery plans to reopen sometime this summer. Call ahead: [phone].)

Playing there: At Lake Arrowhead, buy tickets at Leroy's Sports in the lakeside village for a tour on the Arrowhead Queen; departures are on the hour from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Fares are $9.50 for adults, $8.50 for seniors, $6.50 for children 12 and under. Information: [phone]. The lakeside Lake Arrowhead Children's Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; admission is $3.50 per person; kids under age 2 are free. Information: [phone].

In Big Bear, you can:

Visit the Moonridge Animal Park (Moonridge Road and Goldmine Drive; [phone]; open daily, hours vary; $1.50 for adults, $1 for kids age 5-10.

Enjoy a pony or horseback ride (Baldwin Lake Stables, [phone]; Bear Mountain Riding Stable, [phone]); a bicycle ride (there are several companies that rent bikes); rent a jet ski (Sun Sports; [phone]); go parasailing (Big Bear Parasail, [phone]); play a round of golf (Bear Mountain Golf Course, [phone]); take a backcountry jeep tour (there are several tour companies; I chose Big Bear Jeep Tours, [phone]).

Ride the Snow Summit sky chair - in winter, the ski lift - to the ridgetop, even bringing your mountain bike along (Snow Summit; [phone]).

Cruise the lake with one of several companies (I chose the Big Bear Queen [phone]. There is a 2 p.m. tour every day, and tours at 10 a.m., noon and 4 p.m. if more than 15 people buy tickets; adults pay $9.50, seniors over age 60 pay $8 and children 3-12 pay $5.)

CAPTION(S):

6 Photos, Box

Photo: (1) Boating and other water sports are permi tted on Lake Arrowhead only for lake residents and guests.

Carol Bidwell/Daily News

(2-3--Color) Big Bear Lake, left, is a favorite rustic, warm-weather getaway spot. Bear statues and chain-saw carvings, like the one below, abound.

Carol Bidwell/Daily News

(4--Color) Lake Arrowhead Village offers a children's museum, restaurants and shopping for those waiting for a boat tour of the lake.

(5-6--Color) The Bear Mountain Trading Co., a faux trading post, is crammed with nostalgic items for sale inside a log cabin, above. At left, sunset over both lakes can be spectacular.

Box: On Location (See text)