15 minutes/8 miles from Lake Arrowhead Village
At the heart of the quaint village of Crestline in the rugged mountains is Lake Gregory. Hike or walk around Lake Gregory to enjoy crisp mountain air, thousands of pine trees, singing birds, quacking ducks and small crowds. Lake Gregory offers the best local fishing, an idyllic spot to catch rainbow trout, bass or carp.
Goodwin’s on Lake Gregory Drive offers gourmet foods, old-fashioned soda pop and an organic juice bar. Book a tasting experience at Sycamore Ranch Vineyard & Winery. Eat on the rim of the mountaintop at Hortencia’s at the Cliffhanger. Visit charming shops like Bizzyland Gardens & Florals and Carpet Station. Lodge at the North Shore Inn. Try a famous hike at Heart Rock and Seely Creek.
For more information, contact the Crestline Chamber of Commerce (website crestlinechamber.org) or visit their Visitor Center at 24385 Lake Drive.
The original name of Crestline was Houston Flat. The area was developed by Arthur Gregory Sr., a citrus grower from the city of Redlands during the early 1900s. At a place called the Valley of the Moon, he built a sawmill to make wooden boxes to ship his citrus to various parts of the country. Arthur Gregory was also a genius when it came to finding and keeping water available for agriculture or for human habitation.
In 1937, a grant from the Works Progress Administration was given to dam the east and west forks of the Houston Creek, which ran through the mountain valley. A reservoir was to be created that would later become Lake Gregory.
The government grant ran out of funds before completion of the reservoir, but Gregory financed the remainder of the dam by lending money to the newly formed water district.
When the reservoir was completed, the experts believed it would take three years to fill up. Nature decided that was too long, and heavy rains descended from the heavens, filling the reservoir in three days. It happened so quickly, that there is a local legend claiming that lots of lost construction equipment lie at the bottom of the lake.
