Smokey Bear invites you to celebrate his 82nd birthday on Aug. 8, 2026, at Big Pines Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Smokey and his friends, including USFS personnel and the Volunteers of the Angeles National Forest, will welcome your family with arts and crafts, tours, cake, the USFS fire crew and their truck, Slithers & Crawls, and more. Step inside the visitor center for a self guided tour of the 1924 historic buiding featuring local wildlife displays, plants and creatures of the area that call the Angeles National Forest home. Take a short .5-mile hike on the nature trail. Bring the family for a fun and educational free event.
For 82 years, Smokey Bear has been the official “spokesbear” for the USDA Forest Service. Originally, he reminded people that only they could prevent forest fires. Smokey has since fine-tuned his message to focus on preventing wildfires.
Big Pines Visitor Center is located at 24537 Hwy. 2, approximately four miles west of Wrightwood Village. Please be a good Smokey Helper and take care of our forest. If you spot a fire in the forest, note its location as accurately as possible and call 911. See you at Smokey’s birthday party.
