Big Bear Lake Big Bear Lake is a perfect getaway for people that want to get out of the city and experience the mountains and lake during the summer and snow in the winter months. This mountain resort community is located by the San Bernardino National Forest, which is about 2 hours from Los Angeles. Altitude here can go up to 9000 feet here and temperatures range from 80 degrees fare height in the summer to 20 degrees in the winter. There are recreational activities offered in Big Bear Lake in the summer and winter months for those who like to be adventurous explore. The scenery here is great so you can simply juts getaway and enjoy the mountain and lake views and visit the Village, which is the center of the town and where most of the action takes place.
The Village
The Village is located in the center of Big Bear Lake. People go to the village to shop, dine, drink, movies, festivals and more. I love how unique and charming the Village is and how each of the boutiques and shops keep that antique look. You feel like you are in a completely different place even though the main cities are 1 to 2 hours away. There are many choices to choose from when it comes to dining as well as bars. There is one movie theater, which offers new movies and concessions at a very low price. Every time I visit Big Bear Lake I watch a movie here and spend time visiting the adorable shops, dining and going to the bars.
Boulder Bay Park
The Boulder Bay Park in Big Bear Lake was opened in 2010. This park is located at the entrance of Big Bear and offers spectacular views and a dock for water activities such as canoeing and kayaking. The homes surrounding Boulder Bay Park are beautiful and each has its own dock. You can also find picnic tables, which allows many families to come and spend a pleasant day here. In the winter time this park is also popular for snow play.
Events and Festivals
Each weekend in Big Bear Lake is full with many events and festivals. This time I visited Big Bear there were two events taking place. The Wine Festival was taking place in the Village. This festival allowed you to go to the shops in the Village and receive the tastings in each one. For $45 dollars you were able to obtain 11 tastings and some of the shops even offered food like pastries, fruit and cheese. what I liked about this festival is that unlike most traditional wine Festivals you are in one place most of the time, well at this one you were able to see the whole village and shops to try different wines. The main purpose of this event was to help these local shops so the money made was going to be used for a good cause. The other festival, which I took part in was Oktobesfest. This festival brings many people from cities nearby to celebrate this German tradition full of music, food and games. There are also concerts and other events such as a comedy festival, church events, safari in big bear at the zoo, firework shows, music in the mountains and much more.
Recreational Activities
- Swimming Boat Rental
- Campgrounds Public zoo
- Hiking
- Horse riding
- Kayaking
- Fishing
- Mountain biking
- Snow activities like skiing, tubing and snowboarding
Where to stay in Big Bear Lake
There are many cabin resorts and hotels in Big Bear. Many cabin owners also rent their house through Airbnb. I have stayed in both hotels near the lake as well as cabins and my best experience has been in the cabins. It is like being home away from home. The cabins provide you with everything you need from a full kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, utensils and dishware, Jacuzzis, patio and more. Cabins are perfect for families as they are very spacious. The cost of cabins is less n the summer than it is in the winter. This cabin where I stayed came to $500 for 2 nights/3 days for up to 6 people. If you share the cabin with other people you can spend a good weekend getaway at a low price in a nice cabin in the mountains. I really enjoyed this cabin specially the views you get from the patio. Enjoying a glass of wine in the Jacuzzi with the views of the mountains was priceless.
If you are planning to visit Big Bear Lake for the first time and you are unsure of what to do, I suggest visiting the Big Bear Lake Visitor Center to obtain advise from the experts of the town or simply see Trip Advisor's top things to do in Big Bear, which include the things I explained here and others such as the Big Bear Alpine Zoo, Castle Rock Trail, Slide at Magic Mountain, Solar Observatory, Golf courses, Snow Summit, Discovery Center, Big Bear Historical Museum. With so many options to choose from you are sure to have a good experience in Big Bear Lake. I encourage everyone to visit this charming community and get away from the city to experience nature!
Hope you enjoyed this post and stay tune for more. Thank you