Adventures in Big Bear Lake, a Four-Season Mountain City Resort

In Utah’s Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains, we enjoyed the private and sprawling Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort. In Colorado, we experienced nature at its best in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Granby Lake, and Hot Sulphur Springs. Our third mountain retreat was spent in Big Bear Lake,  a city resort in California’s San Bernardino Mountains along the south shore of Big Bear Lake that is surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest.

Accessible in under two hours from Los Angeles because of great roads, the town is as popular at the height of summer as it is during winter. In fact, it is billed as a four-season destination. The greater Big Bear Valley area regularly hosts over 100,000 visitors many weekends of the year. And, even in this age of the pandemic, the crowds were there. So we didn’t feel it to be quite as safe as our mountain retreats in Utah and Colorado. 

But, my two millennial granddaughters, ages 27 and 24, and the fiancé of the older one joined us for two days and two nights. This made our little vacation together immensely, although more cautiously, enjoyable.

Big Bear Alpine Zoo

In the last ten years, I have not been to zoos or aquariums. I have increasingly felt that you’ve seen one and you’ve seen them all. But my granddaughters are animal lovers. We all decided to not miss the Big Bear Alpine Zoo experience because it 1) is not really a traditional zoo but a rehabilitation facility for injured animals, 2) specializes in wildlife used to alpine habitats of around 7-10,000 feet above sea level, and 3) features the snow leopard which is on the vulnerable list with less than 10,000 are surviving around the world. There were grizzly and black bears, bobcats, and mountain lions but the two resident snow leopards stole the show.

Woodland Trail

Before my millennial guests arrived, we hiked the Woodland Trail which was recommended to us at the Visitor Center. It is a 1.5-mile loop of dry woodlands with 16 interpretive stops explaining the plants, wildlife, and geology of the area. A $5 Adventure Pass was required to park at the trailhead and to use the restrooms available there. The trail was very different from the wet woodlands of Utah and Colorado and, although very nice, took only about 45 minutes to hike.

East Boat Ramp

Just across the road from the trail, we found the East Boat Ramp from where many boats and kayaks that ply the calm lake waters are launched. There were some families having fun picnicking at the grounds and when we told our guests, they thought it would be great fun. When we came back the following day with the girls, after the Alpine Zoo, it was teeming with people because it was a Saturday. Still, we were able to have a great picnic at the very spot we identified the day before.  

While we were there, we had fun witnessing a garden wedding being held at a small promontory. Many ground squirrels were roaming around and we had a highlight of a moment when we spotted a swarm of white geese that were flying in formation. And we were entertained by the small private planes coming from the small airport nearby and touring the wide vista of the lake. After finishing the food, we walked around the boat ramps and the beach areas.

The Village

Afterward, we headed on to The Village, the two-block urban area of shops, restaurants, and bars. Again, we had scouted it before they arrived, too. We took them to The Bone Yard Grill which we loved for their classic sundae for just $2.99, much cheaper than Ben & Jerry’s single cone at $5. Besides, we were all safely seated at the unique long-rail area at their front porch facing the street. We watched all the action happening on the road, including the cute carriages brightly lit and carrying excited tourists about town at night.

Big Bear Lake

But, of course, the best time we had during our weekend vacation was spent at the lake. It is Southern California's largest recreation lake, about seven miles long and about a mile at its widest, at 7,000 feet above sea level. We had reserved a 22-foot pontoon boat that we could all use with safe distancing. On the morning of our second day, we headed out to the Pine Knot Landing area. My granddaughter’s fiancé was taught how to drive the pontoon boat. We had photos taken at the Dome and the little dam at the other end of the lake. We were fascinated by the floating outhouses available to anyone who needed them. The girls (including me) had long photo sessions on the boat, imagining ourselves to be celebrities. Our one-hour went by very quickly.  

The Pines Lakefront

Before our millennial guests drove down the mountains to go back home, we had an early dinner at the only lakefront dining place in the whole town. My younger granddaughter was celebrating her 24^th birthday the following day and she gave us a blow-out, a practice in Filipino culture. With cool breeze ensuring a clean airflow at the open deck, we recalled the two wonderful days we spent together over two large pizzas and drinks.

The pandemic certainly did not dampen our spirits. Our hotel rooms were adjacent to each other and had a common entry area. So our breakfasts inside were celebrated from two dining tables across two rooms with windows of both rooms wide open and the ceiling fans in full blast for better airflow. We drove around in two separate cars. Masks and hand sanitizers were required all the time. And we rejected places with crowds. That is why we did not do the popular Alpine Slide at the Magic Mountain.

Because we only had two days, we could not do the other usual activities like fishing, mountain biking, and horse riding. During winter, Big Bear Lake transforms into a skiing and snowboarding destination with two ski resorts: Snow Summit and Bear Mountain. The town also has hosted the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival since 1999. Nevertheless, we loved our stay. Our very protective millennial granddaughters and future grandson-in-law made sure we had safe fun.

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