Why SoCal’s Big Bear Lake is the nature break you need
Drive 97 miles east of Los Angeles, toward the peaks visible beyond the skyscrapers on a clear day, and you’ll reach the town of Big Bear Lake. Surrounded by the San Bernardino Mountains and hugging the southern shores of its namesake lake, the resort town of Big Bear has been a beloved getaway for more than a hundred years.
Generation after generation, families have made memories amid the old-growth San Bernardino National Forest here. They’ve passed down a love of birdsong, star-lit skies and fishing days. But it’s not just this resort town history that make Big Bear Lake special; its location, topography and ecology make it a Sky Island, a rare and precious sanctuary for flora and fauna that could not survive in the lowland desert surrounding it.
It’s a haven for outdoor adventure and peak stargazing, too. It’s a place dedicated to conservation and respect for the environment. And it’s home to a community whose fun and festive events bring together all kinds of folks who love this beautiful place.
Read on for trip-planning inspiration for your own nature getaway, plus insights from some of the people who know Big Bear best.
Witness abundant wildlife in a Sky Island sanctuary
As you wander the 100+ miles of hiking and biking trails accessible from Big Bear Lake, you'll encounter a variety of ecosystems, from thick pine forest to quartz-specked pebble plains—a remnant of the glacial Pleistocene age and a phenomenon that exists nowhere else in the world.
Even the grasses in the meadows are ecologically precious; particularly Bear Valley bluegrass and Big Bear checkerbloom, both of which are federally endangered. A wide range of wildlife call these environments home. You may spot rabbits, snakes, wild burros and eagles as you go. More rarely, you might even spy mountain lions or bears. (Be sure to follow these tips for wildlife safety.)
The flora and fauna that inhabit Big Bear are dependent on their environment in a unique way. Many of them would not be able to survive even a few miles away, as the ecosystem in the lowland deserts surrounding Big Bear is so starkly different. This is what makes Big Bear a Sky Island, a rare designation otherwise held by only a few mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and New Mexico.
Big Bear is also a refuge for wildlife in a different way: It's home to the Big Bear Alpine Zoo at Moonridge, an animal rehabilitation center that offers injured or orphaned wild animals a second chance at life. Visitors may see and learn about black bears, grizzly bears, box turtles, African pygmy hedgehogs, bobcats and snow leopards, along with many other animal species. From broken wings to birth defects, all of the residents have unique backstories, which the passionate and dedicated staff will be happy to relay on your visit.
In addition to bringing you the entertaining and enriching experience of discovering the animals in its care, your ticket purchase enables the zoo to continue rehabilitating animals for release into the wild.
Stargaze and celebrate dark skies
Big Bear's pristine natural setting isn't just for daytime enjoyment. At night, the region's dark skies are an attraction all their own, and well worth planning an escape from the city to behold. Its high elevation and distance from the bright lights of urbanization mean that you'll have staggeringly clear views of stars, planets and constellations. You can enjoy this any time you visit Big Bear, whether you're camping under the stars, focusing a telescope on heavenly bodies or simply looking up from an Adirondack chair as you enjoy a glass of wine.
You can also make Big Bear's night skies a focal point of your trip by visiting during SkyFest (Aug. 14-16). The event spans multiple locations across Big Bear, including the Big Bear Lake Convention Center, where an AstroFestival & Expo will bring speakers from NASA and Dark Sky International. There will be guided hikes at the top of the Snow Summit (bonus: you get to ride a chair lift up—in the dark), family-friendly hands-on learning at the Big Bear Discovery Center and even meditative evening forest bathing, for example.
In addition to calling attention to the staggering beauty of a sky full of stars, the festival aims to bring awareness to practices that will help keep light pollution at bay. Sara Schacht, Director of Care for Big Bear (Big Bear's overarching conservation initiatives), advises shutting off unnecessary lights in your home, and using more strategic security lighting, like motion-triggered floodlights rather than always-on lights that can actually be counterproductive. She also advises limiting landscape lighting and making sure it's aimed at the ground rather than skyward.
Big Bear Lake's commitment to preserving its dark skies is just one of its many conservation efforts, all of which fall under the umbrella of its Care for Big Bear program. Visitors can get involved by attending events like SkyFest, volunteering, supporting local Green Businesses and following the principles of Leave No Trace while enjoying the local environment.
Have a nature-led fitness and wellness getaway
You don't need to go to a far-flung destination for a wellness retreat; Big Bear is just the kind of place for hitting the reset button on your physical or spiritual well-being. Trade computer screens for wide-open skies, and back-to-back meetings for the uninterrupted hum of forest life. After a few days, you might find yourself feeling looser, lighter—and breathing easier in the clean alpine air.
As far as how you connect with nature, Big Bear has many options. Sweat it out on bike trails for riders of all experience levels. (There are outfitters who can rent you wheels and a helmet if you didn't bring your own.) Hike easy to moderate trails around the lake shore, or take on a segment of the famous Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches for 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada—there's a trailhead right in Big Bear Lake. Those in need of a day on the water can rent a kayak, paddleboard or canoe from marinas and shops around town. Or hit Swim Beach, Big Bear's designated swimming area, for a cooling dip.
Yogis can practice their craft on the lake shore, or even atop a paddleboard courtesy of local studio YogaWild. Or join in on a naturally meditative activity Big Bear residents and visitors have practiced on Big Bear Lake for generations: fishing. Matt McCabe, Visit Big Bear's Creative Director, has personal experience with casting a line across generations on these shores.
"My grandpa taught my dad to fish here. My dad taught me to fish here, and now I'm teaching my son, so he's the fourth McCabe to fish on these waters and to carry that forward," says McCabe.
"Technology makes us reachable at any time now, we almost don't have a moment to breathe. But when you're fishing on the lake, it's all about just being here, thinking about just one thing and enjoying the solitary time that we don't always get."
Join in on seasonal events
