City Information


Big Bear Lake is a world of natural beauty, crisp, clean alpine air, and endless four-season recreation. High above the hustle of everyday life, Big Bear Lake provides the ideal getaway for day or for a long vacation.

An easy drive from virtually anywhere in Southern California, Big Bear Lake offers numerous recreational opportunities including boating, sailing, water skiing, fishing, hiking, camping, mountain biking, horseback riding, golfing, down hill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snow-shoeing, and more. Big Bear Lake is also host to numerous events throughout the year including Old Miner's Days, Oktoberfest, mountain bike racing, hobie cat regattas, jazz festivals, car shows, trout classics, rodeos, ski and snowboard competitions, and more.

Big Bear is home to several special attractions due to the unique qualities of the area. The Big Bear Discovery Center is operated cooperatively by the U.S. Forest Service and San Bernardino National Forest Association. Guests visit the center for naturalist-led interpretive programs, evening nature lectures, hiking information and to view the changing exhibits which include every thing from native animals to fire prevention. Tours on foot or by canoe are available for the more adventuresome providing opportunities to learn about Big Bear waterfowl, aquatic and animal life. The Adventure Outpost is an onsite retail store which offers one-of-a-kind gifts.

Also unique to Big Bear is the Moonridge Zoo, a 2.5 acre facility for animals wounded in the wilderness. The area fires of 1959 brought about the need to house injured animals that could be treated and returned to the forest. For those healthy but non-releasable birds and animals, the Moonridge Zoo became their protective new home, and the Moonridge Animal Park was "born". At least 200 injured wild birds and animals are treated annually at the park, and the majority are rehabilitated and released back into the wild. Expansion efforts are currently underway.

The Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) takes advantage of the excellent climatic conditions of Big Bear to study the Sun. The observatory is located in the middle of Big Bear Lake to reduce image distortion, and turbulent motions in the air are also reduced by the smooth flow of the wind across the lake. These conditions, combined with the usually cloudless skies over Big Bear Lake and the clarity of the air at this elevation, make the observatory a premier site for solar observations.

No trip to Big Bear is complete without a visit to the Big Bear Valley Historical Museum. The museum has many exhibits that begin with the Indian period and include an 1875 log cabin, gold mining artifacts, cattle ranching and lumbering exhibits, and many other historical artifacts.