As you already know, Mammoth didn’t happen thanks to all the national forests being closed. You might wonder, wasn’t Big Bear Lake closed too? Well, since a large portion of it is in the San Bernardino National Forest, a large part was closed. What did that mean for us…it meant no hiking in the San Bernardino National Forest and no off-roading. The good news is there was still room for fun…the resorts, the town, and the water was all open.
With two days to figure out alternate plans, we rented a cabin on Airbnb, rented a pontoon boat on the lake, and hit the road.
This wasn’t our typical trip to Big Bear, but it was still fun. We will blog about our normal routine and stops in Big Bear, but for now we will focus on this trip. Lots of firsts and memories this time around.
For those of you that don’t know, Big Bear is a small city in Southern California. It is about 25 miles northeast of San Bernardino, and it is a four-season vacation town. Known for its lake and snow slopes, you can always find something to do no matter the time of year. Big Bear and its surrounding city of Fawnskin, also host annual events like Oktoberfest, the Renaissance Faire, and various Fishing Tournaments. This town is full of woodsy charm and is definitely worth checking out. It will take you less than 2 ½ hours coming from the Los Angeles area.
For this visit, we stayed in a cabin in Sugarloaf. The area is about 15 minutes from the village, AKA the city center, and is much more of a local spot. You will find lots of cabins with enchanting architecture, a local bar, and a small general store. The area is peaceful, quiet, and full of pine trees. Sugarloaf is also home to Big Bear High School and the Big Bear Cemetery. If you want to fit in and not look like a tourist, stay over this way.
On the way to the cabin, we stopped at the Grizzly Manor Café. This place has been in the area since 1975 and if you’ve heard of this spot, you know that there is a huge line. Since we drove up at the crack of dawn, we got the privilege of walking right into this gold mine. Arguably the best breakfast in town, you must order the pancakes. Not only are they scrumptious, but they are HUGE. Each pancake is literally the size of a dinner plate. You will not leave hungry, that’s for sure.
After getting settled in the cabin, we hit the water on a pontoon. Two of our favorite rental locations are:
~ Big Bear Marina – Located at 500 Paine Ct, this marina rents out pontoon boats, fishing boats, jet skis, kayaks, and paddle boards.
~ Holloway’s Marina – Located at 398 Edgemoor Road, this marina rents out both pontoon and fishing boats.
We feel that the Big Bear Marina has a bit nicer rentals, but both are great options and we have used both multiple times.
After making waves, catching rays, and mmmm motorboatin’ (Shout out to Little Big Town for the Pontoon song), we headed back to the cabin to BBQ for dinner. Thanks to my dad (Tyler’s), we had a nice Wisconsin supper…beer-soaked brats with kraut, peppers, and onions…if you know you know. Then it was time to get some shut eye. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the cabin had no air conditioner, so we sweat out our delicious dinner in our sleep.
The next day, we wandered through town and grabbed a bite to eat. Three stores that we stopped in are MUSTS whenever we go to Big Bear.
~ O Koo Ran – A trendy store filled with women’s clothing, shoes, accessories, and home goods. Regardless of your gender, the knick knacks in here are worth a look.
~ Room to Room – This store has kitchenware, home décor, gourmet foods, candles, bath and body products, books, accessories, and more. You will hands down find something in this store. Another fun fact about this place, they decorate for all the holidays so there is always a cute holiday item to pick up as well.
~ Village Nut House – This place has an assortment of local goods, candy, snacks, honey, and candles. Also stocked with an array of funny gifts, at minimum this store will give you a good laugh.
After bumming around, as Grandma Mary used to say, we wound up sitting outside at 572 Social Kitchen and Lounge. This restaurant has live music and a relaxing atmosphere. The menu is broad including burgers, pizza, salads, seafood, and more.
After our meal, it was time to head back to the cabin. With not too much to do later in the evenings in the area, we thought why not come up with some cheap entertainment. We decided that nightly walks were in order and a trip to the Dollar Tree. We bought coloring books, canvas art, puzzles, and more. Each night we took a walk around the neighborhood and then came back to color and paint. It felt like we were young kids again, and it was actually refreshing.
On our last full day, we hit the trails. Let us rephrase…we hit one of the two trails that were open! The two currently open trails are the Maple Hills and the Happy Hills trails. We went to the Happy Hills trail. This area was added in 2017 and is an easy, mostly paved hike. The route starts at the City Hall parking lot and leads to other paths. Along the way, you will see historical buildings and get a glimpse of old town Big Bear.
After enjoying the great outdoors, we hit a coffee shop called Café Crepe. It’s a little drive thru shack along Big Bear Blvd and oh my goodness…the gourmet coffee is on point! My mom (Tyler’s) and I shared two drinks…
~ Basic Witch – A Pumpkin Spice Latte with Caramel, Cinnamon, and Pumpkin Whipped Cream. We got CBD added.
~ Honey Lavender – A honey latte with lavender syrup, and lavender whipped cream. We got almond milk instead of regular milk.
Both of these drinks were incredible and 1000% worth the line.
All in all the trip was a good time, but it had its ups and downs. Downs being the lack of air conditioning at night, the stomach revenge my dad and I(Tyler) got from an unnamed Mexican restaurant, and the yard sale adventures that were apparently the thing to do in the area over Labor Day, but were filled with used makeup, garbage, and items that we don’t think anyone would buy. The Ups being the quaint neighborhood, pontoon ride, and fresh mountain air outside.
We look forward to sharing our future Big Bear trips with you. There’s lots to do and many more MUST stops! After all, we got married here so we know all the spots and have very fond memories of this town.
Until next time…
Already missing the mountains beary much,
TnT