Snowshoeing adventures await.
Tubing hills for all ages.
Solar Observatory reflecting on the lake.
OFF THE SLOPES
BEYOND SKIING AND BOARDING, BIG BEAR OFFERS LOTS OF OTHER SNOW-FILLED ACTIVITIES.
SNOWSHOEING Slowly work your way through the backwoods, or get your heart pumping with a brisk romp through serious powder. Learn more about the area with a guided tour from Big Bear Discovery Center or Action Tours. Or go your own way with rentals from Goldsmiths Sports.
VISIT BIG BEAR (3)
TUBING Is there anything more fun than tubing? Ride the Magic Carpet up the hill, then race down on colorful inner tubes. Big Bear has three tubing areas: Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain, Big Bear Snow Play, and Grizzly Ridge Tube Park. Periodically, Alpine Slide and Big Bear Snow Play offer glow tubing for nighttime sliding. WINTERTIME HIKING Want to walk through the winter wonderland without donning snowshoes? Stroll Alpine Pedal Path, a local favorite that hugs the lakeshore for 2.5 paved miles. The views are spectacular, and you might even see Big Bear’s
wintering bald eagles. And that unusual white domed building at the trail’s western end? That’s the Big Bear Solar Observatory, home to one of the world’s highest resolution solar telescopes. SNOW BIKING For a cruise around town or a spin down snow-covered backroads, rent a fat tire bike from Bear Valley Bikes. These two-wheelers are fitted with oversized tires designed to glide across soft, unstable terrain. NIGHT SKIING Ski under the stars at Snow Summit. On the weekends, its night sessions illuminate Miracle Mile (the major intermediate boulevard), Summit Run (the meandering beginner thoroughfare), and the crowd-pleasing Westridge Park, which gets freshly groomed before each evening session.
APRÈS SKI TOAST TO A DAY WELL SPENT. At Bear Mountain, score a table on the sundeck at Laybacks Bar, or go inside Method Sports Bar to catch the score. Over at Snow Summit, Slopeside Speakeasy is another popular outdoor spot (with indoor seating, too), while Hawks ‘52 pours strong drinks and one of the best Bloody Marys around. Down in The Village, enjoy a splash of California wine paired with a charcuterie board at Barrel 33. It’s a different scene at Village Sports Bar, with billiards and tons of TV screens. Nearby, refuel at Big Bear Lake Brewing Company with an IPA and a burger.
“You cannot find this unique sunand-snow combination anywhere else. The winters are cool and calm, and the crisp air is filled with the scent of pine trees. The winter brings out the child in everyone.” — Meg Kee, founder of Mountain Girls Collective
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