Travel Back in Time

Big Bear has seen its share of adventures over the years—from a Gold Rush to becoming SoCal’s ski spot.

2002 Snowy Paradise

Snow Summit acquires Bear Mountain! Together they become Big Bear Mountain Resort, vastly increasing the amount of terrain available to skiers.

Big Bear has had many identities over the centuries, starting as homeland to the Indigenous “People of the Pines,” the ancestors of today’s San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. From Southern California’s Gold Rush and a star turn during Hollywood’s nascent decades to becoming a snow resort in the 1920s and setting the stage for pioneering extreme sports in the 1980s, Big Bear continues to evolve and shine.

1855–1879 THE GOLD RUSH

Early settlers discover gold in the Valley in 1855, the first mining operation begins a few years later, and, in 1860, a bear hunter tracks a trail to a creek filled with flakes of gold. Suddenly, Southern California’s largest gold rush is on.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Back in 1845, Benjamin Wilson led a posse into the San Bernardinos in pursuit of ranch-raiding outlaws. Once they reached the mountains’ apex, Wilson and his team found a valley swarming with grizzlies— inspiring the moniker “Big Bear.”

1883 Big Bear Lake Is Born

Work begins on a dam across the Valley, creating the reservoir that will become the lake.

1888–1911 THE FIRST RESORT

The Valley’s first resort, the Bear Valley Hotel, opens its doors. New roads increase access to the Valley. In 1908, the first round-trip drive through the mountains was completed in 13 hours and 17 minutes.

1928–1949 WINTER REC TAKES OFF

In 1928, the first winter facilities are built for a ski jump competition. A toboggan run and sling lift follow in 1938. In 1949, the first ski resort opens on Lynn Hill.

1988–1997 X-TREME SPORTS

Our ski resorts become early adopters of the new snowboarding craze and later serve as training grounds for the sport’s biggest stars. In 1997, Big Bear hosts the first ever Winter X Games.

2020 To Protect And Preserve

The Six Seasons Of Yuhaaviat

BIG BEAR’S ORIGINAL RESIDENTS, THE SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS, SHARE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THEIR ANCESTRAL HOME.

The Indigenous people of Yuhaaviat, a forested area near present-day Big Bear Lake, were known as the "People of the Pines." The Yuhaaviatam were a clan of Maara’yam people, a group later called the Serrano (highlanders) by Spanish explorers. Today, the Tribe is known as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, a reference to their revered late 19th- and early 20th-century leader, Santos Manuel. The Tribe has long distinguished six seasons in Big Bear Valley: spring (spring season), late spring (blossom season), summer (poor season), fall (freeze season), early winter (descending season), and the year end (exhausted season). Traditionally, the Tribe followed the plant life seasonally, which drew them upward in elevation to the mountaintops when food was scarce in the Valley below. Various native plants have helped sustain the Tribe, which to this day preserves native flora on its reservation. The Tribe particularly reveres these five native plants:

1911–1925 BIG BEAR GOES HOLLYWOOD

A credit to its majestic scenery, the Valley becomes a back lot for the burgeoning film industry in nearby Los Angeles. Big Bear will go on to cameo in Heidi and other films and television shows.

Care For Big Bear is born out of a love for the area’s natural beauty and a desire to preserve this natural playground for future generations.

2023 Celebrated Destination

Big Bear Lake was ranked on Leading Places’ “The 100 Most Loved Travel Destinations Around the World” list. For more local history, visit Big Bear Valley Historical Society’s Big Bear History Museum.

ACORN A longtime staple of the Serrano diet, black oak acorns were prized for their sweet taste. Acorns were ground into flour and soaked in water to leach out tannic acid and remove bitterness.

CHIA Found along dry areas of the Valley floor and in the hot, dry chaparral zone, chia was harvested June through August. The protein-rich seeds were chewed continuously during long journeys for stamina.

PINE NUTS harvested these small nuts in late summer from the pinyon pines in the upper elevations.

YERBA SANTA Thick, leafy yerba santa is found on slopes, in fields, and in leafy chaparral zones of Southwestern California. Yerba santa can be used to bandage cuts, as well as to treat asthma, bronchitis, chest colds, and hay fever.

YUCCA This hearty desert plant can be used as a food source, and it can provide the raw materials necessary to make an arrow quiver, cordage, sandals, and baskets.

Source: The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians (sanmanuel-nsn.gov)