This is going to be a super long post, but I just had so many pictures that I wanted to share! My parents and I had a great 24 hours in Big Bear Lake last weekend, although it was way to short and there are so many more things that I wanted to do! But today I’m going to share what I did do and some places you MUST visit if you’re going to Big Bear.
WHERE WE STAYED:
We stayed at a lodge/hotel a block away from the lake called Fireside Lodge on the south side of the lake. We stayed in one of the Jacuzzi Suites that had a jacuzzi/bathtub in the living room right next to the fireplace. I sat in there for about half an hour on Sunday night and felt the most relaxed I have in quite a while! We also sat on the balcony for a while in the evening and the next morning just enjoying the rain and watching for lightening. It was nice just being able to relax for a little bit on Sunday before getting up super early the next morning!
There were several large rental cabins & homes on the street we stayed on that were absolutely BEAUTIFUL! This one was my favorite.
JASPER’S SMOKEHO– USE
We ate dinner at this place called Jasper’s Smokehouse on Sunday night and ended up having the place to ourselves basically the whole time we were there! They have good ol’ classic American BBQ food, and I had the Pulled Chicken BBQ Sandwich. It was SO good! I also loved this sign they had hanging on the wall…
NORTH POLE FUDGE AND ICE CREAM COMPANY
It was National Ice Cream Day, so of course I had to end the evening with an ice cream cone at North Pole Fudge & Ice Cream Company! I got Fudge Tracks in a sprinkle cone because why not?!
SUNRISE
On Monday morning, I woke up at 5AM to catch the sunrise, but unfortunately, there were so many clouds that it wasn’t quite as gorgeous as I had hoped. The clouds still looked crazy cool though!
After watching the sunrise from a little beach on the west part of the lake, I drove east past the lake, and into more mountainous area. I was driving and saw this gorgeous view of the sun shining through the clouds, so I had to pull over and take some pictures.
I ended up driving about 35 minutes east of the lake on highway 38 (aka “Rim of the World Scenic Byway”) just past Onyx Peak, as you can see on the map below. It’s basically all just mountains and trees, but it’s SO incredibly beautiful.
Before heading back to town, I stopped in this little area right at the most east part of the lake kind of by a house and restaurant that had a bunch of tall trees. I was wandering around taking pictures, and saw this dog walking around. He started walking towards me barking very viciously, and I started to kind of freak out. He kept coming closer, so I put my arms up to look taller and more “dominant” and began to walk sideways to try and get around it. As I was backing away, I tripped over something and fell on my back. The dog whimpered and backed away, but then started coming at me again, so I literally ran for my life. I was so scared that it was going to bite me! I ran probably 300 feet back to the car and was so relieved to leave the dog behind!! I sat in the car for a few minutes to catch my breath and recuperate, and then saw a Bible verse that my mom had on a piece of paper in her car: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6). This was so comforting to me because it reminded me that it wasn’t through my own strength that I was able to get away and protect myself from the dog, but because of God’s Holy Spirit that’s living in me (see also Philippians 4:13). This may have sounded really stupid that I was so scared of a dog, but I really thought it was going to hurt me and am so glad that God protected me!
THE COPPER Q
Since I was up so early in the morning, I had to stop by a coffee shop to fuel up for the rest of the day. I checked Yelp to find the best one in town, and it looked like The Copper Q had the best reviews in Big Bear Lake. I got my classic coffee drink, and Iced Caramel Macchiato (upside down) along with a cinnamon raisin bagel. Inside the coffee shop, there’s also a cute little gift shop and tables to work at. Outside, there’s seating and a fire pit to sit around and warm up.
SNOW SUMMIT SKY CHAIR
My dad and I went on the sky chair (ski lift) up to Snow Summit to take in the gorgeous view of Big Bear and walk around a little bit. I don’t ski or snowboard so I’ve never been on a ski lift before and it was a bit terrifying at first. The view was so worth it thought and completely distracted me from being so high up above the rocks and trees…
Like I said, we were only there for 24 hours, so I didn’t get to do nearly as much as I would have liked to. I’m hoping to go back soon (and maybe camp?) and these are some of the other places I’d like to visit:
- O Koo Ran clothing store
- 572 Social Kitchen & Lounge
- Action Zipline Tours
- Big Bear Marina Boat Rentals
- Boulder Bay Park
Have you ever been to Big Bear? If so, where’s YOUR favorite spot?
Keep an eye out for a couple more Big Bear outfits coming next week!
xo Katie