If you’re craving some crisp mountain air this summer, Big Bear Lake is a convenient, picturesque vacation spot for families, couples and solo nature lovers looking for adventure.
You can get there in just two hours, and other than the scenic switchbacks during the last few miles before town, the route is relatively easy — especially in the warmer seasons when snow- and ice-covered roads aren’t a factor — as long as you’re a confident mountain driver.
The confident driver in our mother-daughter trip up to Big Bear Lake was Mirabel, a 19-year-old who enjoys new challenges. Under the watchful eye of her mother, Michele, she drove us from our home in the suburbs of L.A. to the low-key, family- and pet-friendly Noon Lodge, where we checked in for the first part of our stay.
Settling into charm
On the first floor of our cabin stood a quaint kitchen, a small full bathroom with a shower and a living room decorated in a western and Native American style that accentuated the mountain environment without feeling kitschy.
Up a flight of stairs, we were delighted to find a master bedroom and a larger full bathroom with eco-friendly Terra Pure green tea-scented amenities, plus a second bedroom with two twin beds. On the wall above each twin bed hung small lamps that could be turned on and off by pulling a metal cord, which felt charming, old-fashioned and perfect for lovers of nighttime reading (Dear reader: That’s us).
After touring our cabin, we went outside and found ourselves only steps away from the pool, fire pits, picnic tables and an outdoor play area where families can indulge in bocce, cornhole and shuffleboard.
Two Adirondack chairs, sitting dockside in the shade of a pine tree and overlooking Noon Lodge’s tethered canoes (bikes are also available for guests), promised a relaxing afternoon if we would give them some of our time. However, we had competing priorities — namely, making it to the marina before the Get Boards rental shop closed — so we set off on our first adventure with a promise to return to the chairs later.
Kayaking and candle making
With Michele ensconced in a kayak and Mirabel comfortably set up on a stand-up paddleboard (SUP), we made our foray onto dazzling Big Bear Lake by mid-afternoon. After a few hundred meters, the waves picked up, but Mirabel was determined to have a real adventure, so we kept paddling out for about an hour.
Close to the marina, the lake revealed splendid sights like the silver arc of a fish leaping out of the water and a family of ducks slowly trailing their way around. Farther out, the lake was even more clear and sparkling, but we soon realized the ducks had the right idea with their slow approach. We returned to the shallow end to spend time chatting while savoring how the current gently swayed our fiberglass “boats.”
When our two-hour rental was up, we checked out Big Bear Village, perusing gift shops, restaurants and flower beds. We sat down for a quick snack at Barrel 33 (we recommend the Twisted Tasting Tray, an artisan cheese and cured meats sampler served in a huge, soft Bavarian pretzel), before heading to our next activity — candle making at Mystic Moto’s Ritual Provisions Candle Bar. Neither of us had made candles before, and at first glance, the motorcycle-themed shop didn’t seem conducive to crafting a gently scented, sparkly candle. Yet somehow the edgy glam began to make sense, and our candle-making process completely made sense after the shop’s co-owner Molly Williams gave us instructions.
First, we chose our glass vessels and two scents from a variety of tiny, amber-colored bottles. Intoxicating options included rose and oud, burnt umber and sea minerals. Williams gave us larger bottles, and, using long, golden spoons, we measured out our preferred ratio of scents, then mixed the scented liquid with molten wax inside our vessels.
While we waited for our candles to harden, we explored the rest of the shop. Michele picked out a couple of candles — expertly handcrafted by Williams on nights of the full moon — as gifts for friends. For herself, she bought a delicate gold necklace with an upward-facing horseshoe charm for luck. And for Mirabel: a box of celestial-themed, reprinted vintage postcards.
When our candles were almost set, we pressed crystals and sprinkled mica glitter on top to complete the luxurious look.
Good food and a good night
Tired and hungry (but relaxed and happy!), we walked to the nearby scratch kitchen Stella Luna for dinner. We shared the butter board, which was loaded with thick slices of toasted focaccia bread baked daily at the neighboring Sister My Sister Bake Shop. The crusty goodness was accompanied by thin petals of honeyed, spiced butter. Our meal included a well-balanced prosciutto and burrata salad, a perfectly seared steak with broccolini, crispy smashed potatoes and a slice of gluten-free, flourless vegan chocolate cake that was light yet rich.
As we made our way back to the cabin, the sky was dark and full of glittering stars. The outdoor communal fireplace created a cozy scene. But our beds beckoned, and we settled deeply into the serenity of mountain rest.
From leisure to adrenaline-fueled fun
The next day, we woke up refreshed and ate breakfast in the sunlight at a wooden picnic table decorated with chunky candles in glass votives.
After breakfast, we joined a nature walk at the Big Bear Discovery Center. Sand, our enthusiastic, seasoned guide, led our group of about a dozen or so curious walkers, made up of families, couples and one puppy, through a peaceful path surrounded by California’s native plants and trees. We smelled the vanilla-like perfume of a Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) and learned that the purple, yellow and red flowers dotting the terrain were mountain phlox, wild wallflower and Indian paintbrush, and that the San Gabriel Mountain range contains seven ecosystems, more than any other mountain range in the world. Once we understood the elements of Big Bear Lake’s ecosystem — the flowers, the trees, the woodrat dens, the overturned, hollow logs full of beetles — we saw them repeating across the hillside in a poetic elaboration of natural beauty.
Next, we headed to The Bowling Barn for a friendly family faceoff. Three takeaways:
1. The Bowling Barn, a pristine and state-of-the-art 16-lane bowling alley and arcade tucked inside a red, country barn-like building, is extra fun even when it’s broad daylight outside (or for glow bowling at night!). This is thanks to the animated electronic scoreboard, which features playful clips with photos of bowlers’ faces performing a variety of gags on screen after each shot. After bowling a seven, Mirabel’s face was attached to a wolf who shaved the wool off sheep-faced Michele. When Michele bowled a nine, the roles were reversed.
2. Mirabel discovered that she needed to bowl lower to the ground for her shots to be successful — and that she was in the habit of bowling upside down in a manner best described by Michele as “overhand.” Fixing her technique allowed her to win one game before resoundingly losing the following two games to Michele.
3. No matter how questionable your overall performance, you will walk away happy if your last shot was a good one. Case in point: Our last shots were both strikes, the memories of which overshadowed our recollections of the more-than-zero gutter balls we each bowled.
Surprise hellos, inevitable goodbyes
Still savoring the dopamine released by light exercise, the exhilaration of our strikes and near-constant laughter from our ribbing of each other, we made our way to Pine Knot Marina to board the Miss Liberty, a patriotically decorated 2-story paddlewheel boat (and former ice breaker) that took us for a two-hour tour of the lake.
The charismatic Captain John narrated Big Bear history and lore, pointing out impressive lakeside homes with equally impressive owners, including the late cowboy actor Roy Rogers, recording superstar Olivia Newton-John and Mel Blanc, best known as the iconic voice of “Looney Tunes” characters. To our surprise, Captain John called out Mel’s son, Noel Blanc, a voiceover actor who lives in the family home. Noel came out on his deck and performed a Bugs Bunny impression over his own megaphone.
To commemorate our trip, we bought Big Bear baseball caps at the Big Bear Marina shop before going to Sweet Basil Bistro for our last dinner in Big Bear Lake. We enjoyed a plate of focaccia and olive oil and split a lobster lasagna creatively accompanied with vanilla beurre blanc, which did, in fact, taste like vanilla. Luckily, we had scored an early reservation, so we beat the dinner rush that we could see building at the popular restaurant toward the end of our meal.
After dinner, we made it to our final lodging, Olive Wren Den, a tasteful, modern-yet-rustic, spacious three-bedroom cabin (sleeps eight) with a chef’s kitchen, two full bathrooms (with shower-bathtubs) and an outdoor hot tub and barbecue in the pine-tree-lined backyard (ideal for hosting parties and for family dogs and kids to play). We relaxed on the plush couches in front of the living room’s large gas fireplace, which warmed us before we headed to our rooms and bath-obsessed Michele took a luxurious soak to induce another restful sleep.
The next morning, we made our way down the mountain, witnessing the steady stream of cars heading up for Big Bear Lake’s Memorial Day weekend festivities, including a 5K run and family events. As we continued, we observed that we were above the breathtaking marshmallow-like, white cloud layer. We drove through the mist of the clouds, a dreamy experience to cap off our getaway.
Though we had each visited Big Bear Lake separately — Michele with Mirabel’s dad for her 30th birthday in snowy January, when they focused on a Bald Eagle count, and Mirabel with her dad, stepmother and siblings when she was younger, we had not returned in years. After trying so many shops, restaurants and activities in town and on the shoreline, we appreciated how much this fun, down-to-earth SoCal gem has to offer. We also agreed that Big Bear Lake is most special when you travel there with loved ones.
Mirabel Raphael is a rising sophomore at Yale University, where she studies global affairs, competes as a member of the Yale Debate Team, writes for Yale Daily News and hikes as much as possible.
Michele Raphael is an L.A.- based culture, health, lifestyle and travel writer and editor and proud mom of Mirabel and Leo, a rising high school senior. Find her at @michelebraphael.
