Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead and popular mountain resorts in Southern California.
Located 2 hours east of Los Angeles in the San Bernardino Mountains, Big Bear Lake is an easy (as much as traffic leaving LA is ever easy) weekend trip for southern Californians and the closest ski mountain in the Wintertime.
It is a popular year-round resort with its eclectic downtown and numerous hiking trails and swimming holes. Nearby Lake Arrowhead extends these options for the visitor and water sports enthusiast and is a little quieter. There are many accommodation options and Big Bear prides itself on being very dog friendly so take the dog along too. There are many vacation rentals and cabins available (always an easy option and nice to have kitchen and living room amenities especially with a dog around). You can also camp under the stars and Pines.
Make sure to keep him away from the frozen lake – you hear far too many stories of dogs falling into frozen lakes followed by their people trying to rescue them.
Lake Arrowhead has beautiful hiking around the clear, busy lake and is generally quieter than its Big Bear neighbor. It is a great destination for water sport enthusiasts and water dogs!
Thoughts and Things
Please don’t run the risk of your dog falling through thin ice on a frozen lake. Keep it on leash – there are way too many distractions that can have the dog hurtling across frozen water before you know it.
There are many hiking trails in the San Bernardino Mountains – many dog-friendly.
San Bernardino Mountain Trails is a comprehensive guide.
