The holiday season is upon us, and it’s the same old dilemma: what to do with the youngsters during the winter breaks. Many people head somewhere warm and tropical. If you’ve read my column for a while, you know winter camping is a favorite of mine. But for the more traditional types, winter means snow play! Whether you ski, snowboard, or just love the whole winter scene, there are plenty of places in California to get your fix. Most people head to Tahoe or Mammoth—both fantastic, world-class ski areas. One thing you don’t often hear is talk about heading to Southern California for a ski vacation. All I can say is this: You don’t know what you’re missing.
The San Bernardino National Forest has three separate ski areas: Bear Mountain, Snow Summit, and Snow Valley. Bear Mountain and Snow Summit were once different—and fiercely competitive—ski areas. Snow Summit was up and running first, opening in 1952. Bear Mountain was called Goldmine Mountain when it opened in 1969 until 1988 when it was bought out and the new owners changed the name. In 2002, Snow Summit purchased Bear Mountain and developed it into the Bear Mountain Resorts. One lift ticket can be used in both areas, and a shuttle runs continuously between them. The areas are only about 2.5 miles apart. And here’s the kicker about Southern California skiing: Bear Mountain and Snow Summit are home to two of the largest snowmaking systems in the world. So skiing will surely be available in the SoCal mountains even during drier winters! My experience is that manufactured snow is a bit stickier than natural powder, so you’ll want to ensure your skis or board are well waxed. But, to me, that is a small price to pay for being able to ski in a T-shirt.
About 15 miles down the road from Big Bear Lake is Snow Valley. Snow Valley is the oldest ski area in Southern California. In the 1930s, the slopes were developed for tobogganing and skiing, and the area was named Snow Valley. The Arrowhead Springs Corporation ran it for a decade, and then it was purchased by Norwegian-American ski jump champion Johnny Elvrum, who expanded the resort. In 1974, Snow Valley was bought by W.R. Sauey, who ran the place until January 2023 when Snow Valley was acquired by Alterra Mountain Company, which now operates Snow Summit and Bear Mountain. Snow Valley is the smallest of the three ski areas and is more of a local place—it’s easy to get to, is traditionally less expensive, and is often less crowded than the more well-known Snow Summit and Bear Mountain.
Don’t want to ski or board? No problem. Two snow-play areas offer tubing on a groomed slope. One is next to Snow Valley. The other is just outside of Big Bear City. As far as where to stay in the San Bernardino Mountains, there are options from hotels to small cabins to lakeside mansions available through sites like Airbnb or VRBO.
If skiing isn’t your bag but you still want a mountain vacation, another option is Lake Arrowhead. About an hour or so across the mountain ridge from Big Bear Lake, Lake Arrowhead is a charming town steeped in interesting history. After California became a state in 1850, Mormon settlers in San Bernardino built a road into the mountain and began harvesting the forests that, at the time, supplied much of the lumber for building Los Angeles. In the late 1800s, a group of businessmen, including James Gamble of Proctor & Gamble, bought most of the acreage in the Arrowhead Valley (then called Little Bear Valley) and began building a dam to supply water and power to the orange growers in the San Bernardino Valley. By 1923 the first hotel—the Arlington Lodge—had opened to a thousand affluent guests who enjoyed a midnight champagne party and dancing. Over the decades, Lake Arrowhead remained a popular getaway for entertainment royalty, many of whom owned homes overlooking the private lake. In the 1970s, when I was a child, family friends of mine owned a beautiful Tudor-style home on the lake. Their neighbor was Liberace, the famous and flamboyant pianist! Even now, if you are a sharp-eyed celebrity watcher, you will likely see someone famous strolling through Lake Arrowhead Village enjoying the many restaurants or shops.
In the Lake Arrowhead area is Skyforest, a small community that used to be the home of a magical Christmas-themed amusement park. Unfortunately, Santa’s Village closed many years ago. I have fond memories of the place from my childhood. Once it closed, it remained unused for many years. But, in 2016, the area reopened as SkyPark at Santa’s Village. Their website shows that SkyPark at Santa’s Village “is an outdoor adventure park with year-round mountain biking, hiking, fly-fishing, and open-air activities in the Skyforest section of Lake Arrowhead.” In addition to mountain biking, climbing walls, and an RV campground, there are year-round activities. I encourage you to visit their website (skyparksantasvillage.com) to check out their full calendar.
There is so much to see and do in the Southern California mountains, whether you want to play in the snow, go hiking, shop, learn about the rich history of the San Bernardino mountains, go off-roading, or relax. The San Bernardino mountains are about a six-hour drive from the Monterey area. The area is also easy to get to by flying into Ontario or Palm Springs and renting a car. It is about a two-hour drive from either airport.
I love the little slice of Southern California that I call home. When people think of SoCal, they think of beaches or Disneyland. The mountain area often gets overlooked which many locals don’t mind. But if you are looking for someplace new and decide to visit, you will be welcome.
Wherever you spend your winter break, I hope your holidays are filled with love, happiness, and health.
TRICIA VLASAK works in law enforcement when she isn’t writing, hiking with her dogs, or going on adventures with her grandchildren. Tricia received a Gold Award for personal essay from Parenting Media Association in 2022.
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