Area Descriptions

Where to live in Big Bear...

The valley that is commonly known as "Big Bear" is actually comprised of multiple residential areas, each with their own characteristics. Before visiting, moving, or buying property, take note of these considerations and definitely visit the property you're considering on a weekend or holiday as well as a week day to see the difference with tourists and without. In some areas, neighborhoods that are virtually empty and silent on week days on the weekends can become crowded, noisy, and populated with tourists who will trample private property to play in the snow, park on streets and block emergency vehicles, sled in the streets, and ignore code ordinances and signs until law enforcement is called. Do your research to know what you're getting into!

Information here is presented in generalities, and specific properties might have issues not addressed here.

Refer to the Trash, Recycling & Utilities page for information on each area's specific services.

For schools, only elementary are listed as all students in the valley attend Big Bear Middle School and High School.

Bus schedules are available on the BVUSD website under Department>Transportation and are linked to each school mentioned here.

*This guide is only informative. CABB is not responsible for decisions made based on the information presented here!

If you have additional information, please email it to CABB at CABB.information@gmail.com

Baldwin Lake

Location: unincorporated SB County; Baldwin Road loops around the east end of the valley from Hwy 18 to the edge of Big Bear City

Mail: mailboxes along Baldwin Lane, zip 92314

Emergency services: Baldwin Lake Fire Station 284 serviced by CalFire under contract with Big Bear Fire Authority

45360 Lucky Baldwin Ranch Road

Fire crew; Staffed by medical responders but no ambulance on site

Students attend: Baldwin Lane Elementary in Sugarloaf

Considerations: secluded; very rural; little tourist traffic and few short-term rentals; septic and propane (which can be expensive); no trash or recycling service--must take it to transfer station; longer drive to services; dirt roads; private plowing of roads; AWD or 4-WD vehicles strongly recommended for living out here; isolated; more wildlife (including rattlesnakes and wild burros that knock over trash bins and can be noisy); shorter drive down to the high desert via Hwy 18, which typically has far less snow than Hwys 330 or 38 and chains are not required for as far or as often; Pacific Crest Trail crosses Hwy 18 on the east end of the valley, so expect to encounter hikers wanting rides to & from town during peak hiking times (March-May)

Baldwin Lake homes are often overlooking the typically-dry lake bed of Baldwin Lake, but at times there is water covering the shallow meadow that makes the lake.

Big Bear City

Location: unincorporated SB County; generally the area east of Division Drive to Hwy 38, includes the east half of Moonridge, Shay Road area on northwest end of Big Bear City

Mail: mail & packages mostly delivered to PO boxes at the Post Office on Country Club; limited mail delivery to existing residential mailboxes; zip 92314

Emergency services: Station 282 at 301 W. Big Bear Blvd.

Students attend: most go to North Shore Elementary; students who live east of Shore Drive go to Baldwin Lane

Considerations: more populated with full-time residents; less tourist traffic and short-term rentals; generally flatter geography; lower elevation; typically less severe storm activity; fewer services; homes typically cost less than in Big Bear Lake; airport noise, including some homes that are directly under the flight path of airport or adjacent to the runway; has no parks; has limited restaurant and retail, but what's there caters more to residents than tourists

Boulder Bay

Location: within City of Big Bear Lake, area approximately from City Hall to the dam

Mail: PO boxes and package pick-up at Post Office on Pine Knot; zip 92315

Emergency services: Unmanned station at 39690 Big Bear Blvd.; responders would typically come from Station 281 near the Village

Students attend: Big Bear Elementary

Considerations: close to the Village but further away from groceries, has a few restaurants & services; tends to get more snow and storms hit there first; traffic on weekends can make travel slow, no "back roads" to get around backed up traffic going into or out of town; some driveways can be extremely steep; longer response times for emergency vehicles; Boulder Bay Park is often crowded and cars park on the road and everywhere; winding section of road near the dam has frequent accidents in snow storms, backs up traffic

City of Big Bear Lake

Location: incorporated city; most of the area west of Division nearly to the dam on the south side of the lake

Mail: PO boxes and package pick-up at Post Offices on Pine Knot and in the Vons shopping center; zip 92315

Emergency services: Station 281 near the Village

Students attend: Big Bear Elementary

Considerations: less populated with full-time residents (78% of homes not occupied full time); more tourist traffic and issues especially on weekends and holidays; closer to services; west end of the valley tends to be hit harder by storms; home prices generally higher; occasional bear visits to homes, especially on the southern edge of town; City has different ordinances and restrictions from County, requires separate permits; separate governance from the rest of the valley; contains both ski resorts and the Village area; no parking on streets during snow removal; parks are well-maintained and have a variety of playgrounds, basketball courts, swim beach, dog park; road closures around the Village for special events; noise from outdoor events and live music near the Village, especially in the summer; hospital and library here

Erwin Lake

Location: unincorporated SB County; area southeast of Big Bear City off of Hwy 38 on the east side of the highway

Mail: mail boxes on streets near residences; package pick up at Post Office in Big Bear City; zip 92314

Emergency services: primarily served by Sugarloaf Station 283

Students attend: Baldwin Lane Elementary in Sugarloaf

Considerations: populated with mostly full-time residents; lower average home prices; further drive to groceries & services--none located in Erwin Lake; storms less severe on east end of valley; flat geography; most residential roads are dirt; few tourists and short-term rentals; longer response times for medical emergency vehicles; increased wildlife--coyotes and wild burros, who knock over trash cans; nice park and playground on Hatchery Rd, small public pool and courts on Erwin Ranch Rd.; slightly higher elevation can mean heavier snow, but overall snowfall is less on the east end of the valley

Fawnskin

Location: unincorporated SB County; on the northwest corner of the lake (has signs marking the east/west boundaries)

Mail: Post Office in Fawnskin; zip 98333

Emergency services: has local fire station serviced by SB County with firetrucks and medics but no ambulance

Students attend: North Shore Elementary

Considerations: further away from services, few businesses in town; easy access to Hwy 18/330 to Highland; not typically heavy traffic through Fawnskin; public boat launch and marina nearby; much of Fawnskin is built on hillsides so many homes have lots of stairs and steep driveways; storms hit harder on the west end of the valley; longer distance to schools and probable need to drive younger children to the bus stop

Fox Farm

Location: residential area within City of Big Bear Lake, approximately from Fox Farm Road on the north to Moonridge Road on the south & Big Bear Blvd on the west to McAlister on the east; area named for actual fox farm that once existed in that area

Mail: delivered to mail boxes on streets near residences; package pick up at Moonridge Post Office in Vons (Interlaken) shopping center; zip 92315

Emergency services: typically served by Station 281 in Big Bear Lake or Station 282 in Bear City

Students attend: Big Bear Elementary

Considerations: near services and ski slopes; many nicer homes with higher prices and larger lot sizes; geography hilly but generally not extremely steep; high percentage of empty homes (75% is common) that can be short term rentals; heavier tourist traffic on holidays and weekends

Lake William

Location: off of Lake William Road from Hwy 38, southeast corner of the valley

Mail: delivered to mail boxes on streets near residences; package pick up at Bear City Post Office; zip 92314

Emergency services: primarily served by Station 283 in Sugarloaf

Students attend: Baldwin Lane Elementary in Sugarloaf

Considerations: larger lot sizes mostly owner-occupied homes; propane for gas is expensive; homes have septic; few short-term rentals or tourists; further to drive into town for services; chain control checkpoint in the winter is at Hatchery Road to the west, so returning to your home might require installing chains for a mile or so--CalTrans does not seem to make exceptions for residents (AWD or 4-WD vehicles strongly recommended for living out here); more frequent bears and wildlife in the area; visitors to YMCA Camp Oakes travel through the neighborhood to get to the camp, including buses; slightly higher elevation can mean heavier snow, but overall snowfall is less on the east end of the valley

Moonridge

Location: residential area on the southwest edge of Big Bear City--Moonridge is split down the middle between City and County (see map of City of Big Bear Lake for exact split)

Mail: Bear City Post Office; zip 92314 or Moonridge Post Office in Vons shopping center; zip 92315

Emergency services: typically served by Station 281 in Big Bear Lake or Station 282 in Bear City

Unmanned station at 42610 Rathbun Dr.

Students attend: Big Bear Elementary

Considerations: near ski slopes; geography very hilly and can be extremely steep; high percentage of empty homes (75% is common) that can be short term rentals; heavier tourist traffic on holidays and weekends; Upper Moonridge has higher elevations and gets more snow, so roads can be difficult to navigate long after a storm has passed if plows don't get there quickly; road layout is easy to get lost in the maze of winding roads; Moonridge Corridor (area of Moonridge Road from Big Bear Blvd to Club View by the new zoo) will soon be under construction to redo road and make improvements; near the zoo area, noise from animals can be heard (wolves & coyotes howl, bears & birds vocalize, wildcats can call out); Moonridge Corridor has a few businesses, including food & drink options

Sugarloaf

Location: between Moonridge and Erwin Lake, south of Big Bear City--unincorporated residential area

Mail: Sugarloaf Post Office at Maple & Barton; zip 92386

Emergency services: primarily served by Station 284 in Sugarloaf

Students attend: Baldwin Lane Elementary

Considerations: mostly full-time residents; homes generally lower-priced and on smaller lots; some areas have steep hills that get icy and stay slick in the winter; Sugarloaf has one small convenience store and one cafe, both near the Post Office; slightly higher elevation means that sometimes Sugarloaf gets more snow than surrounding areas; Maple Lane near Big Bear Boulevard can be extremely dangerous in bad weather and sees frequent accidents, so it is advisable to go around to Hwy 38 to avoid it if needed; traffic from the schools can create backups on Maple and Baldwin Lanes at peak times; must watch for students walking on or near roads around the area at school times (there is no bus service to Sugarloaf for high school students, so many walk home from BBHS)