If you’re a SoCal girl like me and don’t get to go to snowy places as frequently as you’d like, Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead are perfect and very local cities to do a little snowy winter getaway at! I’ve done two trips this month, one to Lake Arrowhead and one to Big Bear. I will be showing you the two AirBnb’s we stayed at, comparing and contrasting the two cities, tips for new visitors, and linking some other fun and cute Airbnb homes I’d love to stay at!
We stayed at Orchard Pines in Lake Arrowhead for a mini girls getaway. It was to actually celebrate one of my best friends’ birthday + engagement break up (yes, it’s literally what it sounds like). I found the cutest cabin and knew it would be cute but was shocked at the touches and details when we arrived. We later realized/discovered that the wife of the family was an interior designer in La Jolla so it made ALL the sense.
During the winter, there isn’t TOO much to do in Lake Arrowhead. There is more to do during the summer with all of the lake activities + hiking, however I love nothing more than just hanging at the cabin during the winter time. Location wise, we were only a few minutes away from The Village (where there are a lot of restaurants and small local stores) and the lake! Most of the restaurants were closed when we went but they may have opened back up since Covid restrictions in CA have been partially lifting for restaurants.
There is usually snow tubing available at Snowdrift Tubing Park about 20 minutes away from our cabin location, but when we went, it was closed due to Covid. I would call ahead of your trip to find out. It would still make for a fun daytime activity! For ski/snowboarding activities, you have Snow Valley ski resort, Bear Mountain, or Snow Summer however Bear and Summit are in Big Bear so it is still about a 30-40 minute drive depending on where you’re located.
Some of the photos of Orchard Pines were taken from their Airbnb listing!
For Big Bear, I may be slightly biased because I have spent a lot more time in Big Bear, but I feel like there is a little more to do — it may also be due to the fact that Big Bear is bigger. The 2 ski resorts are 2-10 minutes away from really most cabins in the area, and there are just more restaurants and shops to choose from. They also have the lake and their own little village area as well with tons of great spots to eat!
Our Big Bear airbnb wasn’t as *aesthetic* as Orchard Pines however, as much as I love a vibe cabin, I also love just as much a good ‘ol fashioned cabin with lots of log exposure and cool fun knick knacks as decor. We stayed at Bear Meadows Retreat and it was THE MOST PRIME LOCATION if you’re skiing or snowboarding at Bear Mountain (or you can take the shuttle from Bear Mountain over to Snow Summit). We walked maybe 5 minutes in snow boots to get to the resort (aka 3-4 minutes in normal shoes) — we could see the parking lot from our balcony. The check-in process for the airbnb was a bit different. Because it belonged to a group, we had to check-in at their offices about 5 minutes from the cabin, but that was the only difference!
For the drive up, we were fine (no chains needed) going to Lake Arrowhead because the storm had passed almost a week before the trip. However, for Bear, it started snowing on the way up and although 90% of the roads were clear at the beginning of our drive, the snow was coming down rather quickly and we were already slipping so we had to put chains on. It had only been lightly snowing for a couple hours and already there were car accidents and many cars getting stuck. So I suggest if you’re going during days when its snowing or in-between snowing days, bring chains! You’re always better safe than sorry.
For ESA/Service Animals, I wish I had read over Airbnb’s policy on this beforehand. We really wanted to bring Nollie but they said no dogs. We just assumed ESA’s did not meet the criteria so we had to leave her behind. I later found out that ESA & Service Animals dont even need to be disclosed to the tenant before booking nor can they ask you or kick you out. It’s only if they’re creating a huge mess or issue that they’ll then step in. So that’s great for us to know on future trips!
Below I am linking some other stunning cabins I would love to eventually stay at one day!
Lake Arrowhead:
Emerald Cove Lodge
Sunset Belle Tower
Treetop Cabin
Big Bear Lake:
Huge Bear Hideaway
Modern Luxe Ski Home