We just got back from a relaxing vacation and I’m scrambling to get us all back into a routine after being away in Big Bear and especially since we very quickly after arriving back home, celebrated the 4th of July as well. It’s been a whirlwind of a week but I wanted to take a few minutes to document our trip for those who had asked that I share the details about where we stayed and what we did – this blog post is for you and I hope it helps!
The girls and I spent 4 days and 3 nights in Big Bear, just the 3 of us. Sikmon has a very heavy travel schedule this Summer with his softball team and a few work projects that he has going on and unfortunately, timing just didn’t work out for us all to go somewhere together so I opted try something new and took the the girls to Big Bear on my own while he was out of state for softball.
Going alone was a big stretch for me but I’ve seen other parents take their kids on vacations solo (and I admire them for doing so) and that gave me the gentle nudge I needed to try it for myself. When I was trying to decide where to go, I knew it needed to be somewhere close – 2ish hours was my max – and I definitely didn’t want to try to fly somewhere for my first solo vacation. That’s how I ended up landing on Big Bear. It’s an easy 2ish hour drive from our house, nice weather, and I knew there’d plenty of outdoorsy activities to do to fill up our days away.
where we stayed
Located just outside of Big Bear in a small town called Sugarloaf, it’s about a 10-15 min drive into the heart of Big Bear and about a 20 min drive to the lake. Very conveniently located but far enough away to be away to feel like you’re staying in a remote cabin in the woods.
I booked a cozy cabin called JB’s Eagle Nest through Airbnb – there’s a ton of options to choose from but what sold me was the kitschy cabin décor and the jacuzzi on the outdoor deck. We don’t take many vacations but when we do, comfort, amenities, and aesthetics play a big part. Our cabin had everything we wanted and more: a jacuzzi, outdoor dining, cornhole, two different hammocks, a fire pit, multiple TV streaming services, a washer/dryer, and tons of original charm and classic cabin décor. Not only would I recommend this cabin, but I would return to stay again!
One thing to note: I consider this cabin kid friendly but not baby friendly. Let me explain…
While the cabin did offer many great amenities that kept the girls entertained all trip, the cabin also had a few games/toys, puzzles, and blackout curtains in each room, but it did not have a pack n play or a high chair so if you have a little one who needs either of those things, this cabin does not offer it.
I ended up bringing my own pack n play from home for Milly to use (she’s 3) because she’s never slept in anything but a crib and I was concerned with the amount of sleep we all WOULDN’T get if she shared a bed with Emie or myself. Everything ended up being fine, I’m glad I brought our own pack n play, but it was one more thing I had to bring with us that I kind of wish the cabin had provided. Both rooms are plenty big enough for a pack n play and there’s plenty of closet space within the cabin to store that and a folding high chair so I do think that not having either item is a missed opportunity on the host’s part. Lastly, the cabin does not have AC but has ceiling fans in every room and is well shaded by many trees on the property but we never found the lack of AC to be an issue during our stay. Just thought I’d let you know in case either of these things poses a problem for your stay – other than that, we absolutely loved it here!
what we did
I put together a detailed itinerary of our entire trip before we left and mapped out what we’d be doing each day and although that may sound excessive, I’ve found that it makes any trip goes smoother when we have a game plan in place ahead of time – especially with kids and especially because I was going alone. Doing this ahead of time also helped guide me in the packing process so I knew what sort of clothing to pack for the activities we had planned. If you’re interested in my packing method for kids, check out this post here.
Below I’ve included a look at our complete itinerary for our Big Bear trip and afterwards, I’ll share some notes and tips for a few of the places we visited:
Day One:
- arrived in Big Bear before check-in
- ate lunch at Get The Burger
- stopped by the grocery store for food
- checked into the cabin / unpacked / explored the property
- made dinner at the cabin / the kids played in the jacuzzi
- everyone in the jacuzzi after dinner
- roasted smores around the firepit
Day Two:
- made breakfast at the cabin
- Big Bear Alpine Zoo at 10 am
- ate lunch at Stella Luna in the Village
- Big Bear Discovery Center for the Discovery Zone / take a short hike
- back to the cabin for naps & quiet time for all
- made dinner at the cabin / the kids played in the jacuzzi
- everyone in the jacuzzi after dinner
Day Three:
- made breakfast at the cabin
- Stanfield Marsh for a walk around the marsh
- ate a picnic lunch and swam in the lake at Boulder Bay Park
- back to the cabin / the kids played in the jacuzzi
- took a walk around the Village / shopped for souvenirs
- ate dinner at Oakside in the Village
- back to the cabin for a movie / manicure / face masks
Day Four:
- head home
Big Bear Alpine Zoo
The Big Bear Alpine Zoo is an affordable activity to do while visiting Big Bear but in my opinion, not a must do if you visit. It’s a small zoo that specializes in the rehabilitation and release of local Alpine species but also has a permanent collection of animals for visitors to see – bears, racoons, eagles, mountain lions, etc. All in all we only spent about 1.5 hrs here as there wasn’t much to do.
If you do go, I definitely recommend going right when they open or in the late afternoon/early evening when temps are cooler. The parking is free and we arrived a little after 10 am (their hours are 10 am – 4pm), was able to see a few feedings / cage cleanings which was cool, but even by 10:30-11:00, it was hot enough that about 1/4 of the animals were hiding and taking shelter from the heat which was a bummer and made our visit there shorter than anticipated.
They didn’t have any shows, they don’t sell food, or anything like that that you might be accustomed to to fill time during your visit but they did have a small playground and picnic shelter at the back end of the zoo but again, the equipment was too hot for the girls to enjoy while we were there so we didn’t. The zoo was relatively empty when we went which was a nice change of pace from anywhere you go in Orange County and what I did like and appreciate was that the zoo was allowing visitors to come back for a free 2nd visit so long as you retained your receipt and showed it upon entry. We didn’t take advantage of this offer while we were there but perhaps we would’ve seen some different animals on our 2nd visit had we gone.
Big Bear Discovery Center
After the zoo we ate lunch and then headed over to the Big Bear Discovery Center in the late afternoon. Parking is free so this is a no expenses necessary activity that I think is worth checking out if you’re into nature hikes and such. We’re big fans of the discovery centers or nature centers here at home because they’re free and usually have a fun nature-y activity like making a pinecone bird feeder, coloring pages, or other learning opportunities, for the kids and there’s always a generous display of flora, fauna, and wildlife exhibits to look at and learn about so I was excited to see what Big Bear’s Discovery Center was like.
As expected, they did have a nice sized air conditioned nature center with bathrooms filled with different types of pinecones, some taxidermy, nature coloring pages, animal pelts, a giant log slice, and even a life sized bear pelt – that was cool. We didn’t spend a bunch of time there poking around because they had a gift shop attached and I was trying to avoid that at all costs! We grabbed a trail guide, got out of there quickly, and attempted to go on a little .5 mile hike up and around the Discovery Center.
On the wait to our trail head, we stopped off at the Nature Discovery Zone which is a collection of outdoor themed activities geared towards kids 2-7 like chalk boards nestled amongst the trees, an area to dig in the dirt, another area to build with logs and branches, etc. I was bummed to see that the giant spider web climbing net was missing, so not sure what happened or when/if they plan to replace it, but we still had fun nonetheless.
After scoping our the outdoor play area, we attempted to walk the Nature Discovery Trail which is a 0.5 mile loop trail that gently winds its way through the forest behind the Big Bear Discovery Center. Unfortunately, by time we got to the trail, it was late afternoon and we had already had a full days worth of activities so Milly just wasn’t into walking and I wasn’t prepared to carry her so we didn’t finish.
Some day I’d love to go back and walk the trails around the Discovery Center (there’s several in addition to the one we attempted) and they even had a cool self-guiding driving tour where you get out at each stop and explore several points of interest. All in all – a good activity if you ever find yourself in Big Bear.
NOTE: the Discovery Center is closed Tuesday and Wednesday
Stanfield Marsh Walkaround
On our third morning in Big Bear we tried another walking activity after our failed attempt the afternoon before: the Stanfield Marsh Wildlife and Waterfowl Preserve. It’s a 1.6 mile out and back trail down these beautiful wooden boardwalks that line the marsh and the scenery is stunning!
There’s a free parking lot on the corner of Big Bear Blvd and Stanfield Cutoff that we parked in and a nice wooden gazebo marks the start of the trail. The boardwalk and trail are stroller friendly and this time around I opted to bring the stroller because I really wanted to walk the whole 1.6 miles after not being able to complete the trail the day before.
The boardwalk has zero shade cover so be sure to put on sunscreen / wear your sun protection. The girls and I all wore hats and we made sure to bring plenty of water and our cooling towels too. Those were a lifesaver by the way! I definitely suggest going early morning (we went around 10) or early evening and do a little sunset stroll because I could see the trail getting unbearably hot in the middle of the day.
As we walked the boardwalk we spotted several different birds and even some fish in the water which was neat but you can’t beat the view of the mountains and the water as you walk along the trail. There were lots of people with dogs, a few people riding bikes, but it felt like we were living in Virgin River. Every see that show on Netflix? Dreamy!
Anyways…there’s an area between two sets of boardwalks that’s paved and has a few shaded benches so I could see people bringing a picnic lunch and stopping to enjoy the scenery while they eat. It was in this area that the girls explored a bit and collected some rocks to throw in the water as we continued on our walk.
We ended up walking the entire trail (yay!) and then turned around and walked the way we came. All in all it took us about an hour there and back but we did a lot of stopping and Milly’s little legs can’t always keep up with us so we tend to go at a slower pace. Good thing I brought the stroller because about halfway back to the car Milly was walking like a sloth so I scooped her up and loaded her in the stroller and we were able to finish the last bit really quick. She didn’t initially want to ride in the stroller but by the time we made it back to the car, she had fallen asleep in the stroller – she was tired and it was starting to heat up!
I really enjoyed walking around Stanfield Marsh and would love to come back and do the walk at sunset – I bet it’s beautiful!
Boulder Bay Park
After our walk down the boardwalk it was nearing lunch time so we headed down to Boulder Bay Park for a some lunch and a little swimming in the lake. I packed a picnic lunch in the cooler earlier that morning with intentions of going straight to Boulder Bay from the cabin. But after stopping for gas on the way there, it seemed a little chilly for the lake so we course corrected and did the Stanfield Marsh walk before heading to the lake because it was right across the street from the gas station and I figured we’d get to the lake around lunch time (which we did) and it’d be a bit warmer for swimming (which it was). But…in hindsight, we should’ve just gone straight to the lake like I originally wanted – around 10 am – instead of getting there at 11:30 like we did.
The grounds of the park are beautiful and well maintained. There’s a smallish parking lot where you can park for free. If you want to rent kayak’s or paddleboards there’s a little rental shop before the parking lot that you can rent from. We didn’t do this because I was lugging all our beach gear by myself and hauling a kayak down to the lake with all our stuff by myself just wasn’t feasible. I asked another family how much they rented the kayak for and they said it was $45 for a 3 hour rental which I thought was a good deal. Lifejackets were included in that price.
From the parking lot you walk through the park part of Boulder Bay Park to get to the lake/beach front area for swimming which is just a bathroom, open green space, benches, and at the very end of the park is a large gazebo with picnic tables underneath. Beyond the gazebo is an opening in the fence and it lets you out onto the beach. This is where everyone was set up and launching their kayaks and paddleboards.
By time we got there around 11:30 beachfront real estate was pretty slim. Luckily we didn’t have a very large beach set-up and we were was able to squeeze in but when I say I wish we had gone when I originally wanted to, this is why. There isn’t a ton of beach front area to begin with from what I could tell, so if you go, earlier the better! One other note, the parking lot and the beach area are on complete opposite sides of the park so you’ve got to schlepp all your stuff completely across the park, which was doable but a challenge, especially being solo. If I were to go again – which I totally would – I’d bring another person (LOL) or a wagon.
We set up our little beach camp with this compact picnic blanket and my new favorite sun shade/umbrella thing, ate our picnic lunch, and then we swam the rest of the afternoon. It was lovely and the perfect place for little kiddos! We were situated in a little bay – hence the name – away from the main section of the lake so the water was calm and we got to swim while enjoying a gorgeous view of this giant boulder formation out in the middle of the lake. The water was a little chilly to start but you definitely get used to it. I recommend plenty of sunscreen and/or sun protection gear, floaties/lifejackets of course, and water shoes for sure because the bottom is a bit sandy/rocky.
We ended up leaving the lake earlier than we wanted to which was a bummer because Milly had to go potty and the bathrooms, while clean, were all the way on the other side of the park by the parking lot. So I had to quickly pack up our beach camp and schlepp everything across the park to the bathrooms and it seemed silly to go back to the beach are once we finished since we were right there by the parking lot. One of the few bummer of my solo parent vacation.
I think out of all the activities we did in Big Bear, this one was our favorite…even despite it being the most challenging for me personally having to manage all the gear alone. I absolutely want to come back and next time I’d love to rent a kayak too!
The Village
After our afternoon out at the lake, we went back to the cabin, relaxed a bit, and changed our clothes. For our last night in Big Bear I took the girls to the heart of Big Bear called the Village to walk around, window shop, maybe buy a few souvenirs, and I also wanted to take them out for a nice dinner to close out a fun trip.
The Village is quaint and picturesque – especially with the overflowing hanging flower baskets that line the streets – and offers a mix of shops, dining options, and a vibrant community atmosphere. Walking the streets of the Village feels like walking down the street in your favorite Hallmark movie.
The girls and I stopped into several shops a bought a few trinkets to take home and remember our time in Big Bear. I’m not a fan of cheesy touristy things so we grabbed a bundle of colored pencils made from sticks, a framed butterfly, and Emie wanted an anklet. On our way to dinner the girls spotted a little window selling ice cream so not only did I allow them to get ice cream, but I let them pick out some candy at the Village Sweet Shoppe as well. It was definitely a dessert before dinner kind of night but they were thrilled.
what we ate
We didn’t do much eating out on our trip but when we did, the food was stellar. We did breakfast at the cabin every morning, packed a picnic lunch the day we went to the beach, and I made most our dinners at the cabin and we ate them under a string of café lights on the back deck which we then followed by an early evening dip in the jacuzzi. It was the perfect mix of easy at-home meals and getting to try out the local restaurants – which in our family means, never eating at a place we can eat back at home! Do you have the same rule when it comes to eating out while you travel? Here’s a quick look at where we ate in Big Bear:
Get The Burger
A quirky little diner type that we stumbled across quite by accident the afternoon we rolled into town. After a long drive the burgers and fries were delicious and the shake that the three of us split was tasty! Get The Burger is a counter-serve diner serving Hollywood-themed burgers, plus shakes, malts & old-fashioned soda. It was yummy!
Note: they’re closed on Monday and Tuesday
Stella Luna
We grabbed lunch at Stella Luna after our morning at the zoo. It’s located in the Village and is a from scratch, farm-to-table restaurant. They’ve got a nice sunny patio you can sit and eat at or a modern dining room with cool glass front garage style roll up doors that just fill the whole place with sunlight. The food here was excellent – probably the best spinach dip and Greek salad I’ve ever had and the girls absolutely demolished their chicken tenders. A must visit!
Note: they’re closed on Tuesday
Oakside
We originally saw Oakside the day we ate at Stella Luna and the double decker balcony and lively patio atmosphere looked fun. Emie asked if we could come back because she really wanted to eat on the upper balcony so I promised to take them here on our final night. Turns out the upper decks have bar top seating only which isn’t ideal for a 3 year old so we asked to be sat on the patio but the wait ended up being really long so after a bit, I asked to be sat inside which they quickly accommodated. For the price, I felt like the food was just OK but the bummer was that the service wasn’t great either. Perhaps it was just a fluke but I felt like our server didn’t like the fact that I was dining with two young kids in a “fancy-ish” restaurant but overall I felt kind of ignored and overlooked the whole time. In hindsight, I would have made a reservation and/or sucked it up and waited for patio seating to be available – that was the whole point of coming here in the first place – to appreciate the atmosphere and scenery, not to eat dinner in a dark dining room. Oh well.
That wraps up our short and solo trip to Big Bear. We fell in love with cabin life, all the nature activities that Big Bear has to offer, and will absolutely be back! If you’re looking for an affordable Summer vacation idea, Big Bear is the perfect place to consider. There’s so much to do, a lot of which is free to enjoy, and the weather is absolutely perfect this time of year! I hope you found this trip re-cap helpful and I hope you’ll consider visiting Big Bear some time soon!