I miss season change. Even though it is actually awesome to always have great weather as it happens to be in Southern California, there is definitely something special about the feeling of a fresh start every few months. In search of fall we recently took a trip to Big Bear Lake.
Big Bear has such a different vibe from LA. Beautiful scenery, fresh air, quietness and cozy cabins make it a perfect weekend getaway. To me, Big Bear is also special because it reminds me so much of Russia, particularly Altai – a beautiful region not too far from my hometown. Going out of town in the fall is a wonderful change of scenery.
This year was the first time Alaric joined us apart from being in my belly last time we visited two years ago:) We didn’t plan to do any hikes since it’s kind of hard logistically for him and he also got a bit sick so instead we just spent a lot of time outside, walking by the lake, feeding duckies and just having some good family time. We got lucky with the weather, our first day was fresh and sunny, a perfect fall day. It was raining the day we were leaving and it was actually nice and refreshing too.
When in Big Bear we prefer to stay in a cabin to enjoy the cozy atmosphere, I love wooden everything. We booked our place through Airbnb (claim your $35 travel credit!) and it actually turned out to be a “resort” but it was perfect as we got one bedroom individual cabin with the fireplace and kitchen, which I mentioned before is great to have when traveling with a kid.
I highly recommend Big Bear for a quick trip to recharge and relax.
Below are a few tips if you are planning a trip to Big Bear Lake:
- Book in advance. As per usual, prices tend to get higher closer to the date you book, especially during high season (winter). Fall is not considered high season so the prices are usually very friendly and even more so during the weekdays, you can find a place for as low as $60/night.
- If you are driving from LA, watch out for traffic (duh), it’s better to either drive really late or very early, normally it takes about 2 hours but in traffic it could easily turn into 4,5 hours.
- Big Bear is not only very romantic but also fun for the group of friends. You can book a bigger house with your own hot tub and barbecue and end up paying 80 bucks for the whole weekend. First time I went with about 10 friends and it was super fun and inexpensive.
I can’t wait to come back next year!
