Big
Bear is located 100 miles east of Los Angeles in the
San Bernardino National Forest, home to towering oaks,
forest pines and the San Gorgonio Wilderness, the highest
peak between the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and the
Mexican border at 11,400 feet. The wild lands of the
San Bernardino Mountain Range were designated National
Forest more than a hundred years ago. The forest contains
approximately 672,000 acres with approximately 150 acres
of wilderness trails, 352 acres of hiking, equestrian
and biking trails, 23 acres of family campgrounds, 13
acres of picnic areas, 71 animal species and 85 plant
species.
This
area of the San Bernardino National Forest is home to
the mountain lion, coyote, bald eagle, deer, black bear
and hawk. One of the best places to view wildlife in
Big Bear is at the Stanfield Cut-off, the causeway that
crosses the eastern portion of Big Bear Lake. In the
winter, watch for bald eagles and throughout the year
you can see white pelicans, coots, great white herons,
and mergansers.
Big
Bear weather conditions provide unparalleled opportunities
for solitude year round with an average
of 320 days of sunshine a year. Big Bear temperatures
can vary greatly with average daytime temperatures ranging from 48.0 degrees
in January to 81.0 degrees in July. Precipitation occurs mostly between November
and April with possible heavy snowfall in January and February. A normal
winter season can bring 120" of snowfall. Summers are pleasantly warm and dry
with the exception of possible mountain thunderstorms later in the season.
Late
spring and summer provide a colorful array of natural flowering vegetation,
including the lupine, Indian paintbrush and the California wild rose. The
corn lily, lemon lily, and leopard lily can be observed
by the adventuresome hiker
along streams, in meadows, and nestled among the mountain trails. A high
desert climate is characteristic of the eastern part
of Big Bear and Cactus Flats.
This area contains pockets of marshes, springs, meadows and wetlands making
Big Bear one of the most diversified habitats in the world. |
