This guide covers the best things to do in Lake Arrowhead in winter, from festive December traditions to snowy January weekends and late-season February getaways. You’ll also find practical advice on winter driving, what to pack, how to plan a weekend, and why staying a little higher up the mountain in Running Springs can put you in the middle of it all.

Pali Adventures is an overnight summer camp in Running Springs, California, set in the San Bernardino Mountains about 90 minutes east of Los Angeles. The camp has been operating since 1990 and holds accreditations from both the American Camp Association (ACA) and the Western Association of Independent Camps (WAIC).

Sledding and snow play are some of the most popular winter day trips from Los Angeles, and for good reason. A few hours in the snow can feel genuinely restorative for kids and adults alike. But the San Bernardino Mountains offer more than one destination, and most LA visitors drive straight past some good options on their way to Big Bear.

Lake Arrowhead has a dining scene that surprises a lot of first-time visitors. What you’ll find here isn’t just a handful of restaurants clustered around a popular lakeside shopping center — it’s a spread of waterfront eateries, casual diners, bakeries, bistros, a craft brewery, pizza spots, and mountain-lodge restaurants scattered across several distinct communities in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Fall is one of the best times of year to be in the San Bernardino Mountains. The air cools, the summer crowds thin out, and the deciduous trees scattered through the pine forest begin to turn. Lake Arrowhead sits at around 5,100 feet…

This guide covers five active zipline parks worth your time: Action Zipline Tours in Big Bear Lake, SkyPark at Santa’s Village in Skyforest, Snow Summit Basecamp in Big Bear Lake, Skull Canyon Ziplines in Corona, and the Catalina Zip Line Eco Tour on Catalina Island.

If you’re staying in the San Bernardino Mountains and want a lake day with something for everyone, Lake Gregory Regional Park in Crestline is worth adding to your plans. The park sits in a cedar and pine forest at elevation, which means cooler temperatures, cleaner air, and a slower pace than the valley below.

If you are looking for a place to ground yourself before heading into the San Bernardino National Forest, the Big Bear Discovery Center in Fawnskin is one of the most useful stops you can make. It is not a theme park or a ticketed attraction — it is the visitor and nature centre for the Big Bear area of the national forest, and it genuinely helps you get more out of your time outdoors.

Tucked into the San Bernardino Mountains not far from the heart of Running Springs, the Deep Creek Narrows is the kind of place that doesn’t announce itself. There’s no roadside sign, no crowded parking lot, and no interpretive display waiting to explain what you’re looking at.

Wildhaven Ranch is a wildlife sanctuary, education centre, and visitation facility for endangered and indigenous wild animals of the San Bernardino Mountains. Operated by the San Bernardino Mountains Wildlife Society, Wildhaven’s mission is to preserve the wildlife indigenous to these mountains and to leave a valuable natural heritage for future generations.