COMMUNITIES Big Bear Lake Big Bear City Fox Farm Moonridge Fawnskin Sugarloaf Baldwin Lake Erwin Lake Lake Williams Big Bear Lake Big Bear Lake is a man-made reservoir that has an east-west length of approximately 7 miles and is approximately 2.5 miles at its widest measurement though most the Lake's width averages a little more than 1 mile. These approximations are based on the Lake having an optimum retainable water level. At dam's end Big Bear measures its deepest water at 72 feet. It is a completely snow-fed lake having no other means of tributary or mechanical replenishment. Like most reservoirs, Big Bear Lake ends up a great water sports venue for all pleasure activities: fishing, pleasure boating, speed boating, water skiing, jet-skiing and jet boating. Because of the high speed activity on the lake, not to mention other underwater dangers near the shorelines, there is little room for swimming. The lake is patrolled by the City of Big Bear Lake's law enforcement. Lakeside residents can have private docks, while others can obtain mooring in several of the marinas found on both shores. The County makes available a public launch on the east end of North Shore and the local marinas provide all sorts of sport and pleasure boats. Big Bear City Big Bear City is not a city at all, rather an unincorporated, census-designated place in San Bernardino County immediately east of Big Bear Lake. The makeup of Big Bear City is commercial and residential and is home to the Big Bear airport. Mostly smaller houses and cabins can be found here, laid out in typical square block fashion. Many full-time Big Bear residents call Bear City home. Fox Farm Located between Moonridge and Big Bear City, Fox Farm is a newer community with large lots and beautiful houses. Homes in Fox Farm are some of the nicest in the Big Bear Valley. Fox Farm is centrally located in the Big Bear Valley east of Big Bear Lake and North of Moonridge. Like most areas of Big Bear, the Fox Farm area is named for its history. Fox breeding came to the Big Bear Valley in 1923 and by the 1930's there were nine fox breeding ranches in Big Bear. The industry flourished in the valley until the depression years when the demand for the pelts declined. Today the Fox Farm area is one of the most prestigious communities in the Big Bear area. Moonridge Located near Bear Mountain ski resort, most of Moonridge seems like it's on a hillside, with the views to prove it. A great neighborhood, albeit with diminishing land resources and increasing price tags. Cabins in Moonridge offer great ski slope views and lake views as well. Moonridge is the home of Bear Mountain Ski Resort, Bear Mountain Golf Course, and the Moonridge Zoo. Property in the Moonridge area is desirable because of the proximity to the ski resorts and Moonridge's central location to other recreational activities. Moonridge is located to the south of the Fox Farm area at the east end of Big Bear Lake. Moonridge got its name by way of a contest in the 1950's. The winner of the contest received a lot in the new subdivision. Fawnskin An unincorporated community of San Bernardino County located on the north shore, more specifically at Grout Bay, of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino National Forest. It sits at an elevation of 6,750 feet at the north end of Grout Bay and is bordered by Big Bear City to its east. Directly across the lake is the incorporated City of Big Bear Lake, California. The small township was once an artist’s colony. Mountain travelers in the 1800s came to the Big Bear Valley through Fawnskin on the rough road by stagecoach and later motorcars. Several other names were temporarily chosen for the North Shore village including Cline-Miller, Bald Eagle Valley, Big Bear Village, Oso Grande and Grout. Sugarloaf Sugarloaf is an unincorporated residential area less than a mile south of Big Bear City and 8 miles from the eastern tip of Big Bear Lake. The area is primarily residential with a convenience store and a post office located at the center of the community. The residential area is set at an elevation of 7,096 feet at its center. There is no municipal organization for the area, and all fire, water, and police service is provided by San Bernardino County. The streets follow a simple grid plan, of which all streets running north to south are 100 feet apart from each other. The residents who own vacation homes in Sugarloaf extremely outnumber the amount of full time residents. Only 2 in 9 of the houses in Sugarloaf have permanent occupancy by a family or a householder. This is due to the affordability of the residences in Sugarloaf, as well as it being close to a ski resort, and a popular destination for Southern California vacationers in both the summer and winter. Baldwin Lake Baldwin Lake is a natural watershed of the San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino County. It is named for Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin, whose name is also found on the City of Baldwin Park, and Baldwin Avenue which runs from his estate in Arcadia, California to the San Bernardino (10) Freeway. Baldwin had come to the Big Bear and Holcomb Valley in 1876 when he purchased the famed Gold Mountain Mine. Though the former name is still preserved in historical accounts, it was renamed the Baldwin mine. Baldwin Lake was originally discovered as a natural wildlife reserve in 1845 by Benjamin Davis Wilson who was tracking marauding Indians through the mountain passage that was to lead him to the upper desert near Lucerne. The reserve was teeming with black bear, and Wilson had his 22 men pair up in hunting parties. At this location they took 11 bear pelts, and on the return to Jurupa (Riverside) they took another 11 pelts. Wilson named the Lake "Big Bear" and the area Big Bear Valley. Baldwin Lake is a vast land area denuded of trees and brush due to its quartz pebble terrain. During the wet seasons the lake gathers an abundance of water, but due to its shallow pan, not much more than 25 feet at its deepest point, and broad open surface, it is tending to dry up in the summer. When a dam was erected down the valley, the resulting reservoir was named Big Bear Lake, and Baldwin was given to the older one. Today Baldwin Lake is part of the Baldwin Lake Ecological Reserve which supports unique forms of flora and a host of fauna including the Bald Eagle. Erwin Lake Erwin Lake is a rustic, relatively undeveloped little neighborhood on the way out towards Onyx Summit at the east end of the valley. There are still some good spots of land available, and more is being developed everyday. Erwin Lake real estate is a popular with the economy-minded real estate buyer and is also interspersed with acreage parcels and mini ranches. Erwin Lake is located at the far south east end of the Big Bear Valley off of HWY 38. Erwin Lake was named for Jim Erwin who grew oats and barley at his homestead there in 1901. Lake Williams Past Erwin Lake and seemingly halfway to Angelus Oaks lies this small neighborhood. Very little land is left here, but it would be a nice place to live. Lake Williams is the place for a house if you want a house away from it all. Lake Williams is a small community of houses that is quite secluded. The houses are surrounded by national forest. Lake Williams is located south east of Big Bear City on HWY 38.     David & Emily Cartwright David 909.936.3838 Emily 909.744.7289

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