Big Bear Elevation Map
The valley floor is flat and high: almost everything in town sits between 6,750 and 7,100 feet. The ridges around it climb past 8,000, and Sugarloaf Mountain to the southeast nearly reaches 10,000.
The short answer
Big Bear Lake is at 6,743 feet when full; on October 13, 2026 its surface was at 6,734 feet (today's lake level). The Village is about 6,750 feet, Big Bear City about 6,780 and Moonridge, the highest neighborhood near Bear Mountain, about 7,100. Depth, size and the rest of the lake's numbers are on Big Bear Lake facts.
The map
CommunitiesPeaksTrailheads (tap for elevation)
Labels are in feet. Community, peak and trailhead elevations come from the USGS 3D Elevation Program at the marked point, rounded to the nearest 10 feet and looked up October 17, 2026; published summit heights can differ by a few dozen feet. Lake surface figures are the water district's, and elevation gains come from our trail guides.
Elevation of each Big Bear community
| Community | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Big Bear Lake surface (full / October 13, 2026) | 6,743 ft / 6,734 ft |
| Big Bear Lake Village | 6,750 ft |
| Big Bear City | 6,780 ft |
| Fawnskin | 6,810 ft |
| Sugarloaf (community) | 7,080 ft |
| Moonridge | 7,100 ft |
From the lowest community to the highest is about 350 feet.
Peaks around the valley
| Peak | Elevation | Hike |
|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino Peak | 10,650 ft | Trail guide |
| Sugarloaf Mountain | 9,950 ft | Trail guide |
| Butler Peak | 8,530 ft | Trail guide |
| Delamar Mountain | 8,380 ft | Trail guide |
| Gold Mountain | 8,230 ft | — |
| Bertha Peak | 8,200 ft | Trail guide |
| Snow Summit (top of the ski area) | 8,180 ft | — |
| Grays Peak | 7,950 ft | Trail guide |
| Grand View Point | 7,700 ft | Trail guide |
| Castle Rock | 7,370 ft | Trail guide |
Snow Summit's lifts top out near the peak in the table. Bear Mountain's go higher, to about 8,800 feet, the highest lift-served point in Southern California. Further south, San Gorgonio Mountain, the highest peak in Southern California at about 11,500 feet, is a long wilderness hike from the Highway 38 side, not a Big Bear day trip.
Trailhead elevations
Where each hike starts, lowest first. Most start within a few hundred feet of the lake; the climb is in the "gain" column.
| Trail | Trailhead | Elevation gain | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino Peak Trail | 5,930 ft | 4,691 ft | Hard |
| Grays Peak Trail | 6,750 ft | 1,187 ft | Moderate |
| Jenks Lake Trail | 6,750 ft | 485 ft | Easy |
| Eye of God Trail | 6,760 ft | 259 ft | Easy |
| Alpine Pedal Path | 6,770 ft | 50 ft | Easy |
| Woodland Interpretive Trail | 6,770 ft | 300 ft | Easy |
| Cougar Crest Trail | 6,830 ft | 720 ft | Moderate |
| Bertha Peak via Cougar Crest Trail | 6,830 ft | 1,348 ft | Moderate |
| Delamar Mountain via Pacific Crest Trail | 6,830 ft | 1,850 ft | Hard |
| Castle Rock Trail | 6,850 ft | 500 ft | Moderate |
| Pine Knot Trail | 6,890 ft | 1,167 ft | Moderate |
| Maple Hills Trail System | 6,950 ft | Varies by route | Easy to Moderate |
| Sugarloaf National Recreation Trail | 7,030 ft | 3,000 ft | Hard |
| Butler Peak Trail | 7,090 ft | 1,630 ft | Moderate |
| Hanna Flat Trail | 7,090 ft | 50 ft (minimal) | Moderate |
| Skyline Trail | 7,320 ft | 160 ft | Moderate |
| Aspen Grove Trail | 7,410 ft | 672 ft | Easy |
| Champion Lodgepole Pine Trail | 7,590 ft | Minimal | Easy |
| Bluff Lake Reserve Loop | 7,600 ft | 200 ft | Easy |
Will the altitude affect you?
The CDC says any unacclimatized traveler sleeping at about 8,000 feet or higher is at risk of altitude illness, and that it sometimes happens lower. Big Bear's communities sit between about 6,750 and 7,100 feet; the summits you can hike to are well above 8,000. How much it affects you varies from person to person.
Coming up from the coast in two hours, expect to breathe harder on stairs and sleep lightly the first night. Headache, nausea or unusual tiredness after a big climb is the signal to turn around and go down. A few habits help:
- Save the 8,000-foot-plus hikes (Sugarloaf, Butler, Delamar, Bertha) for day two.
- Go easy on alcohol the first night; the CDC advises avoiding it for the first 48 hours at higher elevations.
- Drink water and wear sunscreen; sunlight is stronger at altitude.
Source: CDC Yellow Book, High-Altitude Travel and Altitude Illness. This is general information, not medical advice.