The Big Bear Map
One map of everything in Big Bear Lake — hiking trails, swim beaches, parking lots, campgrounds and restaurants — plus the two things every trip planner also searches for: a road map of the highways that get you here, and an elevation map of the lake and the peaks around it. Toggle the layers you need, switch to the topographic base for contour lines, then print it or save it as a PDF for the road.
Use the layers control (top-right) to show or hide categories and to switch between the street base map and the topographic (elevation) base map. Tap any marker for details and a link to its full page.
What's on the map
Big Bear road map: the highways in
Big Bear Lake sits in the San Bernardino Mountains, reachable by three mountain highways. All of them climb from roughly 1,000–2,000 ft in the valley to about 6,750 ft at the lake, so every route is a winding mountain drive — flip the map above to the topographic base to see just how much it climbs. Here's how the roads connect.
| Route | Comes from | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Hwy 330 → Hwy 18 "Rim of the World" |
Highland / San Bernardino (LA & Orange County) | The most common route. Shortest but the curviest, and the first to back up on winter weekends. |
| Hwy 38 via Onyx Summit |
Redlands / Mentone | Longer but gentler grades and wider lanes — the pick for RVs, trailers and nervous mountain drivers. Crests Onyx Summit at about 8,443 ft, the highest point on a California state highway. |
| Hwy 18 from the desert |
Lucerne Valley / Victorville (high desert & Las Vegas) | The back way in from the north shore. Less traffic; a good bad-weather alternative when the front-side highways are chain-controlled. |
Around the lake itself, two roads form the loop: Big Bear Boulevard (Hwy 18) runs the south shore past the Village, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, while North Shore Drive (Hwy 38) runs the quieter north shore past the Discovery Center and the trailheads. They meet at the dam on the west end and near Stanfield Cutoff, which crosses the middle of the lake.
Rough driving times to the lake (clear conditions — add time on winter weekends):
- San Bernardino / Redlands — about 45 min to 1 hour
- Los Angeles & Orange County — about 2 to 2.5 hours
- San Diego — about 3 hours
- Las Vegas — about 3.5 to 4 hours
Headed up in winter? Any of these routes can require tire chains when it's snowing — see our chain requirements guide before you leave, and our parking guides for where to leave the car once you arrive.
Big Bear elevation map: the lake and the peaks
Big Bear Lake is a genuinely high-altitude destination — the lake surface sits at roughly 6,750 ft, higher than Denver. Switch the map above to the topographic (elevation) base to read the contour lines; the table below gives the elevation of the places people actually ask about. If you're coming from sea level, plan for thinner air the first day: drink extra water, go easy on the first hike, and expect noticeably cooler nights.
| Landmark | Approx. elevation |
|---|---|
| Big Bear Lake (surface, full pool) | ≈ 6,743 ft |
| Big Bear Lake Village | ≈ 6,750 ft |
| Snow Summit — base / peak | ≈ 7,000 / 8,200 ft |
| Bear Mountain — summit (highest lift-served in SoCal) | ≈ 8,805 ft |
| Onyx Summit (Hwy 38 — highest CA state-highway point) | ≈ 8,443 ft |
| Sugarloaf Mountain | ≈ 9,952 ft |
| San Gorgonio Mountain (SoCal's highest, just south) | ≈ 11,503 ft |
Elevations are approximate and rounded for planning. On the topographic layer, each thin contour line is a step in elevation, so tightly-packed lines mean steep ground — useful for reading trail difficulty before you go.
Print it or save a PDF for the road
Cell service is patchy on the mountain highways and around the far side of the lake, so it's worth having an offline copy. Click below, then choose "Save as PDF" in your browser's print dialog to keep the map, the road guide and the elevation table on your phone or to print a paper copy for the glovebox.
Big Bear map FAQ
How high is Big Bear Lake?
The lake surface sits at about 6,743 ft and the Village at roughly 6,750 ft. The surrounding ski peaks rise higher — Bear Mountain tops out near 8,805 ft, the highest lift-served summit in Southern California.
What highway do you take to Big Bear?
Most visitors from LA and Orange County take Highway 330 up to Highway 18 (the "Rim of the World"). Highway 38 through Redlands and Onyx Summit is longer but has gentler grades — better for RVs, trailers and nervous drivers. Highway 18 from Lucerne Valley is the back way in from the high desert.
Is there a printable Big Bear map?
Yes — use the Print / Save as PDF button above. Your browser's print dialog can save this page (map, road guide and elevation table) as a PDF or print a paper copy to keep in the car.
How long is the drive to Big Bear?
In clear conditions, roughly 45 minutes to an hour from San Bernardino, about 2 to 2.5 hours from Los Angeles or Orange County, around 3 hours from San Diego, and 3.5 to 4 hours from Las Vegas. Add time on winter weekends, when the mountain highways back up.