Calico Ghost Town / Big Bear Lake

[darcie2000]

We are coming to California in September for 10 nights. Mostly for Disneyland

However, we are bringing my mum who is not so Disney keen. So we are looking at doing a few different day trips to break things up. Our plan is looking kind of like this

5 full Disney days spaced out
Day trip to Catalina Island
Day tour of beaches and Hollywood/Mulholland Dr etc
Outlet/Mall shopping

I'm trying to find something else to do that will keep my mum busy ( she hates not doing anything ) that will entertain two teenagers and will satisfy my sister and my love of nature and history.

I love the idea of Calico Ghost Town for the mining history, the desert scenery and also hey it's a ghost town! We visited Oatman on our last USA trip and I loved it.

I also love the idea of Big Bear Lake. Growing up in Australia, we watched a lot of American movies that centred around camp and vacations at lakes. Very very different to where I live.

What is Big Bear Lake like in September? Is it warm enough to swim? Can you just walk around/ chill out by the lake. Is there anything that would keep two teenage girls entertained for a couple of hours?

I was thinking we could maybe do both in one day. My plan would be maybe

6am Leave DLR

9am Arrive Calico

9-11am Walk around

11 -12 Lunch

12 pm Leave Calico

2 pm arrive Big Bear Lake

2 - 5 pm explore/relax

5pm drive back to DLH

Does this sound doable?

 

[usnuzuloose]

I love Calico Ghost Town. It is sure picture worthy. Last time I was there they had a train to ride.

It has been a long time since I was in Big Bear, Sept weather can go different ways up there. It could be warm, or cooler. You could take swim suits with you in case it is warm enough to swim. It has little shops. Swimming, fishing, hiking. Look up the visitor center under Big Bear and it will show all kinds of things to do. The drive is a windy road up. So depending on what may be going on you may have traffic if something is going on in town. If you are leaving around 5 you should be fine for missing the worst traffic after getting down the hill. But check the weather also because if it is snowing they will require chains The map says it is a 5 hour drive from Calico to Big Bear so that is quite a drive. So I don't know what you would rather do , maybe visit one or the other.

 

[darcie2000]

Ooooooh I didn't even think of snow. Ok that adds an interesting element. None of us have ever really driven on a mountain let alone in snow.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Ooooooh I didn't even think of snow. Ok that adds an interesting element. None of us have ever really driven on a mountain let alone in snow.

See the up date on the drive up the mountain for time. The first time we drove up that mountain in the snow I had a panic attack. I doubt it would snow by then but you never know.

 

[darcie2000]

The map says it is a 5 hour drive from Calico to Big Bear so that is quite a drive

The map I'm looking at says 1.5 hours. If it's 5 hours I will be giving it a miss lol! I think maybe we will stick with Calico.

Thank you so much for all of your input, it's really appreciated

 

[usnuzuloose]

I think it is a lot longer than 1.5 but I will recheck for you. I can't remember how far the outlet mall is from Calico.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Your timing is correct. My stupid map was wrong. So you have time to go.

 

[darcie2000]

Thank you so much for checking for me

 

[usnuzuloose]

Your welcome.

 

[Disney Kidd]

It would be very rare for there to be snow in Big Bear in September. I personally have never been to to Calico Ghost Town, but I do like Big Bear. I would think it would be better to skip Calico, and just go to Big Bear or do them on different days. The Irvine Spectrum mall is really cool!

 

[usnuzuloose]

I will have to check out the irvine spectrum mall the next time I get that way.

 

[PlutoFan76]

Calico is fun. Do the tour of the town, then explore. Your teenagers will probably get a kick out of Maggie's mine. If you go out there, make sure to see the standing broom. If you are interested you can even pan for gold. This is a good 2 hour drive from Anaheim without traffic. It's a great option if you are already in the area, but don't drive all the way out there just for it.

Big Bear is amazing. There aren't a lot of people swimming in the lake. You can rent kayaks or jet skis. You could also go out on the lake on the Miss Liberty (paddle wheel boat). There are tons of trails for hiking. The Alpine Pedal Path is a paved walkway along the north side of the lake. My teenager loves the Village. It's a collection of shops on the south side of the lake. It's very relaxing to grab lunch some place in the Village and eat on the patio. There is even an option for a horse drawn carriage ride. Also check out the Alpine Slide and see if that is something your teens would like. There is also a small zoo that you could do in a couple hours. It's inexpensive and has local animals. For the most part they are animals that needed rehab and could not be released. This includes owls, bears, bobcats, and raccoons. My daughter is 18 and loves it. My mother and grandmother were also big fans of the area. I have no doubt that you would find a number of things, both free and for a small fee that would make everyone in your group happy.

 

[darcie2000]

Calico is fun. Do the tour of the town, then explore. Your teenagers will probably get a kick out of Maggie's mine. If you go out there, make sure to see the standing broom. If you are interested you can even pan for gold. This is a good 2 hour drive from Anaheim without traffic. It's a great option if you are already in the area, but don't drive all the way out there just for it.

Big Bear is amazing. There aren't a lot of people swimming in the lake. You can rent kayaks or jet skis. You could also go out on the lake on the Miss Liberty (paddle wheel boat). There are tons of trails for hiking. The Alpine Pedal Path is a paved walkway along the north side of the lake. My teenager loves the Village. It's a collection of shops on the south side of the lake. It's very relaxing to grab lunch some place in the Village and eat on the patio. There is even an option for a horse drawn carriage ride. Also check out the Alpine Slide and see if that is something your teens would like. There is also a small zoo that you could do in a couple hours. It's inexpensive and has local animals. For the most part they are animals that needed rehab and could not be released. This includes owls, bears, bobcats, and raccoons. My daughter is 18 and loves it. My mother and grandmother were also big fans of the area. I have no doubt that you would find a number of things, both free and for a small fee that would make everyone in your group happy.

Thank you so much, that is some great information.

We have locked in going to Calico ( I really want to see an old Californian ghost town plus the desert scenery and maybe even a rattlesnake from the safety of our vehicle lol ).

We've decided to do Big Bear Lake instead of going to Catalina Island. We'll do that next time we come and can spend a couple of days there. I am really excited about driving up through the mountains. The Alpine Slide, zoo and Miss Liberty sound very interesting, I'm going to Google those for sure.

 

[VandVsmama]

My in-laws have a cabin up at Big Bear and we've been going there for years. It's a fun and very relaxing place. Takes 2 hours to drive from Big Bear to Anaheim.

Big Bear has a couple of marinas that you can rent paddleboats and jet skis from. If your teenagers are adventurous, in September, you can go to Snow Summit and rent a mountain bike and mountain bike down the ski trails. OR if you don't want to mountain bike, you can still take the lift up the mountain and there's a restaurant at the top. We've done that a couple of times and the view is spectacular.

If you stay overnight, have breakfast at Thelma's. There's a huge patio with outdoor tables and lots of trees around.

There's a tourism website at http://www.bigbear.com/. Not all of the restaurants are on that website, though.

You can also venture to the east side of the lake and have breakfast or lunch at the North Shore Cafe in Fawnskin. Dinners are only served on Sat & Sun.

 

[darcie2000]

Ok please don't laugh at me but.......what are the chances of seeing a bear on our travels?

Can you believe that all of my time spent visiting at my dads on Vancouver Island and travelling across the Rocky Mountains, that I have only ever seen the back end of a bear walking down some railway tracks.

I really want to see a bear! In the wild and from the safety of my vehicle!

Is there much chance of seeing any on the drive to Big Bear Lake mid Sept?

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I think your best bet for seeing a bear in the San Bernardino Mountains (where Big Bear Lake is) would be to visit the little zoo that they have up there.

http://bigbearzoo.org/

 

[darcie2000]

Cheers thanks Mary Jo We are going to check out the zoo for sure.