Big Bear Lake is a reservoir in the western United States, located in the San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino County, California. It is a snow and rain-fed lake, having no other means of tributaries or mechanical replenishment.
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Big Bear Lake is a reservoir in the San Bernardino Mountains. At dam's end Big Bear measures its deepest water at 72 ft.
Big Bear is a Manmade LakeThe first dam was created in 1885. It was expanded upon in 1910, thus tripling the amount of water in the lake. The area turned into an absolute haven of beauty and fun. Now, it is one of the best places in the country for recreation.
Swimming RulesFrom the Big Bear Municipal Water District: In the summer months, swimming is permitted in Big Bear Lake at your own risk! There are NO lifeguards on duty and swimmers must stay within 50 feet of the shore or within 20 feet of a private dock.
For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2021 - March 2021), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.
The last time Big Bear Lake was full was 2011, according to the Big Bear Municipal Water District. There have been some brief highs since then, but mostly lows caused by years of below-normal precipitation in the mountains east of Los Angeles and throughout California.
The decline has for years forced crews to push the docks forward to reach the lake's receding shoreline. The lake is still more than 14.5 feet below its capacity and hasn't been full since 2011, according to the water district.
Bear Lake is stratified in summer-spring where lighter water overlies denser water. During the winter months the mixing processes of winds and surface cooling break down the layers and the lake freezes over. Bear Lake does not completely freeze over every year but typically three out of five years.
It was formed by fault subsidence that continues today, slowly deepening the lake along the eastern side. In 1911 the majority of the flow of the Bear River was diverted into Bear Lake via Mud Lake and a canal from Stewart Dam, ending 11,000 years of separation between the lake and that river system.
Bear Lake contains abundant suspended microscopic particles of white-colored calcium carbonate (lime) that reflect the water's natural blue color back to the surface, giving the lake its intense turquoise-blue color.
Its location at over 7,000' elevation in the San Bernardino mountain range makes for winters with snow! From the beaches of Southern California you can stand in the warm, sunny 70 degree weather and see snow on the mountains where Big Bear Lake is located.
Bear Lake contains abundant suspended microscopic particles of white-colored calcium carbonate (lime) that reflect the water's natural blue color back to the surface, giving the lake its intense turquoise-blue color.
Test results in parts of both Lake Elsinore and Big Bear Lake confirmed the presence of harmful algal blooms, made from a group of organisms called cyanobacteria, officials said. The bluish-green-brown colored bacteria can produce potent toxins and are a health threat to humans and pets, officials said.
The last time the lake was full enough for that to happen was in 2011. For the past century, the lake has gone through a steady 10-year pattern of filling up, dropping eight or 10 feet during dry years, then filling back up again.
People look at Big Bear Lake full of water and think we have plenty. But the real story is that all the water in the Big Bear Valley comes from Wells pumping water out of the ground and Springs that are totally dependent on precipitation.
If you plan to camp overnight, please use one of the many public and private camping areas around the lake (see map). No camping after 10 p.m. on the public beaches or exposed bed of Bear Lake.
That being said, Big Bear Lake's baseline is a Caution level for the presence of algae year round. This means that there is algae present in the Lake and we discourage drinking water from the Lake and encourage you to rinse yourself and pets off after swimming in the Lake.