When we think of fall foliage, we rarely expect to see any in Southern California.
We’ve all seen pictures of the East Coast covered in colorful trees in bright hues of reds, oranges, and yellows come fall. But what if I told you that there is a place in Southern California that has amazing fall foliage just 2 hours from Los Angeles? You probably wouldn’t believe me…
When I planned my trip to Big Bear Lake in the fall, I didn’t know what to expect. At the most, I was hoping to spend a few evenings cuddled in a cabin with a pumpkin spice latte in hand (Starbucks seasonal menu is how we Southern California residents usually know that fall has come around).
As it turns out, not only is Big Bear one of the best places to enjoy fall foliage in Southern California, but the Big Bear community puts together a ton of amazing events to celebrate this season.
If you are planning a trip to Big Bear Lake this fall, here are 9 incredible activities that will show you that fall in California is A THING and that Big Bear rocks at it:
1. Hike The Castle Rock Trail
- Location: Castle Rock Trail 1W03
- Length: 2.5 miles round trip
- Elevation: 830 feet
- Time Needed: 2 hours
- Trail Difficulty: Moderate
- Cost: Free
The Castle Rock trail is a popular 2.5-mile-long hike to do in Big Bear that offers incredible panoramic views overlooking the lake and giant rock formations.
The Castle Rock Trail is especially stunning in autumn when trees along this trail start changing colors into bright hues of yellows and oranges.
This trail is perfect for those who are looking for a short hike in Big Bear that offers incredible views, fall foliage, and doesn’t take too long to complete.
The trail starts at the Castle Rock Trailhead located along Big Bear Blvd (Highway 18). There is a small parking lot across the trailhead, but it can only fit a handful of cars, and it fills up quickly.
If this parking lot is full, you can also park along Big Bear Blvd, but be careful of the blind corners and oncoming traffic when you park and cross the street.
Due to parking limitations, I highly recommend hiking this trail early in the morning. We arrived at around 8 am, and there was plenty of parking, but by 9 am, the trail was starting to get crowded.
The trail is quite steep and gains over 800 feet in elevation, but it is very short. We only hiked for about 1 mile before we reached the top, where it flattened out. From here, we could see gorgeous panoramic views overlooking the lake.
Although Castle Rock Trail is pretty steep, overall it’s kid and family-friendly. This trail also allows dogs (as most trails in Big Bear do).
Portions of this trail can be quite slippery, so make sure to wear comfy hiking shoes with good traction so you don’t slip and fall.
Although the trail is pretty straightforward going up, coming back down, we got a bit lost as there are tons of small side trails going in all directions and very few trail signs. I recommend downloading the AllTrails hiking app route ahead of time so you can easily find the right path coming back down.
2. Take A Stroll Through The Village
There are a lot of places to see fall foliage around Big Bear Lake, but by far the most colorful location to see the changing fall colors in Big Bear is at The Village.
The Village is Big Bear’s downtown area, home to shops, restaurants, bars, dessert spots, a movie theater, and more. The Village is the epicenter of Big Bear, where people head out to eat, walk around, grab a coffee, or ice cream, and just hang out.
There are tons of amazing restaurants in the downtown area that are especially popular for lunch and dinner. Note that dinner time on the weekends can get very crowded, and some restaurants can have long wait times up to an hour or more.
Some of my favorite restaurants in The Village are:
- 572 Social Kitchen & Lounge – a fun dinner spot with cute patio seating and live music.
- Fire Rock Burgers & Brews – great beer choices, delicious burgers, and huge sharable plates.
- The Bone Yard Tap Room & Grill – a delicious spot popular for grilled meats, ribs, and a wide selection of beers.
- Ann Ran Ju Tea House – yummy ice cream and boba tea shop.
If you’re hunting for fall foliage, The Village is one of the best places to enjoy an abundance of fall colors in Big Bear!
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3. Go To The Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest
Big Bear is home to one of the most popular Oktoberfests in Southern California. The Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest has been taking place in Big Bear Lake every fall for the past 50+ years and is one of the top events in the area.
The Big Bear Oktoberfest takes place on select Fridays and the weekends starting in early September through early November. This fall festival gets more elaborate with every passing year, featuring live German bands, tons of food choices, beer, dress-up, dancing, drinking contests, and other fun activities.
If you are planning a trip to Big Bear on a weekend in the fall, the Big Bear Oktoberfest is the one activity that you shouldn’t miss! I highly recommend buying tickets online ahead of time, or you could end up standing in the entrance line for hours.
Location: Big Bear Lake Convention Center Office
Hours:
- Fridays (October Only): 5 pm – 11 pm
- Saturdays (September): 1 pm – 11 pm
- Saturdays (October): 1 pm – 12 am
- Sundays: 12 noon – 6 pm
4. Get Cozy In A Cabin
Fall is a magical time in Big Bear. The days are still sunny, yet you can feel the air turning a bit crisp, and the whole town is experiencing a change in the season.
I’ve been to Big Bear through various different seasons, but this was my first time visiting in the fall. Without a doubt, it quickly became one of my favorites.
There are a ton of activities to do in the area, but one of my favorites was just getting back to the cabin and getting cozy next to a fireplace with a hot chocolate in hand. In other words, fall is the perfect ‘snuggle season’ in Big Bear.
On this Big Bear trip, I stayed in a cute cabin rental from Airbnb called The Honey Bear Cabin. It was recommended to me by a friend, and it was very stylish, modern, and newly renovated.
The Honey Bear Cabin is located just a 15-minute drive from The Village, so it’s close to all the main downtown shops and activities, while also feeling very peaceful and quiet.
What I enjoyed the most about my stay was just hanging out by the fireplace. This cabin comes with 3 different fireplaces so you can snuggle on the couch watching a movie, outside while roasting marshmallows, or get cozy in your room.
It’s the perfect place to escape our busy city lives in LA, relax, and reset in a beautiful setting surrounded by forest and nature.
If you are looking for a cute place to stay in Big Bear Lake, you can read more about the Honey Bear Cabin here.
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5. Smash Pumpkins While Ziplining
If you want to do something pumpkin-related, but maybe take it up a notch, a fun way to celebrate the fall season in Big Bear is to go pumpkin-smashing from an adrenaline-pumping zipline.
Every Saturday in October, Action Zipline Tours in Big Bear sets up a Pumpkin Smash Tour where you can zipline through the forest while throwing pumpkins from the zipline at different targets. If you hit a target, you can even win a prize!
The zip line tours cost $155 and included with this tour are 9 different ziplines that get progressively higher and faster, reaching speeds up to 35 miles per hour.
If smashing pumpkins from a zip line sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon in Big Bear, call Action Tours at (909)-866-0390 to check on this tour’s availability and to reserve a spot.
- Location: Action Zipline Tours
- Cost: $155
6. Visit The Big Bear Zoo
One of the best places to visit in Big Bear, especially if you have kids, is the Big Bear Alpine Zoo. In October, the zoo also sets up special fall events to celebrate Halloween.
The Big Bear Alpine Zoo serves as a rehabilitation center and safe haven for injured wild animals in the Big Bear Lake area. The goal of the Big Bear Alpine Zoo is to rehabilitate injured animals and release them back into the wild. If the animals can no longer take care of themselves, they can also find a permanent home in this zoo.
Here you can visit and see California native animals like bears, mountain lions, eagles, foxes, coyotes, plus other more exotic animals like snow leopards, wolves, and arctic foxes.
Compared to other major zoos in California, the Big Bear Alpine Zoo is actually quite small, but it is expanding in the near future.
The Big Bear Zoo has a few different animal presentations that you can see during the day, where you can learn more about the animals that live here and the different programs that the zoo manages.
In October, the zoo hosts an event, ‘Boo at the Zoo’, where visitors are encouraged to dress up in Halloween costumes and go trick-or-treating in the zoo from 10 am to 3 pm – a fun activity for families with kids.
- Location: Big Bear Alpine Zoo
- Cost: Adults $17 (ages 13+), kids $12 (ages 3-12), seniors $12 (ages 60+), kids under 2 are free
- Time Needed: 1-2 hours
- Hours: Summer – 10 am to 5 pm, winter – 10 am to 4 pm
7. Mystery Maze At The Moose Lodge
If you love Halloween and scary things, get your ‘scare on’ at the Mystery Maze. The Mystery Maze has been set up around Halloween for the past seven years and will continue as an annual Halloween tradition in the upcoming years.
The Mystery Maze costs $6 for adults and is set up next to the Moose Lodge in Fawnskin. The maze consists of dark labyrinths where visitors can walk through, looking for the exit while exploring different scary rooms, mystic fog, strobe lights, and characters that jump out at the most unexpected times.
After mastering the maze, enjoy a nice fire pit set up outside or grab a sweet treat from the local bake sale. All profits from this event go towards supporting local charities in the Big Bear community.
- Location: 39247 North Shore Drive, Fawnskin, CA 92333
- Cost: $6 for adults, $4 for kids under 4
- Hours: Select Fridays & Saturdays in October from 5 pm to 9 pm
8. Watch Sunset By The Lake
Did you know that some of the most colorful sunsets happen in the colder seasons? As leaves start changing color in the fall, the sunsets typically become more and more colorful too.
One of the most picturesque places to relax and watch the sunset in Big Bear is Boulder Bay Park. This park has a small parking lot for visitors, a few scenic walkways overlooking cabins, giant boulder rocks, and the lake.
If you’re looking for a more low-key place to have a picnic and watch a colorful sunset, I recommend stopping by Juniper Point on the other side of Big Bear Lake.
Juniper Point has a small parking lot, lots of walking trails, picnic tables, and beach access to watch the sunset right on the waterfront – plus very few people.
9. Go To A Pumpkin Patch
Note: As of 2025, this pumpkin patch is no longer taking place.
One of the cutest activities that you can do in Big Bear in the fall is to go to the pumpkin patch at Bear Valley Farms.
Bear Valley Farms is located on the east side of Big Bear Lake. Throughout the year, this farm is used for horse camps and riding lessons, but in the fall, they also set up a pumpkin patch for the Big Bear Lake community.
The Bear Valley Farms Pumpkin Patch is open on Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm and costs $10 to enter. The entrance ticket includes a variety of activities from a petting zoo and hayrides to a haunted house and plenty of cute photo-op spots with pumpkins and haystacks.
For $5 extra, you can also pick up and bring home a pumpkin to carve. Note that all the best pumpkins often get snatched up in early October, so the longer you wait, the more limited your pumpkin options might be.
At this pumpkin patch, you can hop on a hayride that leaves every hour, with the last one departing at 2:30 pm. Overall, this is a lovely farm with fun fall activities that the whole family can enjoy.
Looking for more California travel inspiration? Be sure to check out these popular California posts next:
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- The Complete Guide To Visiting Yosemite In Winter
- 15 Stunning Destinations To Visit In California In Winter
This post is written by Laura. Hi, I’m the founder and content creator of the Fun Life Crisis outdoor blog who left my 9-5 accounting job to travel full time. Now I help 100,000 people a month plan their adventures across the world!
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Interested in stepping up your photography game? Here is the camera gear that I carry everywhere I go to create amazing travel photos:
- Main camera: Sony a7c Camera. The Sony a7c is tiny, light, full-frame, and durable – in other words, amazing!
- Wide Lens: Sony 16-35 mm F4. Great for capturing wide panoramas, nature landscapes, and cramped city streets. Mounts to any Sony mirrorless camera and features autofocus, image stabilization, and incredibly sharp images.
- Lightweight Travel Tripod: Manfrotto Carbon Fiber Tripod. A good tripod is essential for capturing images in low light conditions, such as during sunset and sunrise, or creating smooth water effects when shooting waterfalls. The Manfrotto Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod is very sturdy, light, and folds small so you can take it on all of your adventures!
- Memory Cards: SanDisk Extreme 256 GB. It’s always good to bring a few extra memory cards on trips. SanDisk Extreme is ultra-fast for capturing high-quality images, bursts, long exposure night shots, and 4k videos. This memory card is also durable and reliable yet very affordable.
- Camera Batteries: Wasabi Power Battery Set. I’ve made the mistake of getting to a location to realize my camera is out of battery. Always keep your batteries charged with this camera charger set.
- Camera Bag: Lowepro adventure shoulder bag. A camera bag is something you should definitely invest in! Without having a proper place to store it I would get my camera scratched, sandy, or even occasionally drop it.
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Could you please tell me when that pic of you was taken at big bear lake? Trying to decide best time to see fall foliage and that photo is a stunner!!
Hi Jen! Most of these photos were taken around October 20th on a previous trip.