Boating Around Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake is a reservoir located in the San Bernardino Mountains in California. The lake is at an elevation of 6,750 feet and is sided by mountains making it quite scenic. There are lots of activities to do at the lake and up to this point for us it has been exploring the lake in kayaks. This September we decided to try something different and rented a motorized pontoon boat.
There are a number of places to rent boats in the area and we rented at Pleasure Point Marina which is on the south side of the lake. After getting instructions on operating the boat we left Metcalf Bay and entered the main part of the lake where we turned right which is East. Big Bear Lake has a length (east – west) of about 7 miles and width of about 2.5 miles at its widest points.
Some places there are homes along the shore with private boat docks. An activity people can do on the lake is stand-up paddle boards as these people are doing.
There are boats used to give tours of the lake like the boat with a paddle wheel.
With a fast motorboat one can wakeboard. This person was doing it without a rope.
At the Big Bear Solar Observatory we made a u-turn and headed westerly along the North shore of the lake. The observatory is used studying the activities and phenomena of the Sun.
There are a couple of floating porta-potties in the lake so one can make a pit stop without leaving the lake.
A view of South shore from the opposite side of the lake.
This is a kayak similar to the ones we have used in the past. While they are fun to paddle around in one can only explore a small portion of the lake at a time.
Another activity is this float with a slide and trampolines.
This is near the dam on the west end of the lake. The hill in the distance shows the top of the Snow Valley Ski Area. The camera lens was zoomed so it looks closer than it actually is.
The top of the dam can be seen here. The line of logs in the water is to prevent boats getting closer to the dam. Several boats are anchored to do another activity which is fishing.
People also fish from the shore.
It is now time to make another u-turn and head back east. The two nearer boats are similar to the pontoon boat we were in.
This house on the boulders has an oriental theme. When the water level is higher this is actually an island and only accessible by boat. The horizontal lines on the rocks show different levels the water has been.
I thought this foot pedal powered kayak was interesting.
Some of the houses near the entrance to Boulder Bay.
Some of the boulders which give the bay its name. When the water is higher these boulders are surrounded by water.
A lot of kayaks on the beach waiting for those attending the nearby YMCA camp to use.
A view of the North shore of the lake.
Ahoy maties, we better get back to our starting point before we are caught by the pirate ship. This ship is another way to take a tour of the lake.
So ended our 2 hour tour which was basically a large counterclockwise oval of the entire lake or at least where the water was deep enough for our boat. We had fun and will probably do it again sometime.
We went the weekend after Labor Day and had no trouble renting a boat. However during summer the boats are often all rented out weekends so if you want to try this then advance reservations are recommended.
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