Big Bear Lake North Shore
Big Bear Lake, CA
The north shore of Big Bear Lake offers unobstructed views across the alpine lake toward Snow Summit and Bear Mountain. The calm morning waters frequently produce mirror-like reflections of surrounding pine-covered peaks. The area is accessible from several pullouts and picnic areas along North Shore Drive.
Photography Guide
- Best Time
- golden hour
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Shot Types
- widelandscapereflection
- Best Seasons
- springsummerfallwinter
Author's Comments
The reflection only happens when the water is still, and the water is only still in the first hour. I have driven up from the basin in the dark more times than I can count, and the drive is part of the bargain - you climb out of the haze somewhere past Running Springs, the air thins, the pines start, and by the time you reach the north shore the lake is glass. October is my favorite month here, when the aspens at the higher elevations have started to turn and the air is cold enough to bite a little at five in the morning. The peaks across the water - Snow Summit, Bear Mountain - go pink before the sun actually crests the ridge, and for maybe twenty minutes the reflection is so clean it reads almost as a fold in the photograph rather than a separate image. Then the wind picks up. It always does. By eight the surface has texture and the moment is gone. I prefer the pullouts toward the eastern end of North Shore Drive, where the angle puts the ski runs slightly off-center and the pine forest in the foreground gives the composition something to hold onto. A wide lens works. A longer one works better than you would expect, compressing the peaks against their own reflection until the image flattens into something almost graphic. Winter is the other season worth the drive. Snow on the peaks, the lake half-frozen at the edges, the light coming in low and blue. Bring the Adventure Pass. Bring gloves. Bring more time than you think you need, because the light changes quickly up here and the photograph you came for is rarely the photograph you leave with.
Gallery
You might also like
Nearby Places
Big Bear Lake, CA
Castle Rock Trail
Castle Rock is a prominent granite formation on the south side of Big Bear Lake reached by a short but steep 1-mile trail. The rock offers panoramic views of the entire Big Bear Valley and surrounding San Bernardino National Forest. The formation itself serves as a dramatic foreground subject against expansive mountain vistas.
Big Bear Lake, CA
Big Bear Alpine Pedal Path (Meadow Section)
The eastern section of the Big Bear Alpine Pedal Path passes through open meadows near Stanfield Marsh, a bird-watching area at the east end of Big Bear Lake. The marshland attracts bald eagles, osprey, and migratory waterfowl, and the open meadows frame mountain peaks in every direction. Morning mist frequently settles in the meadow creating atmospheric conditions.
Big Bear Lake, CA
Boulder Bay at Big Bear
Boulder Bay is a scenic inlet on the northwest shore of Big Bear Lake characterized by large granite boulders extending into the water. The boulders create natural foreground elements with the lake and forested mountains behind them. In winter, the rocks are sometimes rimmed with ice and snow, adding textural contrast.