The Best Place For Fall Foliage in Southern California: Big Bear Fall Colors

If you’re like me and are looking for robust autumnal foliage near Los Angeles this season, then you will love the Big Bear fall colors! I was truly stunned by the the golden, crimson and orange hues as soon as I walked into The Village within Downtown Big Bear. While Southern California is not the first place you will think of for fall foliage peeping, a drive up to Big Bear Lake, in the heart of the San Bernardino Mountains, will change your mind.

See Also: Apple Picking in Southern California at Oak Glen Apple Farms

Big Bear Lake, San Bernardino County

Big Bear Lake is most popularly known as a winter destination in Southern California. It’s a city located within the San Bernardino National Forest, so you’d be sure to find plenty of wildlife and woodland. There is an abundance of outdoor activities for every season — from hiking trails and lake activities in the summer to family-friendly snow and ski activities on Big Bear Mountain during the winter time. With a higher elevation of 6,752 feet, it is also the best place to find fall colors early, if you’re near Los Angeles.

Big Bear Lake is approximately 100 miles or 2 hours from Los Angeles. Ideally renting a cabin or an A-frame short-term rental near the water would make such a perfect weekend getaway from the city. It is possible make Big Bear a day trip, like we did last Fall, but you will be racing the early sunset and end up driving down the windy roads in the dark. My best advice is to start your day and drive early to avoid traffic.

Peak Fall Foliage Time in Southern California

As an East Coast girlie, I was actually thrilled and shocked at the same time, when I found out it was possible to be amongst the gorgeous changing leaves, here in Southern California. Not only will you be able to find some colorful trees transitioning in botanical gardens in Los Angeles, but in specific regions known for fall vibes like Oak Glen and Julian, which is closer to San Diego. While you are able to catch some trees with yellow, orange or red leaves falling in those cities, I truly believe it was in abundance at Big Bear Lake. If you’re going to make a fall foliage trip, might as well make it worth your leaf peeping time.

The Autumn season begins in September, and in the northern parts of The States, you’ll already find forests of changing hues in September. Fall foliage in Southern California peaks later in the season than the famous New England states of the Northeast. The changes in leave color start at the highest elevation then moves down slowly, towards to sea level. The peak time (when the colors are brightest before turning brown) to see the fall foliage is around October to November. Below is an image from the interactive fall foliage map by Smoky Mountains.

To be honest, since this was my first Fall season in Southern California, I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss peak foliage in Big Bear Lake. After all, nature is unpredictable and these colorful leaves could be fleeting.

For exact weekend dates, I consulted the Smoky Mountains Fall Foliage Prediction Map and both Farmers Almanacs. Of course, the timing of fall leaves changing depend on the rainfall and other weather conditions. These are good tools to use in addition to your personal observations. Explore Fall also has a very detailed interactive foliage map, which I will try this year combined with Smoky Mountains’ to scout Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear’s cousin to the west and about 1000 feet lower in elevation. Perhaps, I will find another gem of a place for fall foliage!

For reference, I took all these photos of the Big Bear fall colors on October 22, 2023.

Finding Big Bear Fall Colors in The Village

We’ve already started to see colorful bunches of trees on our drive into Big Bear Lake. It’s such a nice buildup to our final destination of The Village. It’s a great destination for shopping, scenic strolls, lodging and eateries. You will find oaks, maples and aspen trees in Big Bear delivering stunning colors, signaling the changing of seasons.

We arrived in the afternoon and spent the day exploring The Village at Big Bear Lake, sightseeing and taking plenty of photo of the fall foliage. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought I had been transported to a New England town! Every street corner we took had such immaculate fall vibes and vibrant-hued trees.

Finding Big Bear Fall Colors on Hikes

The views are spectacular inside The Village. If you are looking for more to do to enjoy the Big Bear fall colors outside of the The Village, consider a hike! I had planned to go on the Castle Rock Trail for some fresh outdoor mountain air and leak peeping, but we started our day a bit too late. We did end up on the Stanfield Preserve Boardwalk trail to walk off our dinner, though! It was a nice stroll into the sunset by the lakeshore, and there’s a bit of fall colors to be seen. Be warned, the temperatures drops a lot at night!

If hiking is not in the cards for you, a simple stroll around the lake will also give you some pretty magnificent views. I want to note that it’s not a peaceful or quiet trail since the highway is nearby,

However, if the great outdoors is calling, you should definitely go on a hike and start early in the day for the best morning light. Photographing the fall leaves and foliage in the middle of the day would give harsh lines, so the best time, in my opinion, is morning or during golden hour. I’ve researched and compiled some hiking trails that have great access to fall colors. I would keep a change of clothes in the car to swap from trail wear to something cute for town.

Castle Rock Trail and Pine Knot Trail are top picks for hikes to see the Big Bear fall colors. Aspen Grove Trail will require a permit and the Town Trail is very easy to access, but often crowded. A perfect day to me in Big Bear would start with a hike, followed by lunch in The Village, before taking a stroll around for more sightseeing and some shopping. Later, we would finish the day off with dinner and a walk to watch the sunset.

Dinner at the No. 1 Ranked Restaurant in California

While there are plenty of great dining in Big Bear Lake, I had to see for myself what the number one ranked restaurant (by Yelp) in California is all about. Not only does Tropicali holds the title of Top 1 in CA, but also Top 1 poke restaurant in all of America.

Naturally, we ordered two poke bowls and drinks to refuel from a day of hunting Big Bear fall colors. Now, poke isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Big Bear Lake or the mountains, but then again Southern California also isn’t the first place that pops up in your head when you are searching for fall foliage. Today, we’re doing things a little differently and it’s totally worth it! The poke is GOOD and the staff’s energy is amazing.

Final Thoughts Big Bear Fall Colors

On my search for all the fall vibes in SoCal, I’ve concluded that Big Bear Lake has the most fall foliage coverage than any of the other state parks or botanical gardens in Los Angeles. It’s totally worth the two-hour drive just to spend a day surrounded by the plethora of reds, oranges and yellows at every corner. I love that you can find more fall foliage beyond The Village at Big Bear Lake, although I think the concentration of colorful trees is best in there. There are options to go view the tree-lined lake from shore itself or go on a nature hike. It was truly a 10/10 spectacular experience!!

Also, some more photo spam of all the beautiful fall foliage. How quaint is this horse-drawn carriage going about town?! I do want to note that the amount of people visiting was a lot more than I had expected. It wasn’t super crowded, but there’s a good deal of visitors.

I want to call Big Bear fall colors a hidden gem, but I’m not sure if it really is a hidden fact or that I am just new to SoCal :)) Nevertheless, before my search for Fall Vibes near Los Angeles, I had never known about this!

If you’re interested in more fall activities in Southern California, check out my other adventures:

Apple Picking + Apple Cider Doughnuts in Oak Glen

Pumpkin Farm, Corn Maze + Sunflowers in Costa Mesa

Pumpkin Patch + Oktoberfest in Laguna Hills