Goode Solar Telescope

Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) is a university-based solar observatory in the United States. It is operated by New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). BBSO has a 1.6-meter (5.2 ft) clear aperture Goode Solar Telescope (GST), which has no obscuration in the optical train. BBSO is located on the north side of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains of southwestern San Bernardino County, California, U.S., approximately 120 kilometers (75 mi) east of downtown Los Angeles. The telescopes and instruments at the observatory are designed and employed specifically for studying the activities and phenomena of the Sun.

Big Bear Lake is a small city in San Bernardino County, California, located in the San Bernardino Mountains along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, and surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. The city is about 25 miles (40 km) northeast of the city of San Bernardino, and immediately west of the unincorporated town of Big Bear City. The population was approximately 5,019 at the 2010 census, down from 5,438 at the 2000 census. However, as a popular year-round resort destination, the actual number of people staying in or visiting the greater Big Bear Valley area regularly surges to over 100,000 during many weekends of the year.

Fawnskin is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, United States, located in Big Bear Valley in the heart of the San Bernardino Mountains, at an altitude of 6,827 feet (2,081 m). The tiny community has a "permanent" population of 380, and many vacation homes that range from multi-million dollar mansions to decaying log cabins. Fawnskin has its own US Post Office, established on May 18, 1918, but to this day mail must be picked up because there is no delivery service.

Cedar Lake is an artificial lake in the San Bernardino Mountains of California that has appeared in dozens of Western films. It is the centerpiece of Cedar Lake Camp, a private retreat center owned and operated by Cedar Lake Camp, Inc., a non profit public benefit corporation.Located south of the city of Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino County and San Bernardino National Forest, the lake lies about two hours east of Los Angeles and two hours north of San Diego. The lake is formed by a dam across a minor tributary of Metcalf Creek. The creek feeds Metcalf Bay, an arm of Big Bear Lake, whose waters reach the Pacific Ocean by way of Bear Creek and the Santa Ana River.

The Summit Fire was a wildfire that started in the Mias Canyon area north of Banning in Riverside County, California, on May 1, 2013. By the time the fire was contained on May 4, 3,161 acres (12.79 km2) had burned and 1 residence had been destroyed.

Bear Valley Unified School District is a school district in San Bernardino County, California, supporting the towns of the Big Bear area such as Boulder Bay, Fawnskin, Big Bear City, Big Bear Lake, Surgarloaf, etc. The district serves seven schools: Big Bear Elementary, North Shore Elementary, Baldwin Lane Elementary, Fallsvale Elementary (which is not in Big Bear), Big Bear Middle School, Big Bear High School, and Chautauqua High School (a continuation school).

Snow Summit is a ski resort that was established in 1952 and is in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California. It is located by Big Bear Lake along with its sister resort Bear Mountain; these two resorts which operate under the same management are collectively known as Big Bear Mountain Resorts (BBMR).Snow Summit is one of the larger ski areas in Southern California, and is considered to be one of the most popular ski and snowboard destinations for patrons from around the Los Angeles area. Snow Summit is a mid-sized resort, with a 1,209 ft (369 m) topographic vertical drop, and 240 acres (97 ha) of skiable terrain, partially covered by snowmaking. In 2014, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (owned by Starwood Capital Group at that time under the entity Mammoth Resorts) purchased Bear Mountain and Snow Summit for $38 million. In 2017, Mammoth Resorts, which also included June Mountain, announced its sale by Starwood to a partnership of Aspen Skiing Company and KSL Capital Partners, known as Alterra Mountain Company.

William Francis "Grizzly Bill" Holcomb (27 January 1831 – 1909), was an American prospector and the first to discover gold in the region which became known as Holcomb Valley, near present-day Big Bear Lake, California. Holcomb Valley had the most gold of any Southern California field. The boomtown of Belleville grew up there and for a time was the third or fourth largest in Southern California. Holcomb was the first justice of the peace in Belleville and later was elected to county offices.

Holcomb Valley, located in the San Bernardino Mountains about five miles north of Big Bear Lake, was the site of the most gold mines in Southern California. It was named after William F. Holcomb, who found gold there in 1860. That year started the largest gold rush in the Southern California region. The boomtown of Belleville grew up near there and flourished for about ten years before being abandoned. The site is now registered as California Historical Landmark #619.

Starvation Flats is an area in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear Lake, California. It was originally a settlement of the Native American Serrano people for thousands of years.

Belleville, California was a gold mining boomtown in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California. The settlement grew up rapidly following the discovery of gold by William F. Holcomb in Holcomb Valley early 1860. Which helped the town challenge the seat of San Bernardino County (which subsequently after the election in 1861 went to San Bernardino). Belleville was named after Belle, the first child born in the new town. It was a busy mining town for ten years, it was virtually abandoned before the end of the 19th century. It is now a ghost town.

Bluff Lake is a lake in the Big Bear Valley of the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County, California. It is located southwest of Big Bear Lake reservoir and Big Bear City.