Big Bear Lake

Big Bear Lake
Looking east from China Island in 2006
Big Bear Lake is located in the United States
Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake
Location in the United States
Big Bear Lake is located in California
Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake
Lociation in California
LocationSan Bernardino Mountains,
San Bernardino County,
California, United States
Coordinates34°14′31″N 116°58′37″W / 34.24194°N 116.97694°W / 34.24194; -116.97694
Lake typeReservoir
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length7 miles (11 km)
Max. width2.5 miles (4 km)
Surface area2,971 acres (12.0 km2)
Average depth35 ft (11 m)
Max. depth72 ft (22 m)
Water volume73,320 acre⋅ft (0.0904 km3)
Surface elevation6,743 ft (2,055 m)

Big Bear Lake is a reservoir in the western United States, located in the San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino County, California. It is a snow and rain-fed lake, having no other means of tributaries or mechanical replenishment.

At a surface elevation of 6,743 ft (2,055 m) above sea level, it has an east–west length of approximately seven miles (11 km) and is approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) at its widest measurement, though the lake's width mostly averages a little more than 12 mi (0.8 km).[1] These approximations are based on the lake having an optimum retainable water level. At dam's end, Big Bear measures its deepest water at 72 feet (22 m).

Old Bear Valley Dam
Built1884; 140 years ago (1884)
ArchitectFrank Brown
DesignatedFebruary 5, 1960[2]
Reference no.725
  1. ^ "Big Bear Municipal Water District » Current Lake Stats". www.bbmwd.com. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  2. ^ California Historical Landmarks 725