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 1⁄2 mi (0.8 km). 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).
Big Bear Lake provides an attractive setting for many outdoor activities, including fishing (trout, bluegill, crappie, catfish and largemouth bass), pleasure boating, and water skiing. Because of the very cold water and the presence of underwater obstacles near the shorelines, swimming is discouraged. The lake is patrolled by the BBMWD Lake Patrol.
The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has developed an advisory for Big Bear Lake because of mercury and PCBs found in fish caught here. The advisory provides safe eating advice for black bass species, common carp, crappie, and rainbow trout.
