This is going to be my first travel post of 2020! What a strange world we live in! After we cancelled our first international trip of the year, we were pretty bummed out, but decided to get a dog instead. Little did we know, that she would be the reason we’ve kept sane during the pandemic! She forces us to get our Vitamin D on walks every day plus we literally talk about her 24/7 (which you will notice in this blog post … we are obsessed with her). After 6 months of being cooped at home, we realized we needed a change in scenery even if it was somewhere close by. We ended up planning a 1 week mini vacation in Lake Arrowhead trip where we hung out in the cutest airbnb cabin and explored the beautiful wilderness.
We actually left on Labor Day and made the 1.5 hour trek up the mountains with zero traffic. The views were stunning when driving through Highway 18. Unfortunately, there were some terrible fires in the area, so the air quality wasn’t as good. However, I definitely recommend stopping on the side and snapping some pictures!
We arrived at our Airbnb and honestly – photos don’t do it justice. The only complaint we had was the fact that there was no air conditioner, and with the fires, it was really stuffy. Luckily, the host provided fans and it was only uncomfortable the first day. Here are some of the photos of the space itself, but if you check out my instagram @tikabobika, you can see how I took advantage of these photo worthy spots!
The airbnb is actually located in Twin Peaks, which is about a 15 minute drive to Lake Gregory as well as Lake Arrowhead. We learned very quickly that food options were pretty limited, so we went to the grocery store for the majority of our trip and stocked up on easy breakfast/lunch/dinner meals. It was worth it though since we would hang out on the deck and enjoy our meal together!
As far as activities go, the truth is we spent 85% of our time in the airbnb. For us personally, we just needed to be away from home, so this was perfect. However, if you’re looking for a ton of things to do, you’re probably better off heading to Big Bear. Here are some of the activities we did for our Lake Arrowhead trip:
Hiking: We were pretty surprised with the lack of hikes that were available–not many moderate hikes! However, we did a 2.8 mile hike around Lake Gregory and it was so fun and easy taking Hazel with us! Unfortunately, that was the only real hike we did during the trip, but if you use All Trails website you can find more options that vary in difficulty.
Grass Valley Park: This park is members only, but there is a nice trail outside of the gate and the neighborhood is really nice. We walked around here for about 20 minutes and enjoyed the serene views. We saw some blue jays too!
Lake Arrowhead Village: This is the main area with more selection for food. It reminded me of a typical shopping center at first, but once you walk towards the lake, it becomes a lot more interesting. I ordered delicious waffles from Belgian Waffle Works while Akshay got a sandwich from a local deli (he is lactose intolerant so he couldn’t enjoy the waffles). However, if you do find yourself at this waffle restaurant, make sure to get the brunch waffle and add all the butter and syrup! So worth the calories! There are plenty of picnic tables and it was nice having lunch with our pup.
Lou and Eddies Pizzeria: This is located right off Highway 18, and apparently has 2 hour wait times on the weekends. We came on a Monday evening and ordered takeout. The wait was about 35-40 minutes. We ordered a pepperoni jalapeño pizza and garlic knots. I liked both, but the garlic knots are AMAZING! Only two come in an order but they’re pretty big and very garlicky!
Lake Arrowhead boat activities: You can also do a ton of boating activities, but we skipped out on that. However, we drove to the docks (which are private), but apparently this is highly discouraged by the residents. I suggest going to Lake Arrowhead village or staying at the main resort for some pretty dock photos. Also, you can drive around Lake Arrowhead and find some pretty nice viewpoints too!
All in all, it was a relaxing, memorable Lake Arrowhead trip. Having Hazel with us made it even more special. We spent most of our time hanging out on the deck, binge watching Dexter on Netflix, and reading our kindles. It was a great way to get some R&R, and I highly recommend a mini trip like this if you have been on the fence on traveling as well! If you’re interested check out my mini vlog on my YouTube channel here.
I stumbled upon your blog and this is my first read post and loved every bit of it .. much love to you
That makes me so happy! I really appreciate that so much, thank you!
Hello,
As someone who has been born and raised in Lake Arrowhead we sure do appreciate the nice things you say about our mountain community and nice representation of our community, although I am displeased with you urging people to trespass on private property. As a dock owner it is constant work to keep our lake trails and property clean and private. The private lake is exactly that private. As an owner we are responsible for anybody on the property we don’t need the trash and liabilities. Unfortunately, passed experiences have proved people trash and vandelized our trails and property. Perhaps, you can encourage the public places, like the Village or Lake Gregory to capture the perfect shot.
Hi Lauren,
I apologize if my post came off as misleading.. I had read a few previous blog posts from people who had been raised in Lake Arrowhead and they seemed to encourage it as long as people were respectful. I will go ahead and update though.