It’s surprising that a favorite hangout for Southern California movie stars is also a place that places an emphasis on family values. At Lake Arrowhead, stars blend seamlessly into everyday small-town American families.
We were walking the waterfront trail in front of the Lake Arrowhead Resort and ran into one of the town fathers, a guy whose job it was to walk about 20 miles around the lake, checking to make sure the trails were not only walkable, but pristine as well. . as any semi-exclusive enclave should be. He spoke of the movie stars who live in Arrowhead as good people every day. He talked about how his daughter had won the national championship in water skiing, and how water skiing was as closely followed here as football or basketball was at Heartland.
Well, okay, Lake Arrowhead isn’t exactly Des Moines, Iowa. But it does have a small-town, Southern California-style feel to it.
We went to Lake Arrowhead for a weekend at the newly renovated Lake Arrowhead Resort, the area’s largest and best-located resort that has just taken a quantum leap in its overall appeal to getaway travelers. Prior to the recent renovation, the resort was getting a bit tired and starting to show its age. But it’s amazing what $17 million can do: The resort underwent a total transformation.
The renovation was massive and included all 173 rooms, as well as the spa, restaurant and bar. New swivel plasma televisions, walk-in showers, and an overall feeling of luxury and class are evident in the rooms. Some of the rooms have beautiful views of the lake; others look out over alpine forests. The new restaurant, BIN189, is also at least a notch or two better than its predecessor, in part due to the efforts of Stewart Redhead, the new executive chef who trained in New Orleans before serving in the same city as executive chef of the W. Hotel.
It’s no wonder June Lockhart makes the Lake Arrowhead Resort her home when she visits her childhood favorite, Lake Arrowhead. Peter Henry, the resort’s general manager, is a friend of Lockhart’s and this is just the latest of many luxury resorts where she has been in charge.
Aside from the obvious charms that come with a mountain lake in the middle of a picturesque forest, Lake Arrowhead has a fun shopping district called Lake Arrowhead Village. Not your typical mall, the town somehow blends high-end boutiques with tourist shops and amusement rides to appeal to just about any kind of visitor. It’s a five minute walk from Lake Arrowhead Resort to the village, where you can also find several different restaurants and, in the warmer months, listen to live music in a rather elaborate concert area. While we were there, the Rockit scientists kept the crowd dancing while drinking craft beers just steps from the dance floor.
For an even better view of the lake, visitors can board the Arrowhead Queen, a Louisiana-style paddle-wheeler that takes visitors on a 50-minute tour of the lake. On a busy summer day you will see many small boats, many towing water skiers. And it’s fun to look at expensive waterfront homes and imagine what it would be like to have a lake in your backyard.
There are also many hiking trails in the Arrowhead Lake area – trips of various lengths and degrees of difficulty. The lake is at 5,100 feet elevation and is nestled in a forest of pine, cedar, and dogwood trees that occasionally give way to great views of the San Bernardino Mountains. A very easy trail to start is at Heap’s Peak Arboretum, easily accessible off Highway 18. This half-mile interpretive trail identifies some of the 2,000 species of flora and nearly 400 species of fauna found on these picturesque mountains. You’ll be treated to views that offer a reminder of why the Lake Arrowhead area has been chosen as the backdrop for so many movies. There is also a special children’s trail that shows what various animal tracks look like.
Of course, there are still more trails a few miles further into the mountains, where the Big Bear Lake resort community offers many recreational activities of its own. There are also dozens of lodging facilities in the area, many more than Lake Arrowhead, creating a completely different atmosphere and experience. Big Bear has more activities and accommodations; Arrowhead is quieter, more residential, and a bit easier to reach from Los Angeles.
As we flipped through the local magazines, we noticed an ad for a place called Wildhaven, a ranch dedicated to rehabilitating sick or injured animals. It’s not the kind of place where you can just walk in, pay your admission and see the animals. You need to call ahead and find out when they are scheduling their shows and tours, which are usually on weekends.
Wildhaven is well worth this little extra hassle. It’s just a three-mile drive from Lake Arrowhead Resort to Wildhaven and you’ll pass through some “rough” residential areas, then through the woods and finally through some rolling hills until you come to an area destroyed by fire in October 2003. Here in a while that the 30-acre Wildhaven complex was damaged by fire, and directors Roger and Diane Williams went to great lengths to rebuild it into a facility capable of housing a variety of animals native to the San Bernardino Mountains.
The Williamses give a full performance in a small theater where they bring out various little creatures and explain where they come from and how they are progressing in their rehabilitation. Most interesting are the personal details Diane provides about how, as a child growing up in a troubled home, she discovered that animals helped her find solace and a reason to live. She then knew that caring for the animals would be her job for the rest of her life.
Many of the animals in Wildhaven will not be able to re-enter the wild because they may have limited physical abilities, such as a bird’s inability to fly, or because they have been tamed too much. During one demonstration, the resident mule deer was eating out of the handler’s hand and showing no fear of the group of human onlookers. As Roger explained, “I wouldn’t last an hour during hunting season.”
Owls, raccoons, bobcats, coyotes, eagles – there were many species to observe during our visit. Especially entertaining were the two black bears doing their tricks and playing in their bathtubs while visitors watched from just a few feet away from their cage. Overall it turned out to be an ideal family activity that was both fun and informative.
Wildhaven is just another reason you might consider Lake Arrowhead for your next family vacation. There’s plenty of luxury and atmosphere for the grown-ups, but it’s also a chance to visit the Great Outdoors and teach your kids a little about how it all got there.
TAKE A LOOK
WHERE: Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear are located about two hours east of Los Angeles and can be reached by driving along a scenic, if winding, highway northeast of San Bernardino.
WHAT: Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear share the same wooded feel and cold winter temperatures. Arrowhead is smaller, a bit quaint, and makes for a quiet, romantic getaway. Big Bear offers a bigger city, but many more dining and lodging options. Both offer a variety of shops and boutiques.
WHEN: All year. The shoulder seasons are less crowded, but both summer and winter are popular due to the many outdoor activities in the area.
WHY: A complete contrast to the Southern California climate and lifestyle, yet only an hour from hot places like Palm Springs.
HOW: For more information about Lake Arrowhead, contact the Lake Arrowhead Chamber of Commerce at 909-337-3715 or visit http://www.lakearrowhead.net. For more information about Lake Arrowhead Resort, call 800-800-6792 or visit http://www.laresort.com. For more information about Wildhaven, call 909-337-1391 or visit http://www.wildhaven.org.