Michael and I went on a little day trip to the cutest little lake town, Lake Arrowhead! It’s about a 2.5 hour drive from San Diego and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a something fun and quick to do. You could also stay the weekend and visit Big Bear too – it’s right next to Lake Arrowhead!

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The drive up is beautiful. A crazy surprise was we turned onto what was called the Rim Of The World Highway and emerged into the clouds!! Breathtaking. It’s a bit dangerous if you go during a winter morning because it literally is blinding white and the clouds are so thick you cannot see, but it’s really peaceful…I imagine death and the entrance to heaven be something like this.

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There is nothing like lakes – so captivating, calming. And then right next to the lake is the quaint but lively Lake Arrowhead Village. There were tons of people (and dogs) and even a parade going through! With the majestic backdrop of mountains and forest – it’s like a painting out of a fairytale book.

For lunch, we enjoyed ourselves at homey Papagayos. Afterwards, we walked it off by strolling around the village and perusing the shops. We picked up some dress shirts for Michael and got a caramel apple for dessert before heading out!

Lake Arrowhead Itinerary:

• Where To Stay:
  There are cute AirBnBs near the lake or Big Bear, but consider Riverside (much cheaper, I’m sure)! It’s the closest city, located at the base of the mountains. We stayed at the Riverside Downtown Hyatt Place! (*Free with points)
  
  Note: You don’t need more than a day to explore Lake Arrowhead. So if you live nearby (i.e. in SD) and don’t want to pay for a hotel/airbnb, you do not need to stay overnight and could just drive home!
• Where To Eat:
  There’s not much to choose from in the village – and they all have long waits. On the drive up, we saw Hortencia’s At the Cliffhanger and it’s literally dining on the cliff overviewing the Rim of the World. The parking lot was overflowing, but next time I’ll definitely call ahead and try to get a reservation there!
  
  Note: They have a McDonalds but it is packed! There’s also a Stater Bros in the village if you need groceries.
• What To Do:
  • Walk through the village (bring your dog!)
  • Pull over on the drive up and take pictures along the Rim Of The World
  • Drive through the lakehouses (I love to dream and imagine what it’d be like to live a slow life in a lakehouse!)
  • We didn’t do this, but you can purchase tickets to ride the Lake Arrowhead Queen around the lake. Great if you have kids
• My Favorite Part:
  Driving up through Rim Of The World highway and the picturesque lake

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On the way home, the clouds cleared up and we could see the view from the Rim Of The World Highway. We had to pull over and take it in! #blessings

For dinner we ordered in some pho to keep us warm. It was so delicious, we ordered it again the next night! Btw, the apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory was excellent! As I type this now, I’d love another one *o*

Thank you everyone for reading!! And thank you to my sweetie Michael for always making memories with me~

See you next week!

Xo,
Em