Facility Overview
The Clubhouse Lot at 43092 Goldmine Drive is a premier upper-tier surface parking facility serving visitors to Big Bear Mountain Resort and the Bear Mountain Golf Course. Situated high in the scenic Moonridge mountain corridor of Big Bear Lake, California, this paved open-air lot provides roughly 450 parking spaces arranged in organized rows with clear lane striping and directional wayfinding. Because it is an entirely open-sky parking deck without overhead beams, structures, or low ceilings, it offers unlimited vertical clearance. This makes it exceptionally accommodating for full-size pickup trucks, passenger vans, large sport-utility vehicles, and vehicles fitted with tall cargo carriers, roof boxes, ski racks, or mountain bike mounts. However, oversized commercial buses, RVs, and travel trailers should take note of tight turning radii on mountain roads, and all visitors must heed the strict resort-wide policy: absolutely NO OVERNIGHT PARKING is allowed at any time.
Prime Location & Nearby Attractions
Located in the heart of the San Bernardino Mountains, this facility sits in direct proximity to premier outdoor sports and leisure destinations in Southern California:
- Bear Mountain Golf Course & Pro Shop: Located directly on-site at the clubhouse, offering a scenic 9-hole alpine golf experience situated at 7,000 feet elevation.
- Clubhouse Grill: Situated steps away inside the clubhouse facility, serving hearty mountain breakfast burritos, sandwiches, burgers, and beverages before or after tee times.
- Bear Mountain Ski Resort Base Area: Positioned directly across Goldmine Drive (a 1 to 2-minute walk), providing immediate access to ski lifts, world-renowned terrain parks, snow sports rental shops, and dining terraces.
- United States Adaptive Recreation Center (USARC): Located immediately adjacent at 43101 Goldmine Drive, serving adaptive athletes and winter sports participants.
- Big Bear Alpine Zoo: Located approximately 1.2 miles north down Moonridge Road, a popular family sanctuary for indigenous alpine wildlife.
- Moonridge Business District: Located roughly 1 mile north, home to mountain cafes, ski tuning shops, and casual village eateries.
- Snow Summit Mountain Resort: Located 3 miles west and linked during winter and summer operations via the resort's free inter-mountain shuttle line.
Access, Navigation & Transit Connectivity
The Clubhouse Lot is accessed directly from Goldmine Drive, which serves as the primary gateway into the Bear Mountain resort basin. Drivers reach the property by traveling south along Moonridge Road from Big Bear Boulevard (CA-18), passing through the scenic residential and commercial stretches of the Moonridge district. During peak ski mornings, traffic flaggers and resort parking staff guide vehicles efficiently into designated aisles. Post-event and afternoon outbound traffic travels north on Moonridge Road toward Highway 18 and Highway 38, where heavy traffic is common on winter weekend afternoons. In terms of public transit, visitors can leave their cars in the lot and catch the complimentary Mountain Transit and BBMR inter-resort shuttle, which connects Bear Mountain seamlessly with Snow Summit, free remote overflow park-and-ride lots (such as Moonridge and Sandalwood), and the wider Big Bear Valley transit network.
Facility Amenities & Key Features
- Open-Air Surface Parking: Single-level asphalt parking lot offering unlimited vertical headroom for high-profile vehicles, roof racks, and ski boxes.
- Direct Slopeside & Clubhouse Foot Access: Ultra-short walking distance to Bear Mountain chairlifts, the ticket windows, and the golf clubhouse.
- Designated ADA Accessible Stalls: Level, clearly signed accessible parking stalls situated along paved pedestrian crossings near the clubhouse entrance.
- Winter Reserved Parking Check-In: Dedicated attendant check-in points during designated peak winter weekends when daily paid reservations are enforced.
- Transit Shuttle Stop: Walking proximity to official Mountain Transit stop shelters and resort inter-mountain shuttle loops.
- Strict Tow-Away Enforcement: Zero-tolerance policy for overnight vehicles, ensuring all bays are cleared for morning resort operations and municipal snowplows.
Ideal For
- Bear Mountain Skiers and Snowboarders: Winter alpine sports enthusiasts who want premier upper-lot proximity without waiting for remote lot shuttles.
- Alpine Golfers: Players carrying golf clubs directly from their trunk to the driving range, putting greens, or first tee at the Bear Mountain Golf Course.
- Clubhouse Grill Diners: Visitors dropping in for breakfast, lunch, or patio drinks with fairway and mountain slope views.
- Mountain Bikers & Trail Explorers: Summer visitors renting e-bikes or setting out on local forest singletrack trails like the Skyline and Bristlecone loops.
- Event & Glow Golf Attendees: Guests participating in summer twilight golf events, demo days, and seasonal resort festivities.
Visitor & Driver Tips
Planning ahead is essential when visiting this high-elevation mountain facility. During winter operations (typically December through March), Big Bear Mountain Resort implements daily paid parking in the upper base lots—including the Clubhouse Lot—on peak weekends and holiday periods. Spaces on these dates must be pre-purchased online via the resort's official ticketing system; failing to reserve in advance often results in being rerouted to off-site satellite shuttle lots down the mountain. In the summer months, parking is generally complimentary for golfers and dining patrons except during major sanctioned biking or downhill racing events. Drivers should note that overnight parking or sleeping in vehicles is strictly prohibited; parking enforcement and local tow operators patrol the lot nightly, and winter snow removal operations require immediate clearing of all parked cars. During winter storm cycles, always monitor Caltrans road conditions on CA-330, CA-18, and CA-38, carry tire chains in your trunk, and arrive before 8:00 AM on busy powder days to ensure smooth ingress.