The Ghost Slopes Behind the Village: Big Bear’s Forgotten Ski Resort

Tucked into the pines behind the Village and just up the street from the Knickerbocker Mansion, there’s hidden story written into the hillside. One of chairlifts that no longer turn. Of runs that nature has reclaimed. Of a ski resort that simply… faded away.

This is the story of Snow Forest, Big Bear’s forgotten mountain.

A Mountain Born in the Boom Years

In the mid-20th century, Big Bear wasn’t just a getaway, it was becoming the Southern California ski destination. Small rope tows popped up across the valley, and by the 1950s and 60s, lift-served skiing began transforming the region into a winter powerhouse.

Snow Forest emerged during this golden era, built on the momentum of a rapidly growing ski culture. Positioned just east of the Village, it was perfectly located. Close enough for convenience, but just far enough to feel like its own escape.

For a time, it worked.

Skiers rode its lifts, families gathered in its lodge, and the slopes echoed with the same excitement you still feel today at nearby resorts.

The Rise of Giants—and the Fall of Small Resorts

But Big Bear didn’t stop growing.

Resorts like Snow Summit and what would become Bear Mountain began investing heavily in longer lifts, better snowmaking, bigger terrain. As technology improved and expectations rose, smaller operations like Snow Forest struggled to keep up.

Snowmaking, in particular, changed everything. Resorts that could afford it thrived during dry winters. Those that couldn’t… didn’t.

By the early 1990s, Snow Forest had closed permanently. Its lifts were removed, its buildings left behind, and its trails slowly disappeared into the forest.

No grand shutdown. No dramatic ending. Just a quiet exit.

What’s Left Today

If you know where to look, you can still find it.

A faint road where skiers once lined up.
Fragments of infrastructure tucked between trees.
Clearings that don’t quite feel natural, because they weren’t.

Locals and explorers still wander through the area, sometimes stumbling across old lift lines or traces of runs. One Reddit user described finding “old infrastructure” and maps dating back to the 1950s, confirming what the terrain still hints at today.

Others remember it differently:

“Closed 40 years ago… would be awesome if someone could renovate it.”

There’s a certain stillness to the place now. Not eerie, exactly—just quiet in a way that feels intentional.

Nature Always Wins

What’s most striking about Snow Forest isn’t what’s left, it’s what’s come back.

Pine trees reclaim old runs.
Wildlife moves through what used to be lift corridors.
Snow falls the same way it always has, just without the crowds.

It’s a reminder that ski resorts, for all their energy and investment, are temporary marks on a much older landscape.

A Hidden Chapter of Big Bear

Big Bear is still very much a ski town. That identity took shape decades ago and continues today with thriving resorts and year-round tourism.

But places like Snow Forest add depth to that story.

They remind you that not every slope survives.
That progress often leaves things behind.
And that sometimes, the most interesting parts of a place aren’t the ones on the map, but the ones just beyond it.

If You Go Looking

If you decide to explore, be respectful. Much of the land is unmaintained, and conditions can be unpredictable. There are no signs pointing the way, and that’s part of the appeal.

Because standing there, among the trees and the silence, you can still feel an era gone by.