Big Bear Lake

2.5 hours southeast of Edwards - just 111 miles away, you can find yourself at 7,000 ft elevation in Big Bear. This place has trees, hiking trails, a lake and so much more. While there are plenty of cabins and hotels surrounding Big Bear Lake, consider the Miramar Marine Corps cabins. They have a handful of cabins that vary in price depending on the season - plus there are a few peculiar rules, so check their website.

Miramar's cabins are fully furnished and have a room for 6: a master bedroom downstairs and two beds in the loft. There's a grill out back, a great playground for the kids, a veritable movie collection and board games to borrow. If you're in town during the summer, rent the facility's pontoon boat or canoe for the day.

Our recent trip to Big Bear was a blast; shared with a family in our squadron who brought their two fabulous kids. Big Bear was a cool 75F in June and we enjoyed all the area had to offer. Our favorite stop (a great stop even without kids) was the Alpine Slide, a quarter mile track of pure downhill joy. $4 per ride. We also checked out the Big Bear Discovery Center and went on several short hikes.

It was loads of fun to cook at our cabin, we did stop in to the Big Bear Mountain Brewery. It was 11:30am, so I can't say much about the beer - but the lunch plates were eclectic and satisfying. Incidentally, the weekend we went was also bike weekend in Big Bear and the bikers swarmed the brewery. So it must be good.