Fawnskin East

“Fawnskin East” is the portion of Fawnskin located west of Stanfield Cutoff, on the North Shore, on both sides of Hwy 38/North Shore Drive.

The area is sparsely populated, with most of the land within the boundaries owned by the U.S. Forest Service and designated as National Forest Land.

There is a small enclave of “government lease” cabins located in the Minnelusa Canyon area; privately-owned cabins situated on forest land leased from the USFS.  Another historic and charming neighborhood of lease cabins sits further west and is known as the Polique Canyon tract, with many of the preserved vintage cabins built of local logs with the bark still on the outside!  A handful of private homes, both lakefront and across-the-street from the lake, front North Shore Drive to the west as you head toward Fawnskin itself.

Fawnskin East is home to the popular and acclaimed “Big Bear Discovery Center,” owned and operated by the USFS and providing a multitude of activities and events year ‘round.  It is also home to the world-famous Big Bear Solar Observatory, originally built by CalTech but now owned and operated by the New Jersey Institute of Technology.  The Observatory conducts research on the sun, from an atmospheric vantage point available nowhere but Big Bear!

Also within Fawnskin east are two popular RV resorts – the upscale Big Bear Shores resort offering deeded recreational vehicle sites and high-end amenities, and just next-door, the historic and still family-owned and operated “Lighthouse Camp” offering RV campsites and a quaint general store.  Nearby are a USFS owned-and operated campground and public day use picnic area.

Serving as the “gateway to Fawnskin” when traveling from the east, the area is stunningly natural, with beautiful lake, mountain and ski slope views, towering pines, and offers a peek back at the way “Big Bear used to be!”