Bear Valley is the Life Hack you need: Still close to the Bay Area, but secluded enough to feel like you’re in a remote location. Great skiing, relief from the summer heat, amazing views, true nature—but no Tahoe traffic, crowds, OR prices. Winter or summer, Bear Valley delivers, and then some. “Always Open” Highway 4 is your gateway to adventure, relaxation and connection, and you’re only a few hours east of the Bay Area.
**WINTER ACCESS—MUST READ** Once the snow comes to Bear Valley, THE VILLAGE ROADS ARE CLOSED TO PASSENGER CARS. Instead, the roads are groomed for skiing, snowmobiling, and foot traffic. Though we are a VERY short walk from the loading area, it’s important that anyone visiting Bear Valley during the winter months understands that your cars or trucks WILL NOT BE PARKED IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE. Please message us to discuss before booking, if this is a concern, and feel comfortable knowing that we learned about this and have gladly handled the process for 11 years, because it’s what makes Bear Valley even more special. We are very close to parking—less than a 5-minute walk—and we provide a cargo sled you can use to transport your stuff. If you don’t want to haul your luggage and gear by hand, hire the local "snowmobile taxi" guy to transport you in and out for a flat price. Why use your car at all, while you’re up in Bear Valley during the winter? Proximity to the loading zone has extra benefits, because you can quickly ski or board down to the resort shuttle and get a lift up to Bear Valley Ski Resort for free! You can also access the Nordic ski area, sledding, and snowshoeing. EXTRA-SPECIAL BONUS: Intermediate/advanced skiiers/snowboarders can head home down the back side of the mountain, right up to the house, via Lunch Run or Home Run.
FEES
NIGHTLY RATE / ADDITIONAL GUESTS: The house can comfortably accommodate 4 adults in the two main bedrooms plus 5 kids/teens in the “Bunk Room”. Our nightly rate is therefore based on 9 guests, with additional people adding $25/night (VRBO calculates this for you). (NOTE: There are two full bathrooms, one in the Master Bath, and one next to the Queen-bed room and the Bunk Room, which are on the top floor and bottom floor, respectively. The half-bath is located off of the main living/dining/kitchen area.)
HOUSEKEEPING: Our amazing cleaners charge us a flat fee of $375 winter or summer, which we ask you to pay. (Think about it: they have to take the laundry in and out on a snowmobile!)
ALPINE COUNTY TAX: We must collect a 14% Transient Occupancy Tax for Alpine County.
DAMAGE DEPOSIT: Your $500 deposit ('Property Fees') will be fully refunded upon confirmation of Before Leaving Checklist items and no damage to major items (we won't ding you for a dropped mug, but the smoking fee will be deducted if there was smoking in the house, etc.).
ABOUT THE HOUSE
Our house is organized for two families with children of any age. There's a pac n'play (with sheets), a booster seat with tray, a varied selection of books, and an arts-and-crafts nook specifically for puzzles or art projects. We have smart TVs in the living room, Bunk Room, and Master bedroom. Always provided: Quality linens, basic necessities including pantry staples and herbs and spices, lots of board games, varied snow gear like extra mittens for children, and outdoor gear (including sleds for winter, and kayaks for summer).
We know the pain of coming home from a day of skiing or kayaking and trying to get 9 people shuttled through a single shower at a rental house—or getting 5 kids to brush their teeth at a single sink—so we’ve made sure you won’t have to deal with that, here! The Master bath has a shower with two heads—one standard, one Euro—and a bench. The two-sink vanity allows for clutter-free flow. The downstairs bath contains a tub-shower and another two-sink vanity.
The open living/dining/kitchen area is perfect for gathering at the end of the day, and allows everyone to spread out while still feeling together:
- The living room area contains a large sofa, smart TV (Roku, and BD player), and the wood burning stove.
- The dining table comfortably seats 10, and if you really want to squish you’d be able to have 12 at the table.
- A sliding door next to the dining table leads to the deck. When the snow is gone, the spacious deck and outdoor table invite lazy mornings, outdoor boardgame or card sessions, and evening meals under the stars. In the warmer months, the grill is connected to the house, so there’s no filling propane bottles! The deck is one of the best areas of the house for relaxing (and for sipping a drink while you grill).
- The kitchen is set up to feed families. We lose our minds when we rent a house with our friends that sleeps 10 and find it has one 3qt pot with no lid, a warped 10” skillet, a chipped knife that can’t cut softened butter, and no salt/oil/flour/spices/etc., so we made sure that what WE want and what WE use is also available to you! We stock some flour, sugar, baking soda and powder, salt/pepper/spices, olive oil, random vinegars, and whatever seasonings and hot sauces are stable in the fridge. We have a few larger pots, some skillets, and baking sheets. There’s also a popcorn maker, so don’t forget those kernels for movie-nights! Everyone knows that people hang around the kitchen, even if they’re not cooking, so there’s barstools on the counter to keep folks in the mix.
**NOTE:** Bear Valley has no grocery store and only 2 restaurants, so we enjoy cooking at the house when we're there.
In summer, Bear Valley ranges from 50 degrees at night to a comfortable, never-too-hot 85 or so midday. In winter, temperatures can drop to the teens. The woodstove in the living room heats the whole house, and it’s easy to make it too warm if you’re not careful. If you forget to stoke the stove, the central heating system will keep things comfortable until you get the fire started, again. Firewood is provided during the winter.
The house is a short walk away from the Village Center (350 yards; about 4 minutes, or less), where you’ll find the Lodge, some dining options, the general store, snowmobile rentals, Nordic ski opportunities, and other amenities. Remember, you can ski/board/walk down to the loading area north of the lodge and catch the free shuttle to the resort, too!
SLEEPING
There are three bedrooms total:
Top floor:
• The Master bedroom offers a California King-sized bed and a closet. The bench can be used for gearing up, or for laying open your luggage if you don’t feel like totally unpacking. There’s a lot of room for a Pac-n-Play, or sleeping pads.
Bottom floor:
• The downstairs bedroom offers a queen-sized bed on an Oysterbed frame (so you have access to all of the drawers to store your gear and clothing, if you like) and a couch. The nook contains the gear shelves where we keep all of the extra gear that you’re welcome to use, if you need it. The closet contains the Pack-n-Play, booster seat with tray, our baby hiking carrier, and extra infant/toddler snow gear in a storage rack. There’s plenty of room for a Pac-n-Play, or sleeping pads.
• The Bunk Room easily sleeps 5, as it contains two full bunks with twin-sized mattresses, and a twin-sized loft bed with drawers and shelves with more kids’ gear and toys. There is plenty of room for a Pac-n-Play, or extra sleeping pads so you can have all of the kids in one room.
WHAT TO DO IN SUMMER: Our house is a 4-minute walk from the Bear Valley Lodge (with a pool available to guests for a small fee), or a leisurely 20-minute walk from beautiful, private Bear Lake, with its sandy beach, swimming platform, and rope swing. Alpine Lake is a 15-minute drive. Head down to Union, Utica, or Spicer reservoirs for a gorgeous Sierra experience, or continue east on Highway 4 to explore Kinney Lakes and reservoir, Mosquito Lakes, or push on to Nevada. Summer provides amazing hiking, mountain-biking, camping, and kayaking opportunities.
