Best of Big Bear lists and independent place reviews

Understanding our rankings

Near Big Bear provides independent guides to the Big Bear area, including Snow Summit and the surrounding towns. Our "Best" lists are designed to help you discover the top places to eat, hike, and explore. We rank restaurants, pizza spots, hikes, and activities based on a score out of 10. The specific criteria and their weighting are clearly outlined on each list, and we note the date each list was last checked.

Jenna Whitcomb builds the place pages and the Best lists. The data for these lists comes from various sources, including each business's official website, OpenStreetMap, and information from the US Forest Service. We also review public comments to identify recurring themes, but we do not copy them directly.

Scoring and updates

The scoring for our lists is based on specific categories. For restaurants and pizza places, we consider food and drink (40%), value (20%), service and wait times (20%), and setting (20%). For things to do, the experience itself accounts for 40%, with value, crowds and wait times, and setting and access each making up 20%.

Hikes are evaluated differently, focusing on views and payoff (40%), trail quality (20%), access and parking (20%), and crowds (20%). It's important to note that some places may have a dedicated review page but do not receive a score on these specific lists.

We recheck our lists when a business undergoes significant changes, such as altering its offerings, closing, or changing its name. We also update them if a reader reports an error via our contact page.

Our commitment to independence

Near Big Bear operates as an independent guide. No business pays for a listing, review, or ranking on our site. Our editorial team does not accept complimentary meals, stays, or tickets in exchange for coverage.

The four main "Best" lists cover restaurants, pizza, hikes, and things to do in the Big Bear area. Marcus Delgado checks every review and ranking before publication.