Lake Arrowhead Almanac 2012 - Mountain News

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Welcome to Lake Arrowhead
best place I’ve ever lived.” That’s how many
Lake Arrowhead residents describe their com-
“The
munity. First-time visitors get the sense of what
they mean as they are welcomed to Lake Arrowhead Village
to enjoy a concert in the summer or experience snow for
the first time in the winter.
Whether you are visiting Lake Arrowhead for the first time,
you are a weekender or live here full time, there are always
new things to discover about this community a mile in the sky.
The lake itself covers 784 acres with over 14 miles of shoreline,
has an average depth of 100 feet and is located at 5,106
feet above sea level.
The manmade lake was built to provide water to the citrus
groves in the Redlands and Riverside areas. Visitors often
ask about the blue tower that rises 195 feet above the lake.
It was originally designed to convey water “down the hill” to
San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
Today Lake Arrowhead provides drinking water to the
communities served by the Lake Arrowhead Community Services
District (see page 20). The lake is owned by the Arrowhead
Lake Association (page 8), whose members may use
the lake for fishing, swimming and boating. ALA also owns
two beach clubs on the lake and the reserve strip around the
lake that provides a trail on which members can walk.
The first settlers of Lake Arrowhead—known then as Little
Bear Lake—were loggers. That’s no surprise as the community
is surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest.
Other early visitors came to make dozens of movies in the
mountains.
Today visitors can enjoy movies made by up and coming
filmmakers at the annual Lake Arrowhead Film
Festival and they can take in some live theater put on
by the Lake Arrowhead Repertory Theatre Company.
A number of athletes have discovered Lake Arrowhead is
a good place to train because of the altitude and the crisp,
clean air. Michelle Kwan trained here in the past at the Ice
Castle International Training Center.
The pace in the mountain communities is less frenzied than
that in bigger cities. Residents, both full- and part-time, forge
strong friendships and enjoy visiting while shopping in the lo-
Lake Arrowhead Almanac • 2012
cal stores and picking up their mail at one of the local post
offices. All mail is delivered to post office boxes, making mail
call a social event.
Groceries are available at Stater Bros. in Lake Arrowhead
Village or at Jensen’s Finest Foods in
Blue Jay. Gas stations are located on Highway 18
in Rimforest and in Blue Jay Village. Banking can be done
in both Lake Arrowhead Village and Blue Jay Village, our two
“downtowns.”
If you enjoy music, hiking, theater, dance, fine dining or
just love to browse in shops, you’ll find it all here in Lake
Arrowhead. This Almanac will provide you with an initial
introduction to this gem of a community.