Lake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest, and surrounding the eponymous Lake Arrowhead Reservoir. Lake Arrowhead is located north east of the San Bernardino city limits. The population of the CDP was estimated at 12,401 in the 2020 census. It was called "Little Bear Lake" until around 1920, when a group from Los Angeles, the Arrowhead Lake Company, bought the lake and the land surrounding it, and changed its name to Arrowhead Lake.
Tourism is the primary economic generator for the area, contributing several million dollars per year to the county and providing hundreds of full-time and part-time jobs for local residents. The area is host to over four million visitors a year. Lake Arrowhead offers over 1,600 guest accommodations, including more than 1,200 licensed vacation rentals on platforms like Airbnb and VRBO, around 175 rooms at the Lake Arrowhead Resort & Spa, and over 100 rooms at the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Lodge.
Economy
As a scenic mountain resort in the San Bernardino Mountains, Lake Arrowhead's economy is almost completely supported by tourism, both by casual vacationers and part-time residents. The primary tourism industries include real estate, lodging, dining, recreation, and retail sales.
While Lake Arrowhead has no official town center, the Lake Arrowhead Village serves as the main commercial area for both locals and tourists and includes a number of factory outlets, boutiques, restaurants, two banks, a post office and a supermarket. One author visiting in 1978 described it as a "clean, Swiss-like community with many chalets." Lake Arrowhead Village also hosts events all year long including a free Summer Concert Series, the county's largest free Oktoberfest and many other themed events such as car shows, dog shows, the Tour de Lake Arrowhead, Home Expo, and the popular Antique Wooden Boat Show.
The University of California, Los Angeles operates the nearby UCLA Conference Center, a full-service conference facility with lodging and meeting space. Other major employers include Mountains Community Hospital and Rim of the World Unified School District.Search Results - Lake Arrowhead, California - ReferenceUSA Current Businesses
Logging in the San Bernardino Mountains was once done on a large scale, with the Brookings Lumber Company operation one of the largest. It operated on between Fredalba and Hunsaker Flats (present-day Running Springs), between 1899 and 1912. It built a logging railroad to bring logs to the mill at Fredalba. The Shay locomotives had to be disassembled and hauled by wagon up the mountain, since the railroad operated in the high country but did not connect to other railroads in lowlands. Finished lumber was hauled by wagon down the steep grades to the Molino Box Factory in Highland, California.
History The area now known as Lake Arrowhead was originally called Little Bear Valley. In the late 1800s, developers began damming Little Bear Creek to create a reservoir for irrigation and hydroelectric use. By 1904, the Arrowhead Reservoir Company had taken over the project, but in 1913, a landmark court decision prohibited the diversion of water across watershed boundaries, halting further irrigation plans.
In 1920, a Los Angeles-based group purchased the lake and surrounding land, forming the Arrowhead Lake Company. Between 1921 and 1923, they built a Norman-style resort village that included a pavilion, outdoor theater, dance hall, golf course, beach, and hotel. The development officially opened in June 1922 and began attracting tourists and second-home buyers from Southern California.
Lake Arrowhead continued evolving as a resort destination through the mid-20th century, frequented by Hollywood celebrities and wealthy families. In 1960, businessman Jules Berman and partners acquired the lake property, launching new development through the Lake Arrowhead Development Company. By the late 1960s, the area was acquired by Boise Cascade, which subdivided large portions for residential sales before exiting in the early 1970s.
Today, much of Lake Arrowhead’s infrastructure—roads, water, and sewer systems—is managed by the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District (LACSD), which was formed in 1978 after the dissolution of prior private utilities.
Legal challenges Lake Arrowhead has faced multiple legal disputes related to land use, water rights, and environmental impacts.
Water Rights dispute with LACSD In 2003, local property owners petitioned the California State Water Resources Control Board, arguing that the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District (LACSD) was withdrawing water from the lake without proper rights. In 2005, the Board ruled against LACSD, imposing fines and requiring the district to secure alternative water rights. A legal settlement was reached in 2006, allowing continued water use under regulated conditions.
Additional challenges emerged in 2005 when conservation groups sued over county approval of large housing developments, alleging violations of California environmental law. The project was ultimately halted in court.
Short-term rental (STR) access lawsuit In 2020, the Arrowhead Lake Association (ALA) amended its bylaws to restrict lake and reserve-strip access for short-term renters—those staying less than 30 days. In response, a group of property owners organized as Vertical Web Ventures, sued ALA in San Bernardino County Superior Court in July 2022, alleging the change violated a 1964 agreement that guarantees access to owners and their lessees (including short-term renters).
By January 2022, Judge Gilbert Ochoa issued a preliminary injunction reinstating lake access for qualifying short-term renters and non-member property owners, finding they were likely to prevail in proving that ALA had overextended its authority under the 1964 agreement.
When the Superior Court injunction took effect, ALA issued new access rules allowing short-term renters to use the lake and tracks, provided they were listed on an ALA member’s permit and held an RFID card.
Following the injunction, the lawsuit was resolved through a settlement. Under the agreement, ALA:
Revised its bylaws to allow short-term renters and non-member owners access to the lake when listed on a valid ALA permit; Agreed not to enforce Section C of its bylaws, which had previously banned those renters; Confirmed that compliance with the 1964 Agreement governs future access rules.
Although the detailed settlement terms were not publicly available in full, this resolution reinforced Vertical Web Ventures’ central argument—that ALA had overstepped by applying its bylaws inconsistently with the surface access rights guaranteed by the 1964 Agreement.
Arrowhead Water/Blue Triton lawsuit Lake Arrowhead has also been cited in regulatory disputes surrounding bottled water. In 2023, state agencies intervened in spring water withdrawals used by Arrowhead-branded bottled water, citing environmental concerns. A 2025 court ruling later allowed some of those operations to resume.
PFAS contamination lawsuit In 2025, class-action lawsuits were filed regarding PFAS contamination in the area’s drinking water. While local agencies maintained water safety, residents alleged exposure to harmful chemicals and sought damages.
Geography
Lake Arrowhead is located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, about 20 minutes north of the San Bernardino city limits. Its economic center is at the intersection of State Routes 173 and 189. The CDP has a total area of 19.0 square miles (49.1 km), of which 17.7 square miles (45.9 km) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.2 km; 6.46%) is water.
Lake Arrowhead is a private lake governed by the Arrowhead Lake Association and is for restricted use by Lake Arrowhead property owners.
Lake size: (capacity) Shoreline: Elevation: 5106.70 (capacity) Maximum depth: Lake width: Lake length:
Outside of Lake Arrowhead Village there are several residential communities, which include Cedar Glen, Blue Jay, Rimforest, Skyforest, Twin Peaks, Crest Park, Hook Creek Tract, Deer Lodge Park, Arrowhead Villas, Grass Valley, and Agua Fria. There are three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school in the area."Rim of the World Unified School District". 2011. Last accessed 28 Mar 2011. north of Lake Arrowhead is the Pacific Crest Trail.
Santa's Village at Lake Arrowhead was a popular theme park from 1955 to 1998, and reopened in 2016. It was the first franchised one in the United States, with two others in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Illinois.
Demographics
Lake Arrowhead was first listed as an unincorporated place in the 1970 U.S. census; and then as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. census.
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Lake Arrowhead had a population of 12,401. The population density was . The median age was 49.3 years. The age distribution was 19.0% under the age of 18, 6.6% aged 18 to 24, 20.2% aged 25 to 44, 29.2% aged 45 to 64, and 25.0% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.9 males.
The census reported that 99.8% of the population lived in households and 20 people (0.2%) were institutionalized. In total, 96.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 4.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 5,113 households, of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.0% were married-couple households, 4.9% were cohabiting-couple households, 20.0% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 22.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 26.9% of households were one-person households, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42, and there were 3,447 families (67.4% of all households).
There were 11,737 housing units at an average density of , of which 43.6% were occupied and 56.4% were vacant. Of occupied housing units, 77.3% were owner-occupied and 22.7% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 18.6%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 9,227 74.4% Black or African American 129 1.0% American Indian and Alaska Native 97 0.8% Asian 191 1.5% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 26 0.2% Some other race 1,254 10.1% Two or more races 1,477 11.9% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 3,022 24.4%
2010 census At the 2010 census Lake Arrowhead had a population of 12,424. The population density was . The racial makeup of Lake Arrowhead was 10,729 (86.4%) White (73.0% Non-Hispanic White), 95 (0.8%) African American, 93 (0.7%) Native American, 152 (1.2%) Asian, 33 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 847 (6.8%) from other races, and 475 (3.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,709 persons (21.8%).
The census reported that 12,389 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 16 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 19 (0.2%) were institutionalized.
There were 4,672 households, 1,563 (33.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,746 (58.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 413 (8.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 258 (5.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 217 (4.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 64 (1.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 984 households (21.1%) were one person and 358 (7.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.65. There were 3,417 families (73.1% of households); the average family size was 3.07.