Titled “Big Bear Lake,” this US Geological Survey map presents one of Southern California’s most beloved mountain landscapes with the precision and restraint that made USGS cartography indispensable. The survey dates to 1970, while the map carries a 1984 imprint, offering a view of the region at a fascinating moment between postwar recreational growth and the more intensive development that would follow. At 1:24,000 scale, the map captures Big Bear Lake and its surrounding communities—Big Bear Lake, Big Bear City, Fawnskin, Moonridge, Sugarloaf, and the North and South Shore areas—with remarkable clarity. Roads, trails, forest boundaries, shorelines, and settlement patterns are rendered in the clean visual language of late twentieth-century American topographic mapping.

The central feature is Big Bear Lake itself, a high-altitude reservoir set within the San Bernardino Mountains and long cherished as a retreat from the cities below. The map traces the lake’s sinuous shoreline, the developed corridors along its southern edge, and the quieter forested reaches near Fawnskin and the North Shore. Nearby Baldwin Lake, Hardy Lake, and Lake Williams broaden the hydrological portrait of the region, revealing a landscape shaped by mountain basins, seasonal drainage, and human engineering. The surrounding San Bernardino National Forest frames the map with an unmistakable sense of elevation and wilderness, while local roads and paths suggest the area’s growing importance for skiing, hiking, boating, and mountain tourism.

The topographic character of the map is especially compelling. Dense contour lines describe the rugged relief of the San Bernardino Mountains, while hachured patterns and shaded land-cover indications add texture to steep slopes, ridges, and forested terrain. Bear Mountain, Gold Mountain, Holcomb Valley, and the high country toward the San Gorgonio Wilderness emerge not simply as names, but as sculptural forms translated into cartographic language. The USGS style is functional yet elegant: a disciplined composition of symbols, contours, grids, and labels designed to make the land intelligible. The well-executed legend in the lower corner anchors the viewer, explaining a sophisticated visual system built for both accuracy and field use.

Historically, this map records Big Bear at a pivotal stage in its evolution. By 1970, the lake and surrounding communities had already become major destinations for Southern California recreation, with skiing at Bear Mountain, hiking through national forest lands, and lakeside tourism shaping the local economy. Yet the map also preserves a landscape less saturated by later resort expansion, second-home development, and year-round accessibility. The presence of State Route 38 and networks of local roads and trails reveals the growing infrastructure of leisure, while the forested backcountry still dominates the composition. It is a document of balance: mountain settlement, public land, recreation, and wilderness held in careful cartographic tension.

The US Geological Survey brought to this landscape a tradition of mapping rooted in science, public service, and national ambition. Since the late nineteenth century, USGS topographic sheets have guided engineers, land managers, hikers, planners, geologists, and soldiers, creating a shared geographic vocabulary for the American landscape. In “Big Bear Lake,” that institutional authority is evident in every contour, symbol, and measured boundary. The map is more than a practical record of place; it is a portrait of how the federal government observed, organized, and understood the mountainous West. For collectors, it offers a richly detailed view of a cherished California destination, captured with the calm precision of classic USGS cartography.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Big Bear Lake
• Big Bear City
• Fawnskin
• Baldwin Lake
• San Bernardino National Forest
• Holcomb Valley
• Bear Mountain
• Sugarloaf
• Moonridge
• North Shore
• South Shore
• Lake Arrowhead
• Hardy Lake
• Gold Mountain
• San Gorgonio Wilderness
• Lake Williams
• Roads: State Route 38 and various local roads
• Trails: Multiple hiking trails and paths throughout the national forest

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map.
• Dated 1970, with a 1984 imprint.
• Created by the US Geological Survey, renowned for detailed and accurate topographical mapping used in outdoor recreation, planning, and environmental management.
• Features detailed contour lines to show elevation changes across mountainous terrain.
• Uses hachures for steeper slopes and shading to indicate variations in land cover.
• Follows a clear, functional layout typical of standard USGS mapping conventions.
• Highlights the rugged topography of the San Bernardino Mountains.
• Reflects an area that has changed significantly since 1970 through development, recreation, increased tourism, and shifting land use.
• Includes a well-executed legend and visual styling characteristic of USGS maps from the period.

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.