Southern California is known for its warm, sunny weather, but there is a winter season in the Golden State. If you’re taking a trip to SoCal in the cooler weather, you may wonder what the locals are up to. Now you can spend your winter vacation living like a SoCal native. But remember, while you may be tempted to bring just shorts and bikinis after watching too many tv shows set in SoCal, remember it does get chilly, so always bring a jacket in case of rain.
Skiing
Just because Southern California rarely sees snow doesn’t mean you can’t go skiing. Two of the most popular SoCal ski resorts are located in Big Bear, a beautiful lake area with stunning natural scenery and adequately cool temperatures, in the winter at least, to operate snow-making machines. While many scoff at the idea of Southern California skiing the mountains offer quality trails for skiers of all levels, from bunny slopes to triple black diamond routes.
Get your skis from a rental agency off-the resort if you want to save some green and make sure to book a cabin or hotel room in the Big Bear area early because these do sell out fast in December and January and the resorts themselves do not offer lodging. Also, be sure to wear sunscreen in order to protect your skin, as sunshine bounces off the snow and ice and right onto your face.
Bear Mountain Ski Resort:
43101 Goldmine Drive
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
(909) 866-5766
www.bearmountain.com/
Snow Summit Mountain Resort:
880 Summit Blvd.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
(909) 866-5766
www.snowsummit.comIce Skating
You may be able to ice skate all over America in the winter, but its unusual to be able to ice skate in the sun beside the beach. The SoCal ice skating rinks are fake, refrigerated, mobile ice pits, meaning they really can be placed all over. Most rinks are open daily between late November and early March, but they are usually removed the rest of the year because they would be too expensive to run in the warm, sunny weather of a SoCal summer.
While there are many places a person can ice skate in Southern California, one of the most unique is the ice rink outside of the famous Hotel Del Coronado. This beautiful rink is located on the beautiful Coronado beach, allowing skaters a one-of-a-kind skating experience. This rink is suitable for couples, families and singles. The ice is usually uncrowded, provided you don’t go on a Sunday or Saturday afternoon, when most of the locals come out.
Hotel Del Coronado:
1500 Orange Ave
(800) 468-3533
http://www.hoteldel.com/holidays.aspxDisneyland
Disneyland is a huge SoCal attraction, but visiting in the summer means long lines, huge crowds and majorly hot weather. If you visit a lot, you’ll notice locals rarely visit in the summer. If you get the opportunity, visit in the winter and enjoy the Christmas decorations, the winter parade and the Nightmare Before Christmas renovations in the Haunted Mansion. Even better, visit on a drizzly day with light, on-and-off rain showers and you’ll have hardly any lines ahead of you.
Disneyland:
1313 S Harbor Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 635-2300Deserts and Beaches
The constant sun in California is glorified around the world, unfortunately, it can actually be a burden on some forms of activities like seashell hunting and trips to the east of the state. The seashells in California are constantly ransacked by mid-spring because our wonderful weather brings so many visitors to the beaches. Fortunately, even sunny SoCal is too cold for winter-time dips in the ocean, allowing for optimal seashell hunting weather. Sand dollars, mussels and small conch shells are usually the common finds.
Another great winter option is the normally off-limits desert areas. Try exploring the Anza Borego Desert, Death Valley, the Salton Sea, the Mojave Desert or any other warm-weather SoCal stop while the weather’s cool. Stay in a hotel and bring a jacket -it gets mighty cold near the night time in these areas. Also, keep up on the local weather news in order to avoid the flash floods and snow storms that can be common this time of year.
