Y’all! Fall is upon us and I’m longing to head back up to the mountains and Lake Arrowhead. We had the best time on our trip last month, a few crazy moments, no near death experiences, and only a few meltdowns! Totally calling it a good trip considering it was a 4 to 2, kid to mom ratio! We stayed at the cutest little spot with some really amazing views and even though I do wish we stayed a little closer to the actual lake and downtown area, this house was just too perfect for traveling with kiddos!
Here’s a little recap on what we crammed into our little 2.5 day trip with friends! And yes, I’m sure most of you think we’re crazy for taking a mid-week vacation with two moms and 4 kids under 4 but honestly, the kids are crazy at home or they’ll be crazy on vacation. I’d rather deal with the crazy in good company and with pretty views!
ADVENTURES IN LAKE ARROWHEAD
We left town Tuesday morning and got into Lake Arrowhead around noon. We checked in to the house and then headed to the downtown area of the lake, about 15 minutes away from our cabin. It was so cute and not at all crowded since it was a weekday afternoon. We stopped by the lake to see the ducks and then walked over to LolliPop Park to ride the little carnival rides!
LolliPop Park was adorable but I must say, the employees majorly lacked customer service. I’m going to chalk it up to being bored and over the summer season but man oh man, if the kids weren’t so excited, I’m not sure I would’ve stayed. Any-who, Easton and his buddy ‘C’ had the best time on the rides. Evie was a tad skeptical but ended up riding the train ride and LOVED it! The merry-go-round was a collective favorite; even the littlest guy on our trip took a ride! After Lollipop Park we headed over to Lake Arrowhead Village Pizza and stuffed our faces! I highly recommend this place. There is outside seating overlooking the lake which was great for the kids!
On Saturday, we found the cutest little hike for the kids, courtesy of our house host. We took a nature walk at Heaps Peak Arboretum where we went “bear hunting” and then went spying for animal prints along the paved area of the Arboretum! This place is a great stop for kids, especially younger kids that can’t do a full-scale hike or a hike with a lot of incline! We headed home for lunch and a little rest before we hit the lake. Unfortunately, the days we were there, Arrowhead started to get a little cooler and we didn’t plan well for that. In hindsight, we should’ve gone to the lake earlier in the day before the wind picked up and the sun started to set. We got there around 4 and it was just a tad too cold for the kids to enjoy swimming and there was a lot of complaining involved. We all found compromise by drying off and wrapping up in a towel! Next trip, we will know to do the lake earlier in the day!
The spot we were at though, the beach club, was amazing for kiddos. The beach area of the lake is really shallow and it’s in a cove so we didn’t get any boat traffic and only small waves from the few boats that did go by. Beware though, if you head to this spot during the week in “off season” the chairs will be stacked up and locked and there will not be anyone on sight so come prepared with towels or a blanket to sit on.
On Sunday, we headed to a smaller lake near our cabin where we fed ducks and played on the playground and soaked up a few last views of the trip! On our way out of town we stopped at this Mexican food place, while the food was “okay”, the view was unbelievable! We sat outside and watched a couple rock climb which was so cool! I recommend this stop for the views alone!
We had the best time at Lake Arrowhead and were a little sad to pack up and head home… one last tip, the roads around the area are a little windy, if you go with a 2 year old or older who gets carsick, pack some Dramamine! It came in handy for Easton during our trip! I gave him half a tablet before we got in the car each day (the recommended dose for his age) and he felt fine the whole time!
I can’t wait to plan our next trip to the mountains. There is something so amazing about being up in the mountains, seemingly on top of the world, breathing the fresh air and being surrounded by beautiful tall pine trees!
- Brandi
