Some good dispersed camping over labor day weekend in Big Bear. I stayed away from the common jeep trails (one group I saw said that those trails were all jammed up over the weekend) and took to the off-trails. It was surprisingly uncrowded and quiet.
2N10 (south of Big Bear Lake, behind Snow Summit ski park) does have some nice spots if you just drive around and keep an eye for turn outs and side trails. It was nice and green there.
I found a nice site off of 3N17 (north of Big Bear Lake) with a good view of Lucerne/Hisperia valley. North of the lake isn't my favorite, it's a bit more barren and desert-like with rocks, shale, etc. But it was nice view, especially at night with lightning storms to the east and the lights in the valley to the north. That was a bit of a not-too-interesting drive so not sure if I'd do that again. It was a bit windy but the JB RTT never fails in the wind. The Kinsmen awning did awesome in the wind as well, which is pretty good for not having any support poles. Knowing that wind can really kick up in the evening especially with the storm coming in, I smartly stowed the awning before going to bed and that ended up being a really good decision since some stronger winds came in over night and I didn't have to worry about the awning at that point.
I'd love to come back in the spring when there's some snow out there.
Note: you'll need an Adventure Pass permit if you're camping/parking on the trails. Annual pass is just $35 and you can get that at Big Bear visitor center just off of Big Bear Blvd. Good tip: if the parking lot is full there's 10min parking right next to visitor center and it's easy to pop in to get permit.
