Big Bear Cycling Expo Tour de Big Bear - Saturday

The Saturday edition of the Tour de Big Bear Cycling Expo (August 1, 2026, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) moves at a faster pace than Friday night’s opening, with vendors at Bear Mountain Resort catering to racers grabbing last-minute supplies between their own events and spectators fueling up before heading out to watch friends and family tackle the day’s routes. The expo remains free, the vendor mix stays consistent, but the energy shifts as live music kicks in earlier and the base area fills with lycra-clad athletes comparing war stories from the morning’s rides. You can easily split your Saturday between expo browsing and other Big Bear activities, since the resort’s location on the lake’s south shore puts you minutes from swimming beaches, paddleboard rentals, and the paved Alpine Pedal Path that runs east toward Fawnskin. Bear Mountain itself began life as a ski area in 1969, part of the wave of resort development that followed the completion of State Route 18 in 1956, which finally gave reliable year-round access to Big Bear Lake and transformed it from a summer-only destination to a four-season mountain community. The resort’s base elevation of 7,140 feet means summer days stay comfortably cool, and the surrounding forest of Jeffrey pine and white fir provides shade for anyone taking a break from the expo floor. Saturday’s extended hours work well for families building a full lake day around the event, perhaps starting with morning paddling from Holloway’s Marina (operating since 1954), swinging by the expo for lunch and entertainment, then finishing with sunset views from Boulder Bay Park. For a proper meal, head to The Pines Lakefront (established 1947), Big Bear’s oldest continuously operating restaurant, where the deck overlooks the water and the menu runs from fish and chips to ribeye, or grab a counter seat at Amangela’s Sandwich & Bagel House (opened 2003), beloved for scratch-made everything bagels and sandwiches piled high enough to fuel a full afternoon. The Saturday expo attracts the broadest crowd of the weekend, from serious gearheads dissecting the latest carbon layup schedules to curious tourists who stumbled upon the event while exploring the lake. Book your stay through Lake.com well in advance, as August represents peak summer season in Big Bear, and choose properties near Snow Summit or the Village for the shortest drives to both the expo and the area’s best swimming and dining spots.