Marina Resort, Big Bear Lake, California 1972
$20.00
Instant royalty-free download — no watermark.
Purchase includes a premium JPG file (3000–4000px on the longest edge), ideal for high-quality prints, publications, websites, décor, creative projects, and more. Once your order is complete, your download link will appear immediately at checkout – no waiting.
- Buy 5 or more photos and get a 15% discount
This photograph captures the Marina Resort on the south shore of Big Bear Lake in 1972, during a period when the lakefront was transitioning from its postwar boom era into a modern ski-and-summer recreation destination. The Marina Resort, with its low-profile design and cedar-shingle exterior, blended into the surrounding alpine setting while still functioning as one of the area’s most recognizable lodging and shoreline recreation hubs.
To the right of the frame stands a tall, sloped metal structure — part of a water slide attraction that operated seasonally and became a familiar landmark to families visiting the lake in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Before large-scale resort redevelopment and safety regulations reshaped lake amenities, attractions like this offered an unmistakably retro brand of entertainment: simple, bold, and just thrilling enough to stick in memory.
Behind the resort, Big Bear Lake stretches outward toward the pine forest and mountains beyond. In winter, the ridgelines collected patches of snow, visible here on the distant slopes — the same snow that drew skiers to nearby Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, and made Big Bear a popular winter holiday destination for Southern California families.
Rather than being demolished — as happened to many lakeside motels and resorts — the Marina Resort survived decades of change. Its transformation into Marina Riviera shows continuity: the same lot, the same lakefront, and the same basic building footprint (though updated). The renovation honors its 1968 design while adapting to 21st-century guest expectations.
