If you ride mountain bikes in Southern California, you already know Big Bear. The trails, the elevation, the pine-scented air that hits different when you’re hammering through singletrack at 7,000 feet. But if you haven’t circled July 31 through August 2 on your calendar yet, it’s time to fix that.

Tour de Big Bear is coming back for 2026, and the mountain bike event alone is worth the trip.

What Is Tour de Big Bear?

Tour de Big Bear is SoCal’s premier cycling weekend, and it’s been voted the number one Gran Fondo in North America by Gran Fondo Guide. The event spans an entire weekend and covers road, gravel, and cross-country mountain biking, plus a huge cycling expo, free community rides, live music, food trucks, and a Bikes and Brews beer festival.

It’s a full-blown cycling party at elevation. And it happens to be right in our backyard here in Big Bear Lake.

The Dirty Burro: 50K of Big Bear Singletrack

Let’s talk about the part you care about most.

The Dirty Burro is the event’s 50K XC mountain bike race, and it takes riders through some of the best trail terrain Big Bear has to offer. Think flowy singletrack, challenging technical sections, and doubletrack with views that make you forget how hard you’re breathing. The 2026 course details are still being finalized, but based on past years, expect a ride that pushes you while keeping a grin on your face.

The race kicks off Saturday morning, August 1 at 8:30 AM. Adaptive MTB riders start at 9:30 AM.

It’s Not Just a Race, It’s a Weekend

Even if you’re only there for the Dirty Burro, you’ll want to stick around. The Tour de Big Bear weekend has a lot going on beyond the XC race.

The Big Bear Cycling Expo runs Friday through Saturday at Bear Mountain Resort with over 50 vendor booths, bike demos, live music, food trucks, and the Bikes and Brews Fest. You don’t need to be registered for a ride to check it out. It’s free and open to everyone.

Friday night there’s a Glow Ride through town. It’s free and fun. Bust out the costumes and bike lights and cruise around Big Bear with your crew or your family.

There’s also a Poker Ride where you grab a card at each aid station and the best three-card hands win prizes. It’s casual, it’s social, and it’s a solid way to ease into the weekend before your race on Saturday.

And speaking of the race itself, the perks are solid. You get chip timing, a finisher medal, a technical race tee, aid stations with on-course mechanics and SAG support, and post-race bike wash and valet service. They even have aid stations with DJ booths and ribs. Yes, ribs.

Why You Need Somewhere Good to Stay

Here’s where a lot of people mess up their Tour de Big Bear experience. They book some random spot 20 minutes outside of town, or they try to cram six people into a motel room with one bathroom, or they camp and wake up stiff as a board before a 50K race.

Don’t do that to yourself.

You’re going to be riding all day. You need a place where you can actually recover, spread out, and get a solid night’s sleep before race day. Somewhere you can store your bikes safely, stretch out on a real bed, and wake up feeling ready instead of wrecked.

Stay at Colorado Lodge

Colorado Lodge is a boutique collection of six modern cabins right in the heart of Big Bear Lake. We’re walking distance to The Village, minutes from Snow Summit, and close to the trails you’re already here to ride.

Each cabin is unique, but they all share the essentials: comfortable beds, full or semi kitchens so you can prep your own meals, private bathrooms, robes, free WiFi, and free parking. Some cabins have private hot tubs and enclosed yards. All of them have front or back porch setups perfect for hanging out after a long ride.

After 50 kilometers of Big Bear singletrack, picture this: you roll back to your cabin, rinse off, throw on a robe, sink into the hot tub under the pines, and fire up the BBQ for dinner. Your bikes are parked safely. Your legs are toast in the best way. The stars are coming out.

That’s the kind of recovery you deserve.

We also have a community deck tucked among the tall trees at the back of the property. It’s a great spot for stretching, foam rolling, meditating, or just sitting with a coffee and replaying the day’s ride in your head.

A Few Practical Details for Mountain Bikers

Weather: Early August in Big Bear is close to perfect for riding. Expect highs around 80°F and lows near 49°F. It can be dry at elevation, so hydrate heavily the day before your race and don’t skip the sunscreen. Bring a layer for the evenings because it cools down fast once the sun drops.

Location: Colorado Lodge is centrally located in Big Bear Lake. You’re close to the race venue, close to The Village for restaurants and shops, and close to the trailheads if you want to get in a pre-ride or a shakeout the day before.

Group trips: Our cabins range from cozy studios up to two-bedroom layouts that can sleep six. So whether you’re coming solo, as a couple, or rolling deep with your riding crew, we’ve got a cabin that fits. The whole property can also be booked as a six-cabin buyout if your crew is really deep.

Pets: If a trail dog or cat is part of the crew, we can work with that too. All six cabins are pet-friendly, two pets per cabin. Ask about C6 if your dog wants a private fenced yard to patrol while you recover.

Book Early. Seriously.

Tour de Big Bear draws thousands of cyclists to a mountain town that doesn’t have unlimited lodging. The good spots fill up fast, especially for a late-July weekend. If you’re already planning to register for the Dirty Burro, don’t wait on your accommodations.

Lock in your cabin at Colorado Lodge now, and you’ll have one less thing to think about when race weekend rolls around. Just you, your bike, 50K of incredible trail, and a cabin that actually feels like a reward at the end of the day.

We’ll see you in Big Bear.

Book your stay at thecoloradolodge.com and register for Tour de Big Bear at tourdebigbear.com.