A quick but informative article from Kathy Portie of the Big Bear Grizzly.
There’s another casualty of the California drought, and it’s right here in Big Bear. The Carol Morrison Public Launch Ramp, locally known as the East Ramp, will close to trailered boat launching beginning Oct. 5.
The East Ramp usually stays open later in the season, but the low lake level on the east end of Big Bear Lake has made launching boats from trailers more difficult. The shoreline will still be accessible for hand-launch vessels such as kayaks from Oct. 5 to Nov. 2 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The parking lot will remain open during the same time period for vehicle parking.
To make up for the loss of the East Ramp during the late season, the Big Bear Municipal Water District will keep the Duane Boyer Public Launch Ramp, or West Ramp, open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily from Oct. 5 to Nov. 30.
“We hoped to push it to the October TroutfesT and we’ve made it,” MWD General Manager Mike Stephenson said. “It’s not a big impact this time of the season. We had 15 boats on Sunday and today (Sept. 22) there wasn’t a single trailer in the parking lot when I went by. We can accommodate pretty much what we get in a weekend with the one ramp.”
The East Ramp is closed for the winter from Nov. 3 through March 31. The West Ramp closes for the winter on Dec. 1 and remains closed through March 31.
“We’ll keep the East Ramp staffed until it gets cold,” Stephenson said. “People can still use the rest room, and the fishing pier and the pedal path. And people can hand-carry launch.”
The East Ramp is located at 41911 North Shore Drive, a quarter-mile west of Stanfield Cutoff. The West Ramp is at 38925 North Shore Drive, 1.5 miles west of Fawnskin.
For more information on boating on Big Bear Lake, visit www.bbbmwd.com.