Escape to an adrenaline-filled Winter Wonderland: Santa’s Village in Lake Arrowhead

Forget about those soft images of Santa Claus jovially smiling for photos and Mrs. Claus baking cookies (although you can definitely have that too!) and imagine zipping across a zipline over a winter wonderland, “ice climbing” on frozen falls, shooting arrows at Jack Frost, tearing through grandma’s woods on a mountain bike – and you have Sky Park at Santa’s Village!

Sky Park at Santa’s Village is an adrenaline-filled winter wonderland at Lake Arrowhead – only two hours away from Los Angeles in the heart of the San Bernardino Mountains.  This unique winter getaway is a Christmas Bucket List experience that is filled with adventures for all ages. You can take the little ones to storytime, cookie decorating and Santa’s workshops while the older kids and adults explore the exciting activities offered in the “Northwoods” and even check out the bike park that is a part of the Village. Then you can still visit Santa with your camelbak on and your adrenaline pumping and tell him how you want a new archery set or BB gun for Christmas! 

My kids LOVED their visit here and enjoyed every part of the park. We took the kids on a smaller trail and a pump track that was just right for their level of riding. Then my husband and I were able to get some solid mountain biking in while we swapped time with taking kids ice skating, bungee trampolining, pedal carting and more. So we each got our share of bike riding in while there – you can bring your own bikes or rent one there. *Biking optional: If you opt not to bike at all, there are still so many fun things to do for all ages and it seemed like only a small percentage of people took advantage of the bike park this time of year, so if you do go that route you may have trails all to yourself too.

A neat fact about this place is that this place has a long, interesting history – in fact, the first Santa’s Village in this location had opened in May 1955 and many locals had fond memories of visiting it as a child.  So many people had been waiting for it to re-open and it re-opened as a new updated modern Santa’s Villagewith Sky Park in December 2016.  It is open all year for mountain biking, fishing, hiking, ziplining and education programs, but the fall/winter is the most magical time to visit.  In fact, the week before Thanksgiving  and the week of Thanksgiving is a great time to visit and it was not too crowded at the beginning of the week. The holiday season here takes place 7 days a week from November 21st through January 5th and is the ultimate Christmas experience!

We had a delicious lunch at St. Nick’s – although it took a long time for our food to come so be sure to have a granola bar handy if you get the same poor timing with the lunch rush. Try the grilled cheese or the soup in a bread bowl. And of course no visit to Santa’s Village is complete without some sweets – the fudge at The Kandyshoppe is almost as good as my own homemade fudge and a great price. There is lots of cute shopping available in the Village too – Christmas decor and clothing and ornaments galore!

Where to Stay

Beyond Sky Park at Santa’ Village, Lake Arrowhead is one of those special Southern California places that is bursting with beauty and fun and unique opportunities! It is perfect for a family fun weekend any time of the year and equally as great for a quick romantic getaway. Our favorite place to stay is the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa! This location tucked into the mountains and right on the lake feels so cozy and yet you have the benefits of walking down to the water to view the sunset and spend time by the fire or on the shores of the Lake. There is also a beautiful walking path around the property if weather permits. They had a cute gratitude activity for the kids for Thanksgiving when you walked in – and other family friendly activities there and all year-long – and they give you the special gate code so you have access to walk all around the lake for a refreshing family or couples walk. Sign up for their email list and they send our great offers often.

Buy your tickets ahead of time online (cost is currently $59 for adults and $49 for kids ). It seems a bit high but includes SO many individual activities that would be pricey if you added them up individually such as ice skating, train rides, archery, rock climbing. There are optional activities that cost extra if you want to do more such as Breakfast with Santa, Mrs. Claus’ Tea Party, crafts, but you don’t really need to add any of these as so much is included already etc. You can use your own camera for Santa photos like ours above or you can purchase ones if you want.

Overall, our trip to Sky Park at Santa’s Village and our stay in Lake Arrowhead is an experience I do not think you could duplicate anywhere else in the world! Who gets to speed downhill on incredible bike paths such as “Deck the Halls” and then minutes later be enjoying a Christmas time parade down Candy Cane Lane (at 4:30 PM) through the streets of an iconic Santa’s Village. Take the time to get away and experience it for yourself and treat your children to a magical, adrenaline-filled wintery day.