SKYPARK AT SANTA’S VILLAGE

 

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS AS AN ADULT

As I have gotten older, for birthdays and christmases I want experiences over stuff. If I could slow or even stop time, I would take that in a nanosecond over anything wrapped under the tree. Second to that what I want is experiences that foster intentional time with Kyle and with the girls. For Christmas this past year, Kyle gave me an overnight snowboarding/van camping trip for just the two of us. He wins all the gift-giving points this year!

SNOWBOARDING —SNOW SUMMIT, BIG BEAR

We loaded the van (much easier when not packing with the girls in mind), dropped Monet & Indy off with Kyle’s parents (thank you G & Uppa!) and headed up to Snow Summit in Big Bear to go snowboarding for the day. It was a Friday so it was a bit busy, but nothing like the holiday crowds during the peak prior weeks.

I didn’t learn to really snowboard until I was 27—far past the age when you are too young to hold irrational (and rational) fears around the sport. Even with all the snowboarding I have been fortunate enough to do in the past 14 years, I still carry fears from the tip of my board to the top of my securely helmeted head. My fear of falling makes me picky about what I will ride on. If there is ice—no thanks, I’ll take a pass. I also avoid hard-packed groomers. Kyle’s loves groomers because he learned to ski at the age of 3 and snowboard at 11, so he has no problem flying down the mountain. I, on the other hand, worry the entire way down about catching an edge on the hard pack. I (like the rest of southern California snowboarders) LOVE powder days and preferably ones with snow coming down giving free refills while I am riding. Thankfully muscle memory is merciful and confidence building—each time I ride, I still get better. We are at the point where there pretty much isn’t a run Kyle won’t take me down, and I (sometimes foolishly) willingly follow him. Snowboarding has become a truly fun thing we do together.

DINNER ON THE MOUNTAIN

We stayed on the mountain until the last lift stopped running trying to maximize the time we had to snowboard without the girls in tow. From Snow Summit we drove over to our favorite pizza shop on the mountain (and possibly in all of southern California). LouEddie’s in Skyforest is a must visit when on the mountain. Indoor seating is very limited, but when the weather is nice they have a large multi-tiered outdoor patio. The pizza ingredients are fresh and the dough is made-to-order in house. They do get very busy on nights and weekends. We ordered pizza and salad to go and headed for our campsite at Skypark.

SKYPARK CAMP + RV RESORT

The campground is located directly across the street from Santa’s Village on HWY 18 “Rim of the World Highway.” It offers panoramic views. On a clear day, you should be able to see Catalina Island. Due to the campground’s perched location; it was incredibly windy at our campsite. With the January cold and powerful wind, we opted to eat our dinner inside the van. Not having to contend with two car seats (and two kids) makes the van dreamy. We tell everyone when they ask about how the van is: it is perfect for two adults; it gets really cozy (read: crowed) with two additional tiny humans. To be able to stretch out on the bench seat and eat at our pedestal table was a nice change.

SKYPARK AT SANTA’S VILLAGE

I believe they were changing the policy soon after we visited, but previously guests at Skypark Camp were allowed to go into Santa’s Village an hour before it opened to purchase coffee/pastries from the bakery and walk around. Santa’s Village was open from 1955 to 1998 as an outdoor Christmas themed amusement park. I never went to Santa’s Village as a child, but remember watching the commercials with the bobsled ride so many times while growing up in Orange County. After the amusement park closed in 1998 due to decreased revenues, the buildings and land remained unoccupied and dilapidated. In 2014 the property was purchased and reopened two years later as an adventure park—refurbishing the Santa’s Village buildings and adding 10 miles of mountain biking trails, hiking, fishing, zip lines, and rock climbing.

We enjoyed walking around and look forward bringing the girls and all our bikes back here!

SKYPARK CAMP

SkyPark Camp opened in 2020. Throughout the property it still looks brand new and well maintained. Several common spaces offer propane fire pits and Adirondack chairs. SkyPark also wins for having the cleanest and nicest bathrooms/showers. I haven’t been to another campground where there is an antler-themed chandelier hanging in each bathroom. Each campsite offers full hookups and is spacious enough to fit just about any size RV/Trailer. There is a tent camping section also available. At one end of the campground is SkyStream with several refurbished vintage airstreams for nightly rental.

HIGHLIGHTS:

  • A fun day of snowboarding

  • Delicious dinner from LouEddie’s

  • Exploring Santa’s Village

LOWLIGHTS:

  • The wind! I did wake up several times in the night to the wind hitting the van

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DEATH VALLEY IN A DAY

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JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK