Smarter Car Renting

Here are car rental tips from the road trip-seasoned editors of RoadsideAmerica.com:

•  Fear of the Unknown: Unfamiliar with the streets of Big Bear Lake? Consider adding a GPS navigation system to your rental. GPS provides turn-by-turn directions to a number of Big Bear Lake attractions and businesses, and is offered by almost all Big Bear Lake car rental agencies. The GPS helps you navigate like some mythical Greek God of Navigation! You can also add your own portable GPS on your handy windshield sucker, but remember to take it all with you when you turn in the car at the end of your trip.

•  Damaged: Always carefully eyeball your vehicle before leaving the rental agency, whether you're in Big Bear Lake or East Podunkville. The last renter may have pulled in after a meteor shower! Prior scratches, dents, and other vehicle damage can cause extra headaches and costs if not noted before you leave the rental car lot. If you see any damage on the car's exterior and interior before you leave, make sure it's noted on the rental car papers, and point it out to an agency employee. This will resolve any questions that could arise when you return. And avoid meteor showers.

•  Many States, One Car: If renting a car for a longer road trip, check with the car rental companies in Big Bear Lake, California to see if they have policies about crossing state lines that affect the final rate you pay. May be no effect, but don't assume you can crisscross the globe with unlimited mileage impunity. There may be a GPS tracker in the car!

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Big Bear Lake CA Area Attractions

• Wishing Well At Lake Arrowhead (16.40 miles)
• University of Redlands (19.31 miles)
• Desert Hills Premium Outlets (21.38 miles)
• Pharoah's Lost Kingdom (22.03 miles)
• St Bernardine Medical Center (22.67 miles)
• J's Restaurant U-Toast'em Table Toasters (22.79 miles)
• Dinosaurs Owned by Creationists (23.33 miles)
• Jerry L Pettis Memorial Veterans Medical Center (23.92 miles)
• Concrete Dinosaurs (23.99 miles)
• Loma Linda University (24.34 miles)
• Loma Linda University Medical Center (24.33 miles)
• San Bernardino Stadium (24.43 miles)
• Olive Dell Nudist Ranch (24.72 miles)
• Community Hospital of San Bernardino (25.12 miles)
• Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Memorial (25.82 miles)
• Victor Valley College (25.88 miles)
• Banana Museum (26.17 miles)
• Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (28.20 miles)

Big Bear Lake rental guide