Enter your search query in the box below.

Bear Valley California Map

Explore Bear Valley, California, with this interactive street and satellite map.

This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.

Interactive Map of Bear Valley, California

How to Use This Bear Valley, California Map

This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Bear Valley, California. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of California or beyond.

Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).

TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Bear Valley.

Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.

Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.

City	Bear Valley
State	California (CA)
County	Alpine County
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles)

Latitude	38.472321
Longitude	-120.051847
Population	128
Density	9.6 /km²
Incorporated	N/A
ZIP Codes	95223, 95338
Area Code	408, 669
County Seat	Markleeville
School District	Alpine County Unified School District

🌦 Goto Bear Valley Weather Page: Bear Valley, California — Weather Warnings, Forecast, Radar, Satellite & Current Conditions

About Bear Valley, California

Bear Valley is a locality in Alpine County, California, United States. It is a small community with a population of 128. The population density is 9.6 people per km². Bear Valley is located at 38.4723°N, 120.0518°W. It observes the Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles) timezone. ZIP codes: 95223, 95338.

Bear Valley emerges from the high-altitude landscape as a resilient outpost defined by the persistent flow of Bear Creek, which carves its path through the rugged terrain. It lies 32.5 miles south of South Lake Tahoe, CA (from South Lake Tahoe, CA: bearing 185°T), and is situated 33.0 miles south of Lake Tahoe. Stanislaus National Forest encompasses the entirety of the surroundings, providing a dense canopy that shelters the earth from the intensity of the midday sun. To the east, the distant Sierra Nevada creates a jagged, permanent horizon that dictates the seasonal shifts of frost and thaw. Nearby, the quiet expanse of Bloods Meadow offers a stark contrast to the forested slopes, its open grasses swaying in the mountain drafts. The quality of light here is sharp and clarifying, stripping the air of haze and rendering the texture of granite and pine needles in high, honest relief.

History in Bear Valley remains deeply intertwined with the passage of pioneers who once sought new lives along the Emigrant Trail. While the regional economy has evolved from its early frontier roots, it now centers on the seasonal rhythms of outdoor recreation and the stewardship of the surrounding wilderness. The nearby Spicer Meadow Reservoir acts as a vital anchor for the local hydrology, holding the snowmelt that sustains the upland ecology. Life moves with the deliberate pace of those who understand that survival requires an attunement to the elements rather than a defiance of them. Even in the stillness of a winter afternoon, there is a pulse of activity, a quiet readiness that defines the character of those who choose to remain in the shadow of the peaks.

Nearby Outdoor Places

Stanislaus National Forest (National Forest) — locality lies within · 901k acres
Mokelumne Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 1.7 mi, 320° NW · 104k acres
Carson-Iceberg Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 2.3 mi, 098° E · 159k acres
Amphitheater (Theatre) — 2.5 mi, 084° E
Eldorado National Forest (National Forest) — 2.8 mi, 341° N · 703k acres
Hell's Kitchen Vista Point (Viewpoint) — 3.8 mi, 207° SW
California State Lands Commission (State Resource Management Area) — 5.7 mi, 287° W
Snow Canyon Research Natural Area (Research Natural Area) — 9.4 mi, 021° N
Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (National Trail) — 13.0 mi, 026° NE · 1,131 acres
Pacific Crest Trail National Scenic Trail (National Trail) — 13.1 mi, 025° NE · 1,886 acres
Indian Pool Reservoir Site No. 17 Water Reserve Withdrawal (National Conservation Area) — 13.1 mi, 044° NE · 230 acres
Snowshoe Thompson Historical Monument (Monument) — 15.8 mi, 012° N
Kit Carson Historical Monument (Monument) — 15.8 mi, 012° N
Columns of the Giants (Attraction) — 16.4 mi, 125° SE
Grover Hot Springs State Park (State Park) — 16.9 mi, 050° NE
Calaveras Big Trees State Park (State Park) — 16.9 mi, 211° SW
Old Jail (Historic Ruins) — 17.8 mi, 059° NE
Strawberry (Monument) — 19.2 mi, 174° S
Campfire Center (Attraction) — 19.3 mi, 226° SW
Big Stump (Attraction) — 19.3 mi, 226° SW
Pinecrest Art Gallery (Gallery) — 19.6 mi, 171° S
Sierra Nevada Logging Museum (Museum) — 21.3 mi, 228° SW
Linder Grove (Nature Reserve) — 23.5 mi, 003° N
Andrews Meadows (Nature Reserve) — 24.6 mi, 002° N
Nature Center and Observatory (Museum) — 26.1 mi, 291° W
Church Bowl (Theatre) — 26.1 mi, 292° W
Leoni House (Attraction) — 26.5 mi, 291° W
Yosemite National Park (National Park) — 28.8 mi, 156° SE · 743k acres
Barney Riley (Historic Ruins) — 29.0 mi, 046° NE
St Theresa (Public Artwork) — 32.4 mi, 007° N

Latest News: Bear Valley

Loading news…

World News

Loading news-world…

More World News