Admire Big Bear Beasties After Sundown

Bundle up for a Flashlight Safari at the Big Bear Alpine Zoo.

What to Know

  • Fridays and Saturdays in October
  • 7 p.m. tour; gates open at 6:30 p.m.
  • $12 adult, $9 senior and kids 3 to 10 (kids under 3 may enter for free)

Spying a furry superstar basking in some extreme sunbeams?

This is a splendid sight, full of beauty, for watching animals enjoy the sunlight can be an afternoon-filling pleasure.

There's something rather bewitching, though, about communing with critters as the gloaming begins to gloam, and our nearest star does its "see ya" act for another day (yep, we're talking about sundown here in a rather forced but fanciful way).

Sometimes we are lucky enough to see animals in nature after dark, the squirrels and birds of our neighborhoods. But where can we go to admire an array of animalia on a chilly autumn night?

The Big Bear Alpine Zoo at Moonridge, which is offering Flashlight Safari tours every Friday and Saturday night in October.

Gates open at 6:30 p.m., and the walk-around begins at 7, giving visitors "an exclusive tour" that "explores the more active side of our animals during dusk and twilight."

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The animals at the zoo include a host of iconic regional beasties, meaning you could admire an owl, black bear, a raccoon, or a mule deer, all within a few minutes.

Good to know before you go?

You'll want to show with your own flashlight. And if you think Big Bear might be a mite brisk on an autumn evening, you'd be exactly right. Dressing for the outdoor occasion, with a jacket, scarf, and/or warm socks, is just the ticket.

This is a "weather permitting" sort of deal, so be sure to check the forecast before heading up the mountain for this autumn adventure, a true critter classic.

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