ITH Big Bear Mountain Adventure Hostel & Retreat Center

Welcome Worldpackers! Are you traveling to California and looking an awesome volunteering experience in mountains?

At ITH, our hostels are built around the great help we receive from our diverse volunteer staff. We love our staff like family and enjoy providing an amazing experience for the volunteers to both help out at our top rated hostel and provide them with plenty of free time so they can enjoy the surrounding mountains and lake!

Big Bear Lake, California is southern California only four season mountain town. The winters are all about snowboarding and enjoying the typical winter mountain lifestyle. The summers are filled with enjoying the lake (we have a boat!), hiking and relaxing in the outdoors. If you are one who enjoys the peacefulness of living in the mountains and love an active lifestyle then Big Bear is for you!

Nestled into the heart of Big Bear Lake, our rustic Mountain Adventure Lodge is the perfect mountain getaway. The Lodge has multiple areas to relax both inside and outside the building. We have a game room with a pool table and ping pong table. Our colossal fireplace is a keystone, with several couches for travelers to curl up on!

The grounds feature a yoga area, archery course, amphitheater and hammocks for guests to enjoy. Create your own activities with our large surrounding yard. The lodge is walking distance to great hiking trails, Big Bear Lake village, restaurants and the lake.

Inside the Lodge we have private rooms and dorm style rooms. There is free wifi available throughout the Lodge.

By staying here, you become a part of a community dedicated to creating global, cultural and community centric sustainable relationships. You are also supporting the sustainable measures we are implementing in each of our hostels.

For example, we grow organic vegetables, incorporate locally sourced food when possible, and integrate recycling and composting programs.

If you are the type of person who loves meeting world travelers then this is a great opportunity to live and volunteer in a fun mountain town!

We look at all of our volunteers as part of our family, and we work as a team to provide a great experience for guests visiting our Lodge. Volunteers work 25 hours a week in exchange for a bed in the staff room and also daily free meals when we cook for our guests. If you love to work at top rated hostel and have fun in the mountains, then ITH Big Bear is for you!


Reviews

5.0
33 reviews33

Staff & Host

5.0

Hours & Tasks

4.5

Hostel

4.5

Learning & Fun

5.0

Colombia

5

Volunteering with ITH was a unique experience that I will always hold close to my heart. Nathan and Jackie are the best managers and I adore them!!! We spent very little time in Big Bear and were working between 3 different locations, but I wouldn't change the experience for anything. Mucho mucho amor <3

about 1 month ago

United States

5

My experience with this hostel was great! That was all thanks to my managers Jackie and Nathan! They truly cared about the well being of me, my experience, and the hostel in general. They made sure my experience was a positive one to remember !

about 2 months ago

United States

5

Absolutely loved it here. Felt so welcomed the second I stepped foot through the door. Every second here will forever be cherished. Between the staff, guests at the hostel, the town itself. Gonna miss it here ❤️

6 months ago

Mexico

5

This was a life changing experience, getting out of my confort zone, trying new things and learning about a really collaborative experience.
Everyone in the team is amazing and open, the other volunteers were great and I found a great place to practice my skills and change for the better in many ways. Forever greatfull

about 1 year ago

United States

4

I am very happy I decided to come to big bear for the hostel experience. I think it was a great entry to hostels as there wasn’t too much going on all the time. It’s a very laid back environment. Big bear is the perfect place to go if you want to be one with nature, go on hikes, & have some peace of mind. I ended up going to stay at the ITH Adventure hostel in San Diego where I have met some very amazing people. The San Diego hostels are more of a night life scene if that is your thing. I will be visiting Big Bear in the future & I already miss my fellow volunteers. Thank you for having me!

about 1 year ago


Perfect for you if you're looking for

Contact with nature

Yoga / Meditation

Wilderness

Adventure Sports