Sugarloaf, California Short-Term Rental Market
Big Bear STRs near Sugarloaf averaged $254/night at 26.4% occupancy in April 2026, with December peak reaching 52.7% and $6,146/month.
Quick Answer: Sugarloaf, California is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 26%. average monthly revenue is $2,203. average daily rate is $254. the top operator is Destination Big Bear with 486 listings. market score is 46/100 (grade D).
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
The Big Bear Valley STR market, anchored by the Sugarloaf unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, is a four-season mountain destination drawing approximately 7 million annual visitors from the Los Angeles Basin and Inland Empire. As of April 2026, the market recorded an average daily rate of $254.06 and an occupancy rate of 26.4%, generating average monthly revenue of $2,203 per listing. RevPAR was $66.95. April is historically one of the softer months for this market; seasonal peak performance is substantially higher.
This is a near-exclusively entire-place market: 8,324 listings are entire-place rentals, with just 81 private rooms and 6 shared rooms. The vacation-rental character of Sugarloaf reflects the community’s housing stock — only about 2 of every 9 households have permanent residents.
By bedroom count, three-bedroom properties dominate at 2,929 listings, followed by two-bedroom (2,509), four-bedroom (1,370), one-bedroom (904), and five-bedroom-plus (692). The larger-unit skew reflects the group and family trip orientation of the market.
Channel distribution shows strong dual-platform presence: 5,176 listings appear on both Airbnb and VRBO, 2,840 on Airbnb only, and 395 on VRBO only. Year-over-year through April 2026: occupancy improved 13.05 percentage points, while ADR declined 4.11% and revenue declined 6.89%. This divergence suggests occupancy recovery is being offset by rate compression in a market that saw a significant COVID-era demand surge and subsequent normalization.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44% | $420 | $5,261 |
| Feb | 43% | $404 | $4,569 |
| Mar | 32% | $314 | $3,169 |
| Apr | 30% | $255 | $2,198 |
| May | 33% | $267 | $2,003 |
| Jun | 41% | $289 | $2,800 |
| Jul | 47% | $306 | $3,733 |
| Aug | 40% | $289 | $3,132 |
| Sep | 28% | $274 | $2,148 |
| Oct | 34% | $273 | $2,439 |
| Nov | 40% | $325 | $3,104 |
| Dec | 53% | $460 | $6,146 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Sugarloaf
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Destination Big Bear | 486 | 27,721 | ★ 4.72 |
| 2 | Big Bear Cool Cabins | 417 | 7,860 | ★ 4.50 |
| 3 | Big Bear Vacations | 416 | 7,402 | ★ 4.35 |
| 4 | Evolve | 269 | 11,248 | ★ 4.66 |
| 5 | Sky High Cabins | 189 | 9,233 | ★ 4.91 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Sugarloaf?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 904 |
| 2 bed | 2,509 |
| 3 bed | 2,929 |
| 4 bed | 1,370 |
| 5 bed | 692 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $256 |
| Luxury | $441 |
| Professionally Managed | $290 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $1,251 |
| Entire Place | $2,217 |
| House | $2,232 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 33.8% |
| vrbo | 4.7% |
| both | 61.5% |
Investment Analysis
At a typical home value of $301,093 and a median list price of $341,300, Big Bear represents a relatively accessible California mountain market entry point. Based on April 2026 average monthly revenue of $2,203, the implied gross annualized revenue is approximately $26,441 — a gross yield of approximately 8.8% on the typical home value. This calculation uses April data, which is a seasonally soft month; the December-January peak substantially elevates the annual average.
For context, the 2025 annual average revenue was $3,399/month, implying a gross annualized figure of $40,788 — a 13.6% gross yield on the typical home value. Investors should model using full-year seasonally-adjusted projections rather than a single soft month.
Tier differentiation is meaningful. Professionally managed listings average $290/night versus the all-listings average of $254 — a 14% premium. Luxury-tier properties average $441/night, more than 70% above market average. Entire-home listings average $256/night, nearly at the all-listings average given the market’s entire-place dominance.
Revenue by property type: houses average $2,232/month (April data), entire-place listings average $2,217/month, apartment-style units average $1,251/month. The investability score of 67.24 is above the total score (46.31), suggesting the underlying economics are more attractive than the demand score (41.55) implies. The revenue growth score of 74.69 indicates solid historical revenue growth despite recent normalization.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
The Big Bear/Sugarloaf market shows an average booking lead time of 25.6 days and an average length of stay of 2.85 nights as of April 2026. Both figures are notably shorter than other California mountain markets: the 26-day lead window and sub-3-night average stay reflect the weekend-trip pattern of Los Angeles-area visitors who can drive to Big Bear in roughly two hours.
The 2.85-night average stay is the shortest of the five markets in this batch, consistent with Big Bear’s weekend-getaway positioning rather than week-long destination stays. At 26.4% April occupancy with 2.85-night stays, a property averages approximately 2-3 bookings per month during this soft period. In peak December, at 52.7% occupancy, that increases to approximately 5-6 bookings.
The short lead time (26 days) means last-minute pricing strategy is critical here. Weekend holiday dates (Christmas/New Year’s, Presidents’ Day, Martin Luther King weekend) book earlier and command substantial premiums in the December-February window. Dynamic pricing with steep discounts in the 0-7 day window for shoulder months can help fill gaps without sacrificing peak pricing integrity.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Sugarloaf is unincorporated San Bernardino County, governed by the county’s Short-Term Residential Rental ordinance (Chapter 84.28). STRs are fully legal and the community is explicitly named as a county-regulated STR zone.
All STRs require a county permit from Code Enforcement before advertising or renting. As of July 1, 2025, new permit applications cost $1,144, covering a $600 application fee, $285 permit fee, and a $259 surrounding property owner notification fee. Annual renewal costs $550 with no changes; renewals requiring updates to management or occupancy details run $859 to $1,144.
Occupancy limits are calculated using a three-factor formula based on square footage, parking spaces, and lot size, with a hard cap of 12 guests regardless of property size. Operators must post a visible permit number, provide a 24-hour local contact who can arrive on-site within one hour, and distribute the county’s Good Neighbor brochure to every guest. Quiet hours are 10 PM to 7 AM. Commercial events (weddings, corporate retreats, filming) are prohibited without separate approval.
There is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement, making investment properties fully eligible. Eligible structures include single-family homes, duplexes, guest houses, condominiums, and some ADUs. Multi-family apartment units and RVs, yurts, or tents are ineligible.
The Transient Occupancy Tax is 7% of rental revenue including cleaning fees, remitted quarterly to the county Tax Collector. A November 2024 ballot measure (Measure K) that would have raised TOT from 7% to 11% was rejected by 56.77% of voters, keeping the rate at 7%.
Market Comparison
Nationally, the median STR occupancy rate is approximately 55% and the median ADR approximately $220. Big Bear’s April 2026 occupancy of 26.4% is well below the national median, but April is a seasonally weak month here — the 2025 annual average occupancy was 35.8%, still below national norms. ADR of $254 sits above the national median, reflecting the premium for mountain cabin rentals.
The total market score of 46.31 is below average, driven primarily by low rental demand (41.55) and seasonality (58.68). However, investability (67.24) and revenue growth (74.69) scores are above average, suggesting the underlying investment case is stronger than the demand scores alone imply.
Among property managers, Destination Big Bear dominates with 486 listings and 27,721 reviews at a 4.72 average rating — the most review-volume-dominant PM across all five markets in this batch. Big Bear Cool Cabins (417 listings, 4.50 rating) and Big Bear Vacations (416 listings, 4.35 rating) run neck-and-neck for second and third. Evolve holds fourth with 269 listings and 4.66 rating. Sky High Cabins, the highest-rated operator in the top five at 4.91, manages 189 listings. Destination Big Bear, Big Bear Cool Cabins, and Big Bear Vacations together account for approximately 1,319 locally-branded listings, indicating a strong regional PM ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sugarloaf, California
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