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 in the Big Bear market area is 40%. average monthly revenue in the Big Bear market area is $2,980. average daily rate in the Big Bear market area is $288. the top operator in the Big Bear market area is Destination Big Bear with 486 listings. market score is 46/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Big Bear regional market, which includes Sugarloaf. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Sugarloaf.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA 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 |
|---|---|
| Jan | 44% |
| Feb | 43% |
| Mar | 32% |
| Apr | 30% |
| May | 33% |
| Jun | 41% |
| Jul | 47% |
| Aug | 40% |
| Sep | 28% |
| Oct | 34% |
| Nov | 40% |
| Dec | 53% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Sugarloaf are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Big Bear market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Big Bear market as a whole, which includes Sugarloaf, so these counts are not Sugarloaf-only figures.
| # | 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 nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Sugarloaf are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 33.8% |
| vrbo | 4.7% |
| both | 61.5% |
Home Value Trends (Sugarloaf)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Sugarloaf are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Insights
Booking-window and length-of-stay analysis for Sugarloaf — how far ahead guests book and how to price around it — is available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
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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How much can a Big Bear STR earn per year?
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What is the transient occupancy tax rate in Big Bear?
Which property management companies are most active in Big Bear?
What types of properties perform best for STR investment in Big Bear?
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