Lake townsCalifornia2026
California Lake Towns
Big Bear Lake, South Lake Tahoe and Big Bear City were the most booked of the 13 lake towns in California on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 80,927, 41,654 and 27,444 stays. July is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 3.7 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
Among the 12 towns with 200+ homes
- Most booked of these 12
- Big Bear Lake 80,927 stays
- Highest revenue per home of these 12
- Carnelian Bay $64,317 a year
- Highest rated of these 12
- Lake Arrowhead 4.87 out of 5
- Lowest nightly rate of these 12
- Crestline $269 a night
- Longest typical stay of these 12
- Tahoma 4.9 nights
Ranking
California Lake Towns Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the lake towns in California with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Big Bear Lake | 80,927 | $457 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | South Lake Tahoe | 41,654 | $527 |
| 3 | Big Bear City | 27,444 | $359 |
| 4 | Lake Arrowhead | 20,093 | $433 |
| 5 | Tahoe City | 16,967 | $571 |
| 6 | Kings Beach | 12,800 | $481 |
| 7 | Carnelian Bay | 9,032 | $594 |
| 8 | Shaver Lake | 7,588 | $398 |
| 9 | Crestline | 7,371 | $269 |
| 10 | Tahoe Vista | 6,411 | $509 |
| 11 | Bass Lake | 5,165 | $538 |
| 12 | Tahoma | 4,140 | $639 |
| 13 | Homewood | 3,635 | $641 |
Figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, and stays count Airbnb bookings only. Typical stay is a booking's length, occupancy the share of available nights booked, and revenue the yearly average per home, before costs. Guest rating is out of 5.
Town by town
Where the Top Towns Stand Out
5 of 8 are busiest in July. Big Bear Lake, Big Bear City and Lake Arrowhead peak in December. Among guests who left a review, San Francisco is the top home city in 4 of the 8. Cabins, campers and other outdoor stays are the largest home type in 4 of the 8. The lines below add what the table can't show, where one of the 8 most booked towns leads its peers or differs from the rest.
- Big Bear Lake
Of the 12 lake towns in California with 200 or more homes, Big Bear Lake had the most Airbnb homes, at 3,370, in the 12 months to October 2026. Among guests who left a review, Los Angeles was the top home city for Big Bear Lake, at 17%.
- South Lake Tahoe
In the 12 months to October 2026, houses were the largest home type in South Lake Tahoe, California, at 51% of homes.
- Big Bear City
In the 12 months to October 2026, among guests who left a review, Los Angeles was the top home city for Big Bear City, California, at 17%.
- 4Lake Arrowhead
Of the 12 lake towns in California with 200 or more homes, Lake Arrowhead had the highest guest rating, at 4.87, in the 12 months to October 2026. Among guests who left a review, Los Angeles was the top home city for Lake Arrowhead, at 22%.
- 5Tahoe City
In the 12 months to October 2026, houses were the largest home type in Tahoe City, California, at 63% of homes.
- 6Kings Beach
Of the 12 lake towns in California with 200 or more homes, Kings Beach had the biggest share of apartments and condos, at 24%, in the 12 months to October 2026. Houses were the largest home type in Kings Beach, at 60% of homes.
- 7Carnelian Bay
Of the 12 lake towns in California with 200 or more homes, Carnelian Bay had the biggest share of houses, at 67%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 8Shaver Lake
In the 12 months to October 2026, among guests who left a review, Fresno was the top home city for Shaver Lake, California, at 14%.
When to go
Busiest and Quietest Months
July, August and June rank as the busiest months for Airbnb nights across the lake towns in California, and May and April as the quietest. July is the busiest month in 9 of the 13, while Big Bear Lake, Big Bear City and Lake Arrowhead peak in December. Across the 13 towns, nightly rates run lowest in September, at about $427, and highest in December, at about $555. Across the 13 towns, stays run longest in July, at 4.5 nights, and shortest in September, at 2.9 nights.
July ranks first, April last
Airbnb months in calendar order. The number is the month's rank, and 1 is the busiest. The bar shows its part of Airbnb nights.
- Three busiest months
- Other months
Month by month: rank, typical stay and nightly rate
| Rank | Month | Typical stay | Nightly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July | 4.5 nights | $534 |
| 2 | August | 3.6 nights | $483 |
| 3 | June | 4.2 nights | $479 |
| 4 | December | 3.8 nights | $555 |
| 5 | January | 3.1 nights | $526 |
| 6 | February | 3.2 nights | $514 |
| 7 | September | 2.9 nights | $427 |
| 8 | March | 3.2 nights | $468 |
| 9 | October | 3.1 nights | $437 |
| 10 | November | 3.1 nights | $454 |
| 11 | May | 3.5 nights | $440 |
| 12 | April | 3.4 nights | $429 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, 94.4% come from within the United States. Among those guests, the largest group from abroad comes from Mexico. The top home cities among those guests are Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. Big Bear Lake draws the most from abroad, at 6.4%, among towns with 200 or more homes.
Top home cities
Among guests who left a review
94.4% from within the United States
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 12 towns with 200 or more Airbnb homes, Carnelian Bay has the highest estimated revenue per home, at $64,317 a year. Of those 12, Kings Beach and Carnelian Bay share the highest occupancy, at 38%, and Crestline has the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at $269. The most booked of the 13, Big Bear Lake, earns about $39,296 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 12
A year, AirROI estimate
- Carnelian Bay $64,317
- Tahoma $64,106
- Tahoe Vista $59,294
- Tahoe City $57,342
- South Lake Tahoe $56,042
Highest occupancy of these 12
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
- Kings Beach 38%
- Carnelian Bay 38%
- Tahoe Vista 37%
- Tahoma 37%
- South Lake Tahoe 36%
Lowest nightly rate of these 12
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
- Crestline $269
- Big Bear City $359
- Shaver Lake $398
- Lake Arrowhead $433
- Big Bear Lake $457
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular lake town in California?
By AirROI's estimates, Big Bear Lake is the most booked of the 13 lake towns in California, with 80,927 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. South Lake Tahoe is second, with 41,654. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable lake town in California?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among lake towns in California with 200 or more homes, the lowest are Crestline ($269), Big Bear City ($359) and Shaver Lake ($398). That is the average asking price on booked nights, not what it costs to live or buy there.
What are some small lake towns in California?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 13 lake towns it lists in California are Homewood (151), Tahoma (200) and Bass Lake (215). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What lake towns in California offer the strongest Airbnb returns?
Returns depend on what a home costs to buy and run, which AirROI's figures do not cover. On AirROI's estimated revenue per home in the 12 months to October 2026, among lake towns in California with 200 or more homes, the highest are Carnelian Bay ($64,317), Tahoma ($64,106) and Tahoe Vista ($59,294). Among the same towns, Kings Beach and Carnelian Bay share the highest occupancy, at 38%.
Method
How These Lists and Numbers Are Made
How a town gets on this list. A town needs 100 or more Airbnb homes with recent stays. A language model then judges the place from its name, state, country and coordinates, not from words in its name: it has to be on the shore of a lake or large reservoir, and the lake has to be a main reason to come. The town's own listings can back that up, with 35% of its homes listing lake access, or 25% of its titles naming the lake with 10% of homes listing it. A town whose listings do not gets a second, stricter check, which asks whether people go there for that or mainly for something else. Big cities stay off. Corrections come last: places the checks got wrong are added or taken off, and rows that name one place are joined.
How the figures are made. Stays, occupancy, nightly rate and revenue are AirROI estimates built from Airbnb listing data, and cover Airbnb only. A town's stays are its bookings in the period, and the typical stay and busiest month come from the same data. Guest ratings, home sizes and how far ahead guests book are the latest figures in each town's AirROI data. Month ranks compare each month's part of Airbnb nights. Origin rests on 779,985 reviews and describes guests who left a review, not everyone who stayed. A town needs 1,000 reviews before this page gives its share from abroad.