Ski townsCalifornia2026
California Ski Towns
Big Bear Lake, Mammoth Lakes and South Lake Tahoe were the most booked of the 17 ski towns in California on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 80,927, 66,329 and 41,654 stays. July is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 3.9 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
Among the 11 towns with 200+ homes
- Most booked of these 11
- Big Bear Lake 80,927 stays
- Highest revenue per home of these 11
- Tahoma $64,106 a year
- Highest rated of these 11
- Running Springs 4.88 out of 5
- Lowest nightly rate of these 11
- Running Springs $292 a night
- Longest typical stay of these 11
- Tahoma 4.9 nights
Ranking
California Ski Towns Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the ski towns and resort villages in California with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Big Bear Lake | 80,927 | $457 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Mammoth Lakes | 66,329 | $458 |
| 3 | South Lake Tahoe | 41,654 | $527 |
| 4 | Truckee | 31,033 | $582 |
| 5 | Big Bear City | 27,444 | $359 |
| 6 | Tahoe City | 16,967 | $571 |
| 7 | Kings Beach | 12,800 | $481 |
| 8 | Arnold | 10,871 | $356 |
| 9 | Olympic Valley | 8,951 | $563 |
| 10 | Running Springs | 5,879 | $292 |
| 11 | Mount Shasta | 5,529 | $267 |
| 12 | Meyers | 4,828 | $519 |
| 13 | Tahoma | 4,140 | $639 |
| 14 | Homewood | 3,635 | $641 |
| 15 | Soda Springs | 2,469 | $452 |
| 16 | Wrightwood | 2,294 | $321 |
| 17 | Kirkwood | 2,005 | $516 |
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 and Big Bear City peak in December, and Mammoth Lakes in February. Among guests who left a review, San Francisco is the top home city in 5 of the 8. Houses 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 11 ski 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. Cabins, campers and other outdoor stays were the largest home type in Big Bear Lake, at 54% of homes. Among guests who left a review, Los Angeles was the top home city for Big Bear Lake, at 17%.
- Mammoth Lakes
Of the 11 ski towns in California with 200 or more homes, Mammoth Lakes had the biggest share of apartments and condos, at 76%, in the 12 months to October 2026. Among guests who left a review, Los Angeles was the top home city for Mammoth Lakes, at 17%.
- 5Big Bear City
In the 12 months to October 2026, cabins, campers and other outdoor stays were the largest home type in Big Bear City, California, at 68% of homes. Among guests who left a review, Los Angeles was the top home city for Big Bear City, at 17%.
- 6Tahoe City
Of the 11 ski towns in California with 200 or more homes, Tahoe City had the biggest share of houses, at 63%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 7Kings Beach
Of the 11 ski towns in California with 200 or more homes, Kings Beach had the highest occupancy, at 38%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 8Arnold
Of the 11 ski towns in California with 200 or more homes, Arnold had the biggest share of homes that sleep 8 or more, at 76%, in the 12 months to October 2026. Cabins, campers and other outdoor stays were the largest home type in Arnold, at 72% of homes.
When to go
Busiest and Quietest Months
July, August and February rank as the busiest months for Airbnb nights across the ski towns in California, and May and April as the quietest. July is the busiest month in 10 of the 17, while Big Bear Lake and Big Bear City peak in December, and Mammoth Lakes in February. Across the 17 towns, nightly rates run lowest in September, at about $408, and highest in December, at about $579. Across the 17 towns, stays run longest in July, at 4.6 nights, and shortest in September, at 3.0 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 | 4.6 nights | $508 |
| 2 | August | 3.7 nights | $460 |
| 3 | February | 3.5 nights | $560 |
| 4 | December | 4.1 nights | $579 |
| 5 | June | 4.3 nights | $460 |
| 6 | January | 3.3 nights | $564 |
| 7 | March | 3.4 nights | $511 |
| 8 | September | 3.0 nights | $408 |
| 9 | October | 3.3 nights | $430 |
| 10 | November | 3.3 nights | $454 |
| 11 | May | 3.7 nights | $435 |
| 12 | April | 3.6 nights | $448 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, 94.7% 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 Francisco and San Diego. 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
94.7% from within the United States
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 11 towns with 200 or more Airbnb homes, Tahoma has the highest estimated revenue per home, at $64,106 a year. Of those 11, Kings Beach has the highest occupancy, at 38%, and Running Springs has the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at $292. The most booked of the 17, Big Bear Lake, earns about $39,296 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 11
A year, AirROI estimate
- Tahoma $64,106
- Tahoe City $57,342
- South Lake Tahoe $56,042
- Kings Beach $54,973
- Truckee $51,144
Highest occupancy of these 11
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
- Kings Beach 38%
- Tahoma 37%
- Mammoth Lakes 36%
- South Lake Tahoe 36%
- Tahoe City 35%
Lowest nightly rate of these 11
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
- Running Springs $292
- Arnold $356
- Big Bear City $359
- Big Bear Lake $457
- Mammoth Lakes $458
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular ski town in California?
By AirROI's estimates, Big Bear Lake is the most booked of the 17 ski towns in California, with 80,927 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. Mammoth Lakes is second, with 66,329. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable ski town in California?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among ski towns in California with 200 or more homes, the lowest are Running Springs ($292), Arnold ($356) and Big Bear City ($359). That is the average asking price on booked nights, not what it costs to live or buy there.
What are some small ski towns in California?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 17 ski towns it lists in California are Kirkwood (102), Wrightwood (106) and Soda Springs (119). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What ski 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 ski towns in California with 200 or more homes, the highest are Tahoma ($64,106), Tahoe City ($57,342) and South Lake Tahoe ($56,042). Among the same towns, Kings Beach has 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: a lift-served ski area has to be in the town or within about 30 minutes' drive, and skiing has to be a main reason to come in winter. The town's own listings can back that up, with 10% of its homes listing ski-in or ski-out, or 10% of its titles naming skiing. 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 1,025,264 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.