A Note on Location
Although it is sometimes discussed alongside Inland Empire mountain communities, Arrowhead Woods is not a neighborhood within the city of Upland. It is the historic residential community surrounding Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains, reached from the foothill cities by Highway 18. For Upland residents, it is part of the familiar mountain landscape that rises above the citrus belt—a place connected by geography, weekend traditions, and generations of Southern Californians seeking cool air, tall pines, and a slower pace.
Arrowhead Woods is more than a collection of cabins and lake-view homes. Its history reflects the transformation of a remote mountain valley into one of Southern California’s best-known alpine communities.
Before the Resort Era
Long before roads, lodges, and private lake rights, the upper San Bernardino Mountains were home to Indigenous people, including Serrano communities whose presence and knowledge of the mountain environment reach back many centuries. The area later became important to miners, lumber workers, and settlers traveling through the mountain passes.
The valley now occupied by Lake Arrowhead was once known as Little Bear Valley, named for Little Bear Creek. During the late nineteenth century, Southern California investors looked to the mountains for water. The original Arrowhead Reservoir Company formed in the 1890s with an ambitious plan to capture mountain runoff and send it toward the growing communities below. The project was primarily conceived as a water-supply enterprise, not a resort.
A dam was built and enlarged over several decades. By the early twentieth century, however, legal and engineering difficulties made it clear that the water could not be used exactly as originally planned. That uncertainty opened the door to a different future—one based on recreation, tourism, and residential development.
How Arrowhead Woods Got Its Name
The name “Arrowhead” comes from the striking natural formation on the mountainside near Arrowhead Springs, south of the lake. From the valley below, the vegetation and exposed rock create an arrowhead-like shape. Local traditions connect the formation with Indigenous stories, and the image became associated with the entire mountain region.
Around 1920, a Los Angeles syndicate organized as the Arrowhead Lake Company acquired Little Bear Lake and approximately 4,800 acres of surrounding land. The company renamed the lake Lake Arrowhead and the surrounding property Arrowhead Woods. The new name helped market the area as an elegant mountain retreat rather than simply a former reservoir project.
That branding proved remarkably successful. The developers promoted Lake Arrowhead as a high-elevation playground for wealthy Angelenos and visitors seeking an escape from the heat and bustle of the city.
The Resort Takes Shape
Between 1921 and 1923, the Arrowhead Lake Company developed the first resort village on the lake’s shore. The original Lake Arrowhead Village featured Norman-inspired architecture, a dance pavilion, outdoor movie theater, restaurant, beach, bathhouses, and boat facilities. Lodges and hotels soon followed, including the Arlington Lodge, Village Inn, and North Shore Tavern.
The North Shore Tavern, located on the north side of the lake, became one of the area’s most memorable historic buildings. During the 1920s, Lake Arrowhead attracted Hollywood figures, wealthy families, and vacationers looking for a fashionable retreat. Later accounts also associate the tavern with the colorful atmosphere of the Prohibition era. Today, the historic lodge property is associated with UCLA Lake Arrowhead Lodge and remains one of the community’s most recognizable landmarks.
The mountain roads were just as important as the buildings. Improvements to the Rim of the World route made the lake increasingly accessible from San Bernardino, the Pomona Valley, and Los Angeles. What had once required a difficult mountain journey gradually became a practical destination for weekend travelers.
From Private Estate to Residential Community
In 1946, the Los Angeles Turf Club, known for operating Santa Anita Race Track, purchased Lake Arrowhead and the surrounding holdings known as Arrowhead Woods. During this period, the owners invested in improvements and donated land to organizations including the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, churches, San Bernardino County, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, who helped establish mountain medical services.
The modern residential identity of Arrowhead Woods emerged more clearly in the 1960s. A new development company acquired the property, built the present 18-hole Lake Arrowhead Country Club course, and subdivided eighteen residential tracts. These tracts were governed by strict deed restrictions intended to preserve the mountain setting, control construction, and protect trees. Over time, the community expanded beyond those original tracts, eventually encompassing dozens of neighborhoods and thousands of properties around the lake.
For many homeowners, one of the most important features of Arrowhead Woods is the tradition of lake rights. Ownership within qualifying tracts can provide access to private beaches, docks, boating areas, and other facilities managed for property owners. Those rights are a central part of the community’s identity and help explain why Arrowhead Woods has remained distinct from other Lake Arrowhead neighborhoods.
A Community Protects Its Lake
One of the most dramatic chapters in local history came in the 1970s. State officials determined that the original dam could be unsafe during a major earthquake and required the lake level to be lowered. Residents feared that losing the lake would damage the community’s water supply, recreation economy, and property values.
Arrowhead Woods property owners organized the Arrowhead Lake Association and supported a multimillion-dollar bond to construct a safer replacement dam downstream from the original. The effort preserved Lake Arrowhead as both a water resource and a recreational centerpiece. The story remains a powerful example of local cooperation and determination.
The original village also changed during this era. By the late 1970s, many of its buildings had deteriorated. In 1979, a controlled “Burn to Learn” exercise removed most of the old structures, while the original dance pavilion, post office, and real estate office were spared. A new Lake Arrowhead Village was then built in a style inspired by the earlier architecture. The present village, with its shops, restaurants, boat tours, and lakefront walks, continues the commercial tradition begun in the 1920s.
Arrowhead Woods Today
Today, Arrowhead Woods is a year-round community rather than merely a summer resort. Homes line roads such as Rim of the World Drive, Highway 173, North Bay Road, South Shore Road, and the winding streets leading into the surrounding tracts. Some properties are modest cabins with generations of family memories; others are larger contemporary homes built into steep, forested lots.
The neighborhood’s landmarks include:
- Lake Arrowhead Village and its restored historic-inspired architecture
- UCLA Lake Arrowhead Lodge, formerly associated with the North Shore Tavern
- Lake Arrowhead Country Club and its mountain golf course
- The lake’s beaches, marinas, walking routes, and private recreation areas
- Nearby Church of the Woods and mountain institutions serving the broader Rim communities
What makes Arrowhead Woods special is the way its past remains visible. The roads still follow the contours of the mountain. Tall pines frame homes that have been remodeled, rebuilt, or carefully preserved. The lake still serves as the community’s gathering place, while the village still provides the familiar meeting point for shopping, dining, celebrations, and holiday traditions.
For residents coming up from Upland and the surrounding foothill cities, Arrowhead Woods feels both close and wonderfully removed. Its heritage lies in that balance: a carefully planned resort, a hard-working mountain community, and a neighborhood whose identity has always depended on protecting the woods, the water, and the shared history between them.