← Back to San Bernardino National Forest
Drone Rules for San Bernardino National Forest
Big Bear, California (CA)
• United States
Big Bear, CA 92314, USA
Lat: 34.0568 • Lng: -116.948
Rules Edit History: San Bernardino National Forest
Showing changes between revisions.
Mapped shape change
Old outline is gray. New outline is blue.
May 30, 2026 6:51 AM
Approved
• Added USFS drone advisory for San Bernardino NF with Big Bear City Airport Class D inside forest, San Gorgonio Wilderness, and ONT Class C context.
Moderation feedback
Approved
Confidence: 0.85
Your proposed edit detailing drone regulations in San Bernardino National Forest, including the San Gorgonio Wilderness and Big Bear City Airport, has been approved. This aligns with the U.S. Forest Service's guidelines that prohibit drone operations in designated Wilderness Areas and areas with sensitive wildlife. The added context about the forest's proximity to Big Bear City Airport enhances the understanding of the area's drone flight considerations. The outline has been updated to accurately represent the restricted area.
Sources
Changed fields
Mapped shape change
Click to load this change into the shared map viewer here.
| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | — | USFS San Bernardino NF encompasses Big Bear Lake and San Gorgonio Wilderness. Ontario Class C airspace reaches into the western valley flanks; Big Bear City Airport (L35) Class D is inside the forest. |
| Mapped shapes | — | ffadd900-8119-4680-9deb-49b7e83e8fb2 |
Before
After
## Drone Rules - San Bernardino NF, California **San Gorgonio Wilderness (59,293 acres)** bans drones; Big Bear City Airport (L35) Class D sits inside the forest, requiring LAANC for Big Bear Valley flights. ### Airspace / Site Context - L35 Class D surface area covers all of Big Bear Valley; LAANC required for any flight below 700 ft AGL over Big Bear Lake - Ontario International (ONT) Class C outer ring extends toward the San Bernardino foothills - San Gorgonio Mountain (11,503 ft MSL) -- summit flights are in Class E; winter conditions can disable electronics ### Key Rules - LAANC required near L35 for Big Bear Valley flights; most grid squares authorize 200-400 ft AGL - San Gorgonio Wilderness boundary begins at the upper mountain flanks -- download GPS boundary - USFS Special Use Permit required for commercial work; SoCal fire TFRs common May-November ### Source - USFS San Bernardino: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf
Show inline change markers
+ ## Drone Rules - San Bernardino NF, California + + **San Gorgonio Wilderness (59,293 acres)** bans drones; Big Bear City Airport (L35) Class D sits inside the forest, requiring LAANC for Big Bear Valley flights. + + ### Airspace / Site Context + - L35 Class D surface area covers all of Big Bear Valley; LAANC required for any flight below 700 ft AGL over Big Bear Lake + - Ontario International (ONT) Class C outer ring extends toward the San Bernardino foothills + - San Gorgonio Mountain (11,503 ft MSL) -- summit flights are in Class E; winter conditions can disable electronics + + ### Key Rules + - LAANC required near L35 for Big Bear Valley flights; most grid squares authorize 200-400 ft AGL + - San Gorgonio Wilderness boundary begins at the upper mountain flanks -- download GPS boundary + - USFS Special Use Permit required for commercial work; SoCal fire TFRs common May-November + + ### Source + - USFS San Bernardino: https://www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf +