Weesha Club: Mountain Filming Location HomePage

The historic Weesha Club is located in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California near the village of Angelus Oaks. It started as a homestead which was established in 1888. Two of the original log cabins erected by the homesteader are still in use today.

After the homesteader died, a surviving family member sold the property in 1909 to a citrus rancher from Orange County, California who later became one of the founders of the club. In 1910 that rancher joined together with a group of friends and relatives to establish the Weesha Country Club as a social and recreation club (the name was intended to denote a club in the country, not a golf course). Over time common usage has shortened the name to Weesha Club.

The club property consists of approximately 131 acres about four miles due south of the City of Big Bear Lake (see Directions for more information). It is situated at elevations ranging from 4,800 feet to 5,400 feet. The property offers vistas of snow capped peaks towering over 10,000 feet and views up and down the Santa Ana River Valley. The Santa Ana River and Forsee Creek flow through the property year round. Although surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest the club property is privately owned and operated. It is therefore possible to film on the property without some of the normally required fees, permits and restrictions enforced on government lands (for contact information regarding filming on government owned land see the links for the Bureau of Land Management and the National Forest Service on our Hot Links page).

Weesha has been used as a filming location on many occasions. Past productions have included film and commercial photo shoots for Yamaha, B.F. Goodrich, The Discovery Channel, Zappos.com, National Geographic, Old Spice, Greenpeace International, The 168 Hour Film Project, Christian Broadcasting Network, Yamoto Motorcycles, Outside Magazine (including cover of October 2004 issue), Trim Advantage, Willie Nelson, Ford, Advair, New Balance Shoes, Honda, Toyota, The Golden Bear Jewelry, Kawasaki, Chevy Trucks, National Geographic Explorer, Wrangler Jeans, Subaru, Polaris ATVs, Nestle's Rowntree Macintosh Chocolates, the movies "Fear Runs Silent" and "Monster Mountain", student film projects entitled "The Ride", "Under Review", "The Flower" and "Going Home", and the ZZ Top music video "Sleeping Bag" (from their "Afterburner" album).

The native vegetation includes three species of oak trees, alders, cedars, sycamores, several species of pines and firs, ferns, periwinkle and chaparral. Various species of deciduous trees have also been planted and maintained over the years. Location scouts have commented that the trees give portions of the property the ability to "cheat the look" of sites in the eastern portion of the United States including The North Woods, Washington DC and Camp David, Maryland.

Some of the cabins surround a central lawn of approximately five acres. Additionally, from the time of the original homestead up through the present the owners have planted and maintained orchards which include apple trees, cherries, plums, crab apples, pears, peaches and apricots. The trees are usually in bloom from late February through May.

The Club property includes thirteen cabins and over fourteen cottages and other buildings of varying architectural styles, a barn, barnyard and corrals. There are two vehicular bridges, two foot bridges and a river crossing. The property has adequate parking for support vehicles and crews for even the largest productions. An on site coordinator may be made available to provide assistance and access to all areas of the property. We can also provide you with names of local vendors and facilities as well as creative solutions for your talent and crew support problems.

To see some examples of some of what Weesha Club has to offer please view the excerpts from our portfolio included in the attached Photo Album.

With 131 acres of streams, rivers, trees, beautiful terrain and vistas, we have a lot to offer. We even have helicopter access.

Weesha Club is private property! However, guided tours may be arranged for location scouts with adequate notice. If you have any questions regarding facilities, fees, or scheduling please contact filming coordinator Bob Peck at (714) 832-4420 (E-mail rwpeck@weesha.com) or visit our Contact Us page.

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