Fawnskin, California is an unincorporated community of San Bernardino County located on the north shore, more specifically at Grout Bay, of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino National Forest. It lies at an elevation of 6750 feet at the north end of Grout Bay and is bordered by Big Bear City to its east. Directly across the lake is the incorporated City of Big Bear Lake, California.
The small township was once an artist's colony. Mountain travelers in the 1800s came to the Big Bear Valley through Fawnskin on the rough road by stagecoach and later motorcars. Several other names were temporarily chosen for the North Shore village including Cline-Miller, Bald Eagle Valley, Big Bear Village, Oso Grande and Grout.
The village has always been an attraction to vacationers seeking a retreat from city life in its mountain terrain. Several hundred homes are in the forested mountainside adjacent to the forest.
Gold miners, loggers and hunters were drawn to the adjacent Holcomb Valley during the 1800s. One urban legend is that some hunters discovered deer (fawn) skins stretched out to dry in the sun. Hence, the area became known as Fawn Skin and later Fawnskin.