Big Bear road Conditions
Navigating your way up the San Bernardino Mountains to Big Bear may feel daunting, scary even, especially when winter conditions arise. We hope to provide you with the best, most up-to-date information possible for navigating up the mountain with ease to best enjoy your stay at the Castillo Landing Cabin!
The Best routes to big bear
There are 3 main roads that lead to Big Bear…
- Highway 330 through Highland to the 18 through Running Springs
- Highway 38 through Redlands
- Highway 18 through Lucerne Valley
While all 3 routes are perfect for navigating to Big Bear and to the Castillo Landing Cabin, each have their own pros and cons….
Pros and Cons of the 3 main roads into Big Bear…
- Generally the quickest & most scenic route is highway 330 through Highland to the 18 through Running Springs, however, this route is full of sharper turns & windy roads (definitely not for those with the tendency to get carsick). And although the most beautiful scenic route, this is usually the first route hit with backups from accidents to fallen debris.
- The smooth scenic route is highway 38 through Redlands. This is a beautiful scenic drive & an exceptionally smooth route, the only caveat to this route is that in especially wet/icy/snowy conditions, this route increases in elevation before landing in Big Bear, so it tends to bear more weather beating conditions, and therefore not recommended when even the lightest snow is in the forecast.
- The smoothest route is highway 18 through Lucerne Valley. However, while it is the smoothest route, most recommended when wet/icy/snowy conditions are in the forecast, it is also the absolute least scenic route and generally the longest when coming from the Los Angeles area.
For the best, most up-to-date road conditions, we use SoCalMountains.com.
Click the link below to view the current road conditions.
Big Bear Current Road ConditionsAre snow chains required in big bear?
In Big Bear, Snow chains, by law, are required to AT LEAST be carried in your vehicles during ALL winter months, but there are 3 chain requirement levels in California to be aware of.
Requirement 1 (R-1): Chains are required on all vehicles except passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks under 6,000 pounds gross weight and equipped with snow tires on at least two drive wheels. Chains must be carried by vehicles using snow tires. All vehicles towing trailers must have chains on one drive axle. Trailers with brakes must have chains on at least one axle.
Requirement 2 (R-2): Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles with snow-tread tires on all four wheels.
NOTE: (Four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles must carry traction devices in chain control areas.)
Requirement 3 (R-3): Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles, no exceptions.
(For more information you can check the California Department of Transportation website – Caltrans – by clicking here.)
For the most up-to-date chain restriction notifications, we use SoCalMountains.com.
Click the link below to view the current chain restrictions.
Big Bear Current Chain Restrictions
If you’re still concerned about your drive up to big bear…
If you’re still feeling a little uncertain or concerned about your drive up to Big Bear, or if you have any other questions at all, please feel free to reach out to us! We would be more than happy to provide you with the best options for your drive & your stay up in the beautiful mountains at Big Bear!
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