Big Bear in the Winter

I just got back from bear about 15 hours ago haha. We got about 12 inches of fresh snow and I was driving in 4H basically the whole time I was up there. I have a house up there but I live in LA for the most part. I drive that road up to Bear at least every other weekend.

Carry chains at all times. The CHP are so picky about that even with 4WD and snow tires. They wont let you pass if you don't have chains on you, I've seen it happen many a time.

You should be pretty good to go with chains. Make sure to slap em on the back tires. The roads at night are always icy. I saw about 5 accidents this weekend driving up and down. Make sure you know how to take your chains on and off with ease and drive carefully and slow and you'll be just fine. And if you like off-roading, ask someone where Switzerland Rd. is and you can do some mobbing back there.

Have a good trip!

 

not to worry , i have a pre-runner and went to sierra summit/big bear a lot during snow boarding season, you'll make it up there with flying colors and yes "CHAINS ON THE REAR ONLY" .If the roads are unsafe, What they do is make you pull-over put on the chains, stop and have the CHP check your truck/car and then wave you through. Be careful though as there are times when its shade on certain mountain sides and there is BLACK ICE, ive ran over them a couple times and found my truck sliding a little so be careful. Have fun though =)

 

My family owns a cabin up there. Need to watch for black ice as I was driving at night about 30 mph and did a little fish tailing. I had A/Ts with no chain but you should be fine. I drove a 97 4wd 4Runner with manual trans up there.... would'nt be too bad but we crawled up the mountain with all the traffic last year for about a whopping 3.5 hours.

 

thats comforting to hear

 

It's supposed to rain more this season, but it's also supposed to be a little warmer which means less mountain snow.

 

My dad works up there. You will be fine so long as you stay calm and don't slam on the brakes or gas. The roads can get icy but for the most part Cal Trans keeps the roads clear. I recommend taking Hwy 330 also.

 

I used to get season passes every year up there at Bear Mountain ski resort. 8 times out of 10, the roads are dry. 1 time out of 10, there is some ice in the shadows and 1 time out of 10 you're actually driving in "winter conditions". Unless you happen to be there either during or immediately following a storm, you have nothing to worry about. If there are winter conditions, they have Highway Patrol checkpoints to make sure you have either 4wd or chains.

I'd recommend waiting until the last minute so you can get an accurate weather forecast. If it's clear, forget about it. If a storm is expected, go to Walmart and buy some cheap cables. They work just fine in SoCal snow and they're much easier/quicker to install than chains.

Either way, be safe and have fun.