January Big Bear Lake trail conditions?

Anybody got recent eyes on Big Bear trails recently? Thinking of heading out next coming weekend, wondering if that recent snow storm is still laying around. Might bring a buddy new to driving off road in general.

 

Yup last weekend they got a good amount of snowfall but it was starting to melt when we left on Sunday. I'm sure it's all but melted now, maybe patches are still around.

 

It will be gone by the end of next week. Look at the forecast. It's going to be hot as balls.

 

It Will be dry AF, check the forecast. Gonna be hot as balls!!

 

I just did the trail from Fawnskin to Apple valley on Tuesday. A small amount of snow was sticking around. Mostly in the shade. Trail condition was good on the upper half but there was three spots that were tight. At least I had to stop and think about going through them. I made it through the sketchy parts. I think the more people that go through there the worst it will get. Just my opinion. They all were below the cell tower. There was a Dodge Ram that went through there and his outside tires were on the edge. I will upload a photo. Just have to find it.

 

Snow was at the top near Big Bear. Some poor car lost its front plastic. This was the worst of the 3 wash out points on the trail.

 

@schecter517 We should do Big Bear

 

Anyone been up to Butler Peak recently?

 

I might be headed up to Big Bear this weekend, supposed to be getting snow over the next couple days. Should make for some good wheeling

 

Yea I'm thinking Sunday, I've been there before but confused as to whether the trails are closed.

 

They don't really close trails up in Big Bear due to snow, at least from what I've seen. They really only close them if there's fire damage. I was up there last month after they got some snow and Gold Mountain was still open, one of the tougher trails up there. Drove on a bunch of fire roads too and they were all open in the snow.

 

Appreciate it man, thanks for the info guess I'll be heading up there.

 

So I just got a Tacoma not to long ago and I’m tempted to do some these big bear trails (when there is no snow). Is 4x4 necessary on these trails?

 

Not really, most of it is just fire roads. Though Gold Mountain is necessary I think.

 

Sweet! I already threw on some all terrain tires. That being said, I have a question, not sure if there is a thread for this or not, but when is it recommended to air down the tires?

 

Here's a couple of threads that go over some info

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/airing-down-tires.525773/#post-16971986

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/airing-down-tires.534804/

 

Big Bear has a ton of offroading trails, ranging from fire roads (there are countless fire roads) that are safe for most cars, to lighter 2wd friendly trails all the way up to double black diamond 4x4 trails.

White Mountain is one of my favorite 4x4 trails up there, it's pretty long and has mostly easy/moderate sections with a few really tough 4x4 spots (there are ways around them if you need to).

Gold Mountain is a lot shorter than White Mountain but considerably harder, and there aren't really any bypasses for the hard stuff. 4x4 necessary, rear locker and steel skids/sliders highly suggested.

Then there are trails like John Bull and Holcomb, which are a couple of the harder notorious 4x4 trails up in Big Bear. Giant rocks and boulders to climb over and what not, I haven't done either one but they look fun. Those are the kinds of trails I would not do without a group or at least one other capable rig.

If you google "Big Bear 4x4 trails" you'll see a ton of trails, it's definitely more than just fire roads...though there are a lot of fire roads up there. It's easy to get lost on them if you're exploring with no map or familiarity with the area, so be sure to map out your route.

 

Always air down when offroad, in my opinion. The severity of the trail and the kind of tires you have determine how much you can/should air down. But not airing down off road makes your ride much more uncomfortable and makes it a lot harder to maintain traction when you need it.

I have E rated all terrains (KO2s) and I always air down to 16 psi on 4x4 trails. Fire roads and the like, I usually go down to 20 or 25 at the highest. In deep sand, I've gone as low as 8psi to get unstuck but then aired back up immediately after I was free. An air compressor (a good one that connects directly to the battery) is a must IMO. If you have street tires or C or P rated tires, I'd be careful to not go too low.

 

Thanks for the advice guys!! Really appreciate it.

 

Here man, I like to use this website as resource about local trails. Lots of good information.

https://www.trailsoffroad.com/states/CA