Big Bear from Las Vegas

Big Bear is Southern California’s ski town, in the San Bernardino Mountains about four hours from Las Vegas. Big Bear Mountain Resort runs three mountains there: Snow Summit, Bear Mountain and Snow Valley, according to its FAQ. For Las Vegas families it’s also the best area for snow tubing within a day’s drive, since Mount Charleston has no tubing hill.

The drive from Las Vegas

Big Bear Mountain Resort’s transportation page lists four ways up the mountain. For Las Vegas, the one to use is Highway 18 through Lucerne Valley: the resort calls it “the quickest way to/from Barstow, Las Vegas, and other high desert locations” and says it “has the least amount of mountain driving.”

Our routing estimate from the Strip at Flamingo Road to Snow Summit is 209 miles, about 4 hours 10 minutes with no traffic. That’s an OSRM estimate, not a promise. Weekend traffic, chain controls and the climb can add a lot more.

The routes from Los Angeles (Highway 330 and Highway 18 through Running Springs, or Highway 38 through Redlands) get very congested on peak weekends, the resort warns. Coming from Las Vegas you’ll mostly avoid them unless you’re heading to Snowdrift in Running Springs.

Chains and road conditions

The resort says it doesn’t manage the roads to Big Bear Lake and sends drivers to Caltrans. California uses R-1, R-2 and R-3 chain control levels; these are California’s rules, not Nevada’s. Check Caltrans QuickMap for Highway 18 before you leave, and again at your last stop before the climb. The resort also asks drivers to stay on primary roads and follow signs and staff when they arrive, because parking routes may differ from your GPS.

Skiing and snowboarding

• Season: No confirmed opening. The resort’s hours page says November 21, 2026 is the earliest the resorts may open for 26/27.
• Tickets: Sold online, at the Snow Valley and Snow Summit ticket windows, by phone or at the BBMR Village shop, per the FAQ. Prices change by date; see the resort’s lift tickets page.
• Passes: The resort sells its own Big Bear and Snow Valley passes and the Ikon Pass. Lee Canyon’s Power Pass doesn’t cover Big Bear.
• Parking: The resort charges for parking on select dates; check its parking page for your day before you go.

Snow tubing in Big Bear

Four tubing parks, each checked on its operator’s own site:

• Coyote Creek Tube Park at Snow Valley (Big Bear Mountain Resort): six 400-foot lanes and 90 minutes of laps, plus a separate snow play area for kids too small to tube.
• Grizzly Ridge Tube Park at Snow Summit (Big Bear Mountain Resort): four 300-foot lanes and 90 minutes of laps, minutes from Big Bear Village.

The resort’s snow tubing page says both were “closed until December” when we checked and that 2026/27 tubing and snow play tickets go on sale November 2, 2026. Buy at least a day ahead; every guest needs a ticket, infants included, and season passes don’t cover tubing. Kids’ snow bibs are available to rent on site.

• Big Bear Snow Play, 42825 Big Bear Blvd: day and night “glow” tubing sessions, with the season listed as “mid-Nov through Easter.” Kids 36–42 inches tall ride with an adult on a small-child ticket, and kids under 36 inches can’t go past the gate. Hours and pricing.
• Snowdrift Snow Tubing Park, 34600 State Highway 18, about 4 miles east of Running Springs: cash only (there’s an ATM), no online or advance tickets, $25 per person per hour and $10 parking when we checked. Kids 36 inches or under are free with a paid adult. Hours and prices. It’s on the Running Springs side, so from Las Vegas it’s a detour past the lake.

For tubing closer to home, see snow tubing near Las Vegas, which also covers Brian Head and Lee Canyon’s snow play areas.

Big Bear or Lee Canyon?

For a first time on snow, Lee Canyon is about an hour from the Strip, and you can be home for dinner. Big Bear is a weekend: four-plus hours each way, but three mountains, a lake town and tubing. Compare every option on ski resorts near Las Vegas.