Snow tubing near Las Vegas

Here’s the short answer, because a lot of pages bury it: there’s no snow tubing hill on Mount Charleston. Lee Canyon, the ski resort an hour from the Strip, says on its FAQ that it doesn’t have tubing and that tubing isn’t permitted on any of its managed areas. If tubing is the plan, the nearest tubing hill is at Brian Head in Utah, about three hours away, and the Big Bear area in California has four more about four hours away. If what you really want is for the kids to see and play in snow, Mount Charleston does that well, with some rules.

Tubing: Brian Head, Utah

Brian Head Resort runs a tubing hill at its Giant Steps base. As listed when we checked (date under Sources):

• Price: $25 and up per person for 1.5 hours, tube included. Prices can change over holidays.
• Hours: Sunday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Over the Christmas, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day holiday periods it’s open every day, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Ages: 4 and up. Children under 50 pounds ride alone in their own tube and must be accompanied by a ticketed adult in a separate tube and lane.
• Tickets: Online or at the ticket office; pick up your tube at the hill.

Brian Head says it’s about three hours from Las Vegas, up I-15 to exit 75 at Parowan and then 14 miles up the mountain. Our routing estimate from the Strip is 205 miles. That makes tubing an all-day trip or part of a weekend. Utah has its own traction rules for that last climb; see Brian Head from Las Vegas before you go.

Tubing: Big Bear and Running Springs, California

The San Bernardino Mountains have the most tubing hills within a day’s drive of Las Vegas. Our routing estimate from the Strip to Snow Summit in Big Bear Lake is 209 miles, a little over four hours without traffic. Each operator below runs its own hill; we’ve linked each one’s own page.

• Coyote Creek Tube Park at Snow Valley (Big Bear Mountain Resort). Six 400-foot lanes, 90 minutes of unlimited laps, and a separate snow play area for kids who are too small to tube. Resort page.
• Grizzly Ridge Tube Park at Snow Summit (Big Bear Mountain Resort). Four 300-foot lanes, 90 minutes of laps, minutes from Big Bear Village. Both resort parks were “closed until December” when we checked, and the resort says 2026/27 tubing tickets go on sale November 2, 2026. Tickets are bought at least a day ahead, every guest needs one (including infants), and season passes don’t cover tubing.
• Big Bear Snow Play, 42825 Big Bear Blvd, Big Bear Lake. A day tubing session was listed at $50 and a small-child ticket at $35 for kids 36 to 42 inches tall, who ride with an adult; kids under 36 inches can’t go past the gate. The snow tubing season runs “mid-Nov through Easter,” and there’s a night glow-tubing session too. Hours and pricing.
• Snowdrift Snow Tubing Park, 34600 State Highway 18, Running Springs, about 4 miles east of Running Springs on the way up to Big Bear. Cash only, $25 per person per hour, $10 parking, no online or advance tickets; children 36 inches or under are free with a paid adult. Hours and prices.

Our Big Bear from Las Vegas guide covers the drive, Highway 18 via Lucerne Valley and parking.

Tubing: Mammoth Lakes, California

Mammoth Mountain’s Woolly’s Adventure Summit has two 512-foot tubing runs with a conveyor lift back up, plus a snow play area for small kids. Mammoth is the farthest option here, a five-hour-plus drive, so it only makes sense as part of a ski trip. See Mammoth from Las Vegas.

Snow play on Mount Charleston

Lee Canyon’s snow play areas

Lee Canyon manages two snow play areas off Lee Canyon Road, according to its snow play page:

• Old Mill. $20 per vehicle, paid on arrival (cash or card). Friday to Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with no entry after 2 p.m. No sledding at Old Mill. No concessions there.
• Foxtail. Hillside snow play with heated restrooms and concessions. It needs 12 inches of snow to open and may close because of conditions. When we checked, the resort listed it as not open yet, with opening information to come. NDOT’s Mt. Charleston winter safety page points sledders to the Foxtail picnic area, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when there’s more than 12 inches of snow, because most slopes along the state routes are too steep and wooded to sled safely.

Two cautions: the resort says sledding and snow play aren’t allowed at the ski resort itself, and on October 23, 2026 its snow play page still said “Now open for the 2024-2025 season!” Confirm the current season’s details before you drive up.

Forest Service land

Most of Mount Charleston is the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, run by the U.S. Forest Service. Its visitor site, Go Mt. Charleston, sets out the rules for playing in the snow:

• Don’t sled on less than 12 inches of snow.
• Stay clear of roads and traffic, and of trees and rocks.
• Use a real sled, not a cardboard box or a makeshift item. Sledding on ice is dangerous.
• Respect private property and places where sledding isn’t appropriate.
• Take every bit of trash home, including broken sleds.
• Keep pets on a leash and pick up after them.

Parking is the hard part. Roadside parking is prohibited on Lee Canyon Road between Lee Meadows and the ski resort, and illegally parked cars can be ticketed and towed. On snowy weekends and holidays thousands of cars head up, and Go Mt. Charleston recommends arriving before 9 a.m. The getting to Lee Canyon page covers chain rules and parking in detail.

Which to pick

• Small kids, one day, just want snow: Mount Charleston’s snow play areas. Go early, on a weekday if you can, and dress them in waterproof layers, not cotton.
• You want an actual tubing run: Brian Head is closest, about six hours of driving round trip. Big Bear has more choice, including night glow tubing, but it’s eight-plus hours round trip, so make a weekend of it.
• Older kids or teens who’d enjoy more: A beginner lesson at Lee Canyon might be the better day. Kids 12 and under ski free there with the Power Kids pass; see Lee Canyon lift tickets.

Before any of it, check the Lee Canyon forecast and NV Roads. The snow that makes a great play day also brings chain requirements and traffic.