Big Bear Mountain visiting tips

Big Bear Mountain visiting tips

Start your day early

Try your best to be there about 30 minutes before the official opening time. Keep in mind, the opening time is different (8 am or 9 am) depending on the day of the week, time of ski season and snow conditions. If taking a day trip to Big Bear, leave even earlier than you initially planned to leave. For Big Bear day trips, I usually leave San Diego around 6 am and get to the mountain by 8.50-9 am. By this time preferred parking is already full sometimes. Here are my list of Big Bear Mountain visiting tips

Note: Preferred parking is not free anymore, it cost $20 during weekends. It is still free Monday-Friday.

Discounted tickets

If you have your discounted tickets, head to tickets window as soon as you can. Make sure to have driver license with you. The lines are long, and you can easily spend 20-30 mins waiting in line even with prepaid tickets.

Large lockers rental

Large lockers sell out fast especially on weekends, so head to locker area right after getting your tickets if you are planning to use lockers. I recommend avoiding lockers all together unless you are skiing with kids. We got into a habit of changing into ski clothes and putting ski boots on near the car on the parking lot to save time. Locker area gets super crowded in the morning and by the end of the day

Offsite parking

Remember the name of the lot if parking offsite and taking shuttle to the mountain. You will need to know your parking lot name for your return trip. The buses are designated to a specific parking lot and back to the mountain, they do not circle around all parking lots.

Take early lunch

Plan to take lunch around 11 am or even earlier, especially on weekends. All the restaurants get very crowded by noon on Saturdays.  Skyline Taphouse restaurant usually has the shortest line during lunchtime.

Upper lifts have shorter lines

We usually use upper lifts during busy hours and then go back down to use the main This one is obvious, but people still stay in long lines.

Restrooms

The restroom in the main lobby is the most crowded one. Lower area of the resort has many restrooms available, so if you see a long line ask one of Big Bear employees to show you other restrooms available. I recently discovered additional restroom right behind ski rental that rarely has line.

Roads conditions

Always check the road conditions prior to driving back. Road 330 is often closes without prior notice due to weather conditions, rock fall barrier and drainage construction or bridge repairs.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Plan your trip in advance; this will save you a lot of money and time during your first Big Bear visit.