All roads to, from and within the Big Bear Valley are free of chain requirements [as of Monday morning], though, just a reminder to motorists, it is the law to carry chains when traveling in the mountains during the winter months. Though there have been no chain requirements in recent days, snow conditions do remain in effect so, still, no parking on city streets or risk having your vehicle towed or ticketed. For road updates, visit KBHR’s Big Bear Road Conditions page.
Those traveling on or off the mountain have three choices—those are Highway 18, “down the front way” as locals call it, west beyond Big Bear Lake and the dam toward Running Springs and Highway 330; to the east there is Highway 38 through Angelus Oaks to Mentone and the Redlands area, accessing Interstate 10, and, third, east on Highway 18 through Baldwin Lake to the desert communities. During peak holiday travel times, east tends to be least, meaning there is generally less traffic congestion on the eastbound route of Highway 18 and on Highway 38.
