Activity Guide

Snow Tubing & Snow Play

Overview

What to Expect

Snow tubing is one of the easiest ways to give a family a real Big Bear snow day without ski or snowboard skills. Commercial tubing parks remove much of the guesswork: the hill is designed for tubing, tubes are provided, lanes are maintained and uphill assistance means you are not dragging equipment back to the top after every run. Informal snow play is different. It can be free and fun when natural snow is good, but you are responsible for finding legal public land, legal parking and a slope with a safe runout. That difference matters on busy storm weekends, when random roadside snowbanks can look inviting but create traffic, trespassing and safety problems.

Highlights

What Makes It Special

The Best Time to Go

Commercial tubing can operate through winter with the help of snowmaking, subject to weather and facility conditions. Natural snow play depends on actual snowfall. Immediately after a major storm, snow may be excellent but road conditions, chain controls, traffic and parking can be at their worst. If you have flexibility, a non-holiday weekday or the period after roads have been cleared can be far easier than arriving with everyone else on the first snowy morning.

Planning

Plan Your Visit

Local Tip

On a peak snow weekend, a paid tubing park can save more than effort—it can save half the day. You already know where you are going, where you are supposed to park and that the hill is intended for tubing. Driving around looking for a free patch of snow often turns into traffic, questionable parking and frustrated kids long before anyone actually gets on a sled.

Parking and Access

Getting There