Heavy snow closes main route to Big Bear

Tony Kurzweil
·1 min read

Highway 18, the main route for thousands of motorists headed from the Los Angeles area to Big Bear, was closed due to heavy snow Thursday, officials said.

“SR-18 closed in both directions from Snow Valley to Big Bear dam (Arctic Circle) to remove large snowpack,” Caltrans District 8 posted on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after 6 a.m.

A map shows the closure of Highway 18 from Snow Valley to Big Bear dam and the suggested route 38 to the south.
A map shows the closure of Highway 18 from Snow Valley to Big Bear dam and the suggested route 38 to the south.

Motorists were asked to be patient while crews worked to clear the road.

A detour through State Route 38 to the south of Big Bear, which loops around the back of the lake and adds a significant amount of driving time, was suggested.

Inland Empire braces for even more snow

The closure comes as Big Bear Mountain Resort received more than 5 feet of fresh snow over the past 48 hours.

No timetable was given for when the road might reopen.

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