Do I need chains for Big Bear right now?

We could not get a current chain control report from Caltrans just now. Check Caltrans QuickMap or call 1-800-427-7623 before you drive. This is not a report that the roads are clear.

Caltrans road information by phone: 1-800-427-7623. The signs on the road, and any Caltrans or CHP officer at the checkpoint, come first. Follow them even if this page says something different.

Caltrans sets chain control in three levels. The level is posted on signs before the checkpoint.

R-1

Chains are required. Cars and light trucks under 6,000 pounds gross weight may drive without chains if they have snow tires on at least two drive wheels. They must still carry chains. Anyone towing a trailer must put chains on one drive axle, and a trailer with brakes needs chains on at least one axle.

R-2

Chains or traction devices are required on every vehicle, except four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels. Those vehicles must still carry chains.

R-3

Chains or traction devices are required on every vehicle. No exceptions, not even four-wheel drive. The road is often closed before it gets to R-3.

Snow tires have M+S, M/S or MUD AND SNOW stamped on the side of the tire.

R-1 and R-2 are the most common. With chains on, the speed limit is 25 or 30 mph.

From Caltrans’ chain control page and its chain requirements chart.

• Carry chains that fit your tires. Caltrans says every vehicle, including four-wheel and all-wheel drive, must carry chains when it enters a chain control area.
• Read your owner’s manual. It says whether your car can take chains and what kind. Chains go on the drive wheels. On a front-wheel drive car, that means the front wheels.
• Practice putting them on once at home, on a dry day. The side of a snowy highway is a hard place to learn.
• When you pass a Chains Required sign, you usually have about a mile before the checkpoint. Pull all the way off the road to the right to put chains on. Never stop in a traffic lane.
• You may see chain installers at the roadside who put chains on for a fee. They are independent businesses, not Caltrans workers, and they are not allowed to sell or rent chains. Get a receipt and write their badge number on it.
• Take chains off only after you pass the End of Chain Control sign, at a pull-off area.
• Check this page and the highway pages before you leave, and again right before you go. Chain control can change quickly when the weather changes.

Do I need chains to drive to Big Bear today?

Look at the top of this page. It shows what Caltrans reports right now for Highway 18, Highway 330 and Highway 38, and the time we last checked. If it says we could not get a current report, check Caltrans QuickMap or call Caltrans at 1-800-427-7623 before you drive.

My car is all-wheel drive. Do I still need chains?

You must carry them. Caltrans says four-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles must carry chains in a chain control area. Under R-2, a four-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicle with snow tires on all four wheels can drive without putting chains on. Under R-3, every vehicle must put chains on.

What happens if I do not have chains at a checkpoint?

When the signs say chains are required, you must stop and put them on. If you do not, the CHP can give you a ticket and a fine, and Caltrans can stop a vehicle from going into a chain control area if it would have trouble there. Roadside chain installers are not allowed to sell or rent chains, so buy them before you drive up.

How do I know if chains are required before I leave home?

Check this page before you leave. It reads the Caltrans chain control feed for the three highways into Big Bear and says when it last checked. You can also open Caltrans QuickMap or call 1-800-427-7623. Check again right before you go, because chain control can change quickly.

Chain control is only part of the picture. A highway can also be closed for a crash, a rockslide or a fire, and the weather forecast shows a storm before it reaches the road.