Big Bear trolley, bus and parking

Shuttle routes

Mountain Transit runs year-round fixed routes across the valley plus seasonal trolleys — current routes are pulled live from Mountain Transit's own site below.

Parking

The Village has several free public lots within walking distance of Village Drive shops and restaurants, plus metered and time-limited street parking — read posted signage before you leave your car, since limits vary block to block. The ski resorts (Snow Summit and Bear Mountain) run their own day-use lots, and during peak winter weekends those lots can require a parking pass, fill early, or charge a fee — check the resort's own site for the current season's policy before you drive up. From October 15 through April 15, the City of Big Bear Lake bans street parking whenever snow conditions exist (Ordinance No. 2023-517): crews need the road clear to plow, and a car left in the way can be towed and fined up to $500. When snow conditions are in effect, free overnight parking is available at the West Civic Center and Alden Road lots. Carry tire chains or cables in the trunk all winter even if you don't expect to need them — see the chain-requirement status below before you leave.

Chain requirements

Chain and traction-device requirements on the mountain highways into the valley are set by Caltrans and can change quickly during storms — this reads the same live Caltrans feed as our homepage roads report, so status here always matches status there.

What it costs to ride

Every Mountain Transit fixed route inside the valley is free. The Red Line, the Blue Line and the Gold Line carry no fare, no ticket and no pass — you board and ride. The seasonal Trolley to Trails, which runs roughly May through October, is free as well, and paratransit service is free for riders holding a paratransit photo ID.

The one service that charges is the Off-the-Mountain route down the hill. That fare is distance-based, running from about $2.50 to $10.00 depending on where you get on and off. Drivers do not make change, so bring the exact amount in cash or check the operator's current payment options before you travel. Mountain Transit's dispatch line is (909) 878-5200.

Getting to Big Bear without a car

Off-the-Mountain Route 5 runs daily between Big Bear Valley, Arrowbear and Running Springs, and the San Bernardino Transit Center. That transit center is the regional hub: Metrolink trains on the San Bernardino Line and Omnitrans buses both meet there, so it is possible to reach the valley from Los Angeles or the Inland Empire on public transport alone.

A companion route, Route 6, runs the same idea for the Rim communities — Lake Arrowhead and Crestline down to San Bernardino — which matters if you are connecting across the mountain rather than straight up from the valley floor.

Plan the down-the-hill leg around the weather. The Off-the-Mountain run uses the same highways every car uses, so a storm that closes Highway 330 or puts Highway 18 under chain control affects the bus too. Check the live chain status further down this page before you commit to a return trip.

Parking in winter

The single rule that catches visitors out: from 15 October through 15 April, the City of Big Bear Lake prohibits street parking whenever snow conditions exist. It is not a courtesy request. Plow crews need a clear lane, and a vehicle left in the way can be towed and fined up to $500. The ban applies by condition, not by calendar date, so it can take effect overnight with a storm.

When snow conditions are in effect, the city opens free overnight parking at the West Civic Center lot and the Alden Road lot. If you are staying somewhere without off-street parking, those are the fallback. Move the car before the snow starts rather than after.

Year-round, carry chains or cables in the trunk through the winter months even when the forecast looks clear. Chain control can go up on a highway in under an hour, and being turned around at a checkpoint for not carrying traction devices is a common and avoidable way to lose a day.

Day-use parking and the Adventure Pass

Village lots, city parks and the marinas are free. Most Forest Service picnic areas and trailheads are not: a National Forest Adventure Pass is $5 a day or $30 a year, covers the Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino forests, and costs $5 to add a second vehicle to an annual. Interagency and America the Beautiful passes are accepted everywhere below.

What changes from lot to lot is not the price. It is whether you can sort it out when you arrive.

Free, no pass needed

Castle Rock trailhead — the City of Big Bear Lake opened a purpose-built 38-space lot at Talbot Drive in July 2025, open 7am to 7pm, with restrooms. Parking along Big Bear Boulevard near the trailhead is now prohibited and enforced, with a $100 fine. The lot fills by about 9am on a busy weekend and there is no longer a roadside fallback, so come early or come later.

Big Bear Discovery Center — free parking, and the useful trick on a crowded morning: it is 0.6 miles along the paved Alpine Pedal Path to the Cougar Crest trailhead, whose own lot holds ten to fifteen cars and is gone by 8:30am.

Pay at the lot — $5

Meadows Edge on the north shore by Serrano Campground, Grout Bay at Fawnskin, and the Grays Peak trailhead sell a day pass on the spot through the Recreation.gov app. Write the confirmation number on the envelope provided and leave it face up on the dashboard.

Juniper Point on the Alpine Pedal Path takes an Adventure Pass, or $5 paid there — by envelope or through the app.

Download the Recreation.gov app before you drive up. The purchase needs data and signal at these lots is not dependable. Arriving without it is how people end up parked without a pass.

Buy the pass before you go

These sell nothing on site. Get the pass first at a Forest Service office, the Big Bear Discovery Center or a local vendor, and call ahead to check they have them.

Aspen Glen, the sixteen-space lot reaching the Pine Knot trailhead. Woodland Trail, on North Shore Drive a quarter mile west of Stanfield Cutoff. Cougar Crest, unless you park free at the Discovery Center and walk in.

The ones that close for the eagles

These dates are not a formality. Juniper Point closes on 1 December and reopens on 1 April. Grout Bay and the Grays Peak trailhead close through nesting season — winter into spring, sometimes into summer. Check before you build a day around any of the three.

Neither Juniper Point nor Aspen Glen has a restroom or drinking water. Meadows Edge has flush toilets; the Castle Rock lot has restrooms during its 7am–7pm hours.

Two that are their own thing

Champion Lodgepole is reached on Forest Service roads 2N10 and 2N11, and the question there is not the pass but whether the roads are open to vehicles — check with the Mountaintop Ranger District before setting out.

Snow Summit and Bear Mountain run their own day-use lots on their own terms: a fee, a pass, or simply full early on a peak winter weekend. An Adventure Pass does nothing for you there.

Common questions

Is the Big Bear trolley free?

Yes. Every fixed route inside the valley is free for all riders, and so is the seasonal Trolley to Trails. Only the Off-the-Mountain route to San Bernardino charges a fare.

How do I get to Big Bear without a car?

Take Off-the-Mountain Route 5 from the San Bernardino Transit Center, which connects to Metrolink and Omnitrans. Once you are in the valley the local routes cost nothing.

Where can I park in Big Bear Village?

Several free public lots sit within walking distance of Village Drive, alongside metered and time-limited street spaces. Limits vary block to block, so read the posted sign. The ski resorts run separate day-use lots with their own fees and passes.

Can I park on the street overnight in winter?

Not when snow conditions are in effect between 15 October and 15 April. Use the free West Civic Center or Alden Road lots instead.

Do I need an Adventure Pass to park at the trailheads?

At most Forest Service trailheads, yes — $5 a day or $30 a year, with Interagency and America the Beautiful passes accepted. Meadows Edge, Grout Bay, Grays Peak and Juniper Point let you pay at the lot, so download the Recreation.gov app before you drive up. Aspen Glen, Woodland Trail and Cougar Crest sell nothing on site, so buy first. Castle Rock and the Discovery Center are free.

Is there a shuttle to the ski resorts?

Fixed routes serve the Big Bear Boulevard resort corridor in season, and the resorts run their own skier shuttles. Season timings change, so check the live route list above.