Where to Ski Near Los Angeles
Researched November 8, 2026 against resort-published pages, Caltrans road data and the Ikon Pass destination list · opening dates, road status and night-session dates are perishable, so each one says where it came from and when
Five lift-served ski areas are realistically within reach of Los Angeles, and the closest is not the one most people name. Mt. Baldy is nearest at roughly 50 to 55 miles. Mountain High sits at about 80, Snow Valley at about 85, and Snow Summit and Bear Mountain at about 100. Big Bear gets the reputation because it is the biggest, not because it is the closest.
A sixth area, Mt. Waterman, is closer than any of them on a map and cannot be reached at all — the stretch of State Route 2 that serves it is closed. And the one most Angelenos underrate is Snow Valley: same lift ticket as Big Bear, same Ikon Pass, roughly half an hour less driving.
Nothing near Los Angeles is open for skiing yet. As of November 8, 2026, Big Bear Mountain Resort says opening day is not confirmed and that November 21 is the earliest the resorts may open — language it marks explicitly as not an opening date. Mt. Baldy is running pre-season lifts Friday to Sunday. Mountain High has published no date we could verify. Check the mountain's own page the morning you drive.
Every option, by drive time
Distances are from downtown Los Angeles. Acreage, vertical and lift counts are each resort's own published figures, and where a resort publishes nothing, this table says so rather than borrowing a number from somewhere else.
| Area | From downtown LA | Typical drive | Skiable acres | Vertical | Lifts | Night skiing | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mt. Baldy | ~50–55 mi | 1–1.5 hrs | Not published | Not published | 4 chairs | None published | Own passes only |
| Mountain High | ~80 mi | ~90 min | 290 | 1,600 ft | 14 | West Resort, 5–10 PM | Cali Pass, Powder Alliance |
| Snow Valley | ~85 mi | ~90 min | 240 | 1,041 ft | 9 | 3:00–8:30 PM, select dates | Ikon unlimited |
| Snow Summit | ~100 mi | 2+ hrs | 240 | 1,200 ft | 10 | 3:00–8:30 PM, select dates | Ikon unlimited |
| Bear Mountain | ~100 mi | 2+ hrs | 198 | 1,665 ft | 7 | None | Ikon unlimited |
| Mammoth Mountain | ~310 mi | 5–6 hrs | 3,500+ | 3,100 ft | Not listed here | None | Ikon |
| Mt. Waterman | ~45 mi | Unreachable | Not published | Not published | — | — | — |
Two things worth noticing in that table. Mt. Baldy, the closest, publishes neither a skiable-acreage figure nor a vertical drop — we checked its homepage, its Plan Your Visit page and its season-pass page, and the only elevations it gives are the Notch at 7,800 feet and the 10,064-foot summit above it, which is not lift-served. And night skiing is available at three mountains near LA, not one, which is worth saying plainly because the opposite is widely repeated.
Under an hour and a half: Mt. Baldy
About 50 to 55 miles out, which runs an hour off-peak and closer to an hour and a half once the 10 or the 210 is busy. You climb Mt. Baldy Road from Upland. You do not take Highway 2 — that route is closed anyway, but Baldy was never on it.
Baldy is the steep one, and it is unlike everything else on this list: a 1950s-era mountain with four chairs, serious sustained pitch, and a large amount of terrain that no lift reaches. It publishes very little about itself. If you are learning, or taking children, this is not the one to pick first despite being nearest.
Right now it is open Friday to Sunday only, with lifts running Friday from noon to 5:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. That is pre-season lift service, not skiing. Mt. Baldy says opening day will be posted on its Mountain Report. Status checked November 8, 2026.
About ninety minutes: Mountain High and Snow Valley
These two are the practical answer for most LA day trips, and they are very different from each other.
Mountain High, in Wrightwood, about 80 miles out. It publishes 290 skiable acres, 1,600 feet of vertical rise and 14 lifts across its three resorts — East, West and North — with snowmaking covering more than 80 percent of the terrain. It is the largest single mountain near Los Angeles, and its West Resort is where night skiing happens.
A caution specific to Mountain High: its website is unreliable this season. Its conditions page currently serves a snapshot dated February 2026 — last season — and other pages on the same site variously announce it is closed for 2024-25, announce an opening with no date, and carry an opening-day post from the 2018-19 season. Call the resort or check its hours calendar in a browser before you drive. We have published no opening date for it because there is no reliable one to publish.
Snow Valley, in Running Springs, about 85 miles out. 240 skiable acres, 1,041 feet of vertical, 32 trails and 9 lifts. The thing to understand about Snow Valley is that it is part of Big Bear Mountain Resort: the same lift ticket works at all three mountains, and it carries unlimited access on both the Ikon Pass and the Ikon Base Pass, where Ikon lists it as a destination in its own right. It is the designated beginner and family mountain of the three, and it is roughly half an hour closer to Los Angeles than the other two.
The one catch: there is no shuttle between Snow Valley and the other two Big Bear mountains. The free shuttle connects only Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, which sit about two miles apart. Snow Valley is a separate day, not a mid-day switch.
A little over two hours: Snow Summit and Bear Mountain
Roughly 100 miles, and the pair most people mean when they say Big Bear. SR-330 from Highland is the shortest climb; SR-38 from Redlands is longer with fewer switchbacks and is the easier drive when the road is bad. Both take chain control after storms.
Snow Summit publishes 240 skiable acres, 1,200 feet of vertical, 33 trails and 10 lifts. It is the groomer-and-night-skiing mountain, and the better of the two for families and anyone still finding their feet.
Bear Mountain publishes 198 skiable acres, 1,665 feet of vertical, 26 trails and 7 lifts, with the highest summit in Southern California at 8,805 feet. It built the first freestyle terrain park in North America in 1992 and still has Southern California's only halfpipes. It is the park mountain, and it has no night skiing at all.
Together with Snow Valley the three total 678 skiable acres on one lift ticket — the largest terrain figure within day-trip range of Los Angeles.
The one you cannot reach: Mt. Waterman
At roughly 45 miles Mt. Waterman is the closest lift-served ski area to Los Angeles on a map, and it has been unreachable since storm damage closed the highway that serves it.
"SR-2 is closed due to storm-related damage caused by recent unprecedented rainfall." … "At this time, there is no anticipated timeline for the completion of assessments or the reopening of SR-2."Caltrans, SR-2 Angeles Crest Highway winter storm repairs
Caltrans' road-conditions feed lists the closure running from 3.3 miles east of Newcomb's Ranch to Islip Saddle, and onward from Islip Saddle to near Big Pines. Mt. Waterman sits inside that stretch, so there is no open route to it from either direction.
The ski area publishes nothing current either — its website is a dormant snapshot whose newest conditions report covers late 2014. Press reporting in October 2026 had the area back on the market and suggested the highway may stay shut for years; we have not found that timeline in any Caltrans source, so treat it as reporting rather than fact. Road status checked November 8, 2026 — verify with Caltrans before relying on it.
Night skiing near Los Angeles
This is the detail most guides get wrong, including, until today, one of our own pages. Three mountains near Los Angeles run night skiing, not one.
| Mountain | Night skiing | Hours | 2026-27 dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Summit | Yes, select dates | 3:00–8:30 PM | From December 12, 2026 into March 2027 |
| Snow Valley | Yes, select dates | 3:00–8:30 PM | From December 12, 2026 into March 2027 |
| Mountain High | Yes, at West Resort | 5:00–10:00 PM | Peak season; frequency not reliably published |
| Bear Mountain | No | — | Resort states it offers none |
| Mt. Baldy | None published | Lifts end 5:00 PM | — |
Big Bear Mountain Resort's own Night Sessions page puts it directly: night sessions run at Snow Summit and Snow Valley, and "Bear Mountain does not offer Night Sessions." Lit runs at Snow Summit are Bear Bottom Beginner Area, Miracle Mile, Summit Run and Westridge Park; at Snow Valley they are Thunder Mountain, Wine Rock, Eagle Flats, East Bowl, Big Bowl, Little Bowl, The Chute, Mambo Alley and The EDGE. The resort notes lighting can vary along a trail, and it publishes no acreage for the lit terrain, so we do not quote one.
Why night skiing matters more here than almost anywhere. A Saturday at Big Bear means climbing a mountain road with everyone else in the morning and descending it with everyone else at four. A night session inverts the whole trip: you drive up mid-afternoon against the flow, ski until 8:30, and come down an empty road.
Worth the longer drive: Mammoth
About 310 miles up US-395, five to six hours, and in a different category entirely. Mammoth publishes 3,500-plus skiable acres and a 3,100-foot vertical drop from an 11,053-foot summit — the largest vertical of any ski area wholly inside California. It is an Ikon destination, and it averages far more natural snow than anything in Southern California, which averages 100 to 150 inches a year against Mammoth's 400.
It is not a day trip. But if the Southern California mountains are thin in a warm year, the 395 is the answer, and it is the reason a season pass that covers both is worth more than it looks.
Where to stay
Most LA skiers drive up and back. If you are staying over, the two bases are Big Bear Lake for the Big Bear mountains and Wrightwood for Mountain High.
Hotels in Big Bear Lake → Cabins and vacation rentals → Stays near Mountain High →Affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
One rule specific to Big Bear Lake: do not plan on parking a car in the street. City Ordinance 2023-517 bans street parking from October 15 to April 15 whenever snow conditions exist, with towing and fines up to $500, and vacation-rental guests are not permitted to use street parking at all, year-round. Our Big Bear lodging guide has the detail.
Skiing near Los Angeles — frequently asked questions
What is the closest ski resort to Los Angeles?
Mt. Baldy, at roughly 50 to 55 miles from downtown Los Angeles, about an hour to an hour and a half depending on traffic. You reach it on Mt. Baldy Road from Upland, not on Highway 2. Mt. Waterman is closer on a map, at about 45 miles, but State Route 2 is closed across the stretch that reaches it, so it is not an option this season. Note that closest is not the same as best for most people: Mt. Baldy is a steep, old-school mountain, and Mountain High at about 80 miles or Snow Valley at about 85 are the easier first choices.
How far is Big Bear from Los Angeles?
Snow Summit and Bear Mountain are roughly 100 miles from downtown Los Angeles, a little over two hours in normal conditions. SR-330 from Highland is the shortest climb; SR-38 from Redlands is longer with fewer switchbacks and is the easier drive in bad weather. Snow Valley, which is on the same Big Bear ticket, sits about 85 miles out in Running Springs, roughly half an hour closer.
Can you ski near Los Angeles as a day trip?
Yes, and most people do. Every lift-served area within reach of Los Angeles is a day trip for an LA driver, from Mt. Baldy at about an hour to Big Bear at a little over two. The limiting factor is not distance but the mountain roads, which back up from mid-morning on busy Saturdays and take chain control after storms. Leaving before dawn changes the day more than choosing a different mountain does.
Which ski area near Los Angeles is best for beginners?
Snow Valley is the usual answer, and it is the quiet one on most lists. It is the designated beginner and family mountain of the three Big Bear mountains, it carries 240 skiable acres across 32 trails and 9 lifts, and at about 85 miles it is roughly half an hour closer to Los Angeles than Snow Summit and Bear Mountain while sitting on the same lift ticket and the same Ikon Pass. The catch is that there is no shuttle between Snow Valley and the other two, so it works as its own day rather than a mid-day switch.
Where can you night ski near Los Angeles?
Three mountains, not one. Big Bear Mountain Resort runs Night Sessions at Snow Summit and Snow Valley from 3:00 PM to 8:30 PM on select dates, beginning December 12, 2026 and running into March 2027. Bear Mountain offers none at all, which the resort states outright. Mountain High runs night skiing at its West Resort from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM in peak season. Mt. Baldy publishes no night operations; its lift hours end at 5:00 PM.
Is Mt. Waterman open?
No, and it cannot be reached. Caltrans has State Route 2 closed from 3.3 miles east of Newcomb's Ranch through Islip Saddle and on to near Big Pines, and Mt. Waterman sits inside that closed stretch. Caltrans states that the highway is closed due to storm-related damage and that there is no anticipated timeline for the reopening of SR-2. The ski area itself publishes nothing current: its website is a dormant snapshot whose most recent conditions report is from 2014.
Which ski resorts near Los Angeles are on the Ikon Pass?
Big Bear Mountain Resort, covering Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, and Snow Valley, which Ikon lists as its own destination. All three carry unlimited access on both the Ikon Pass and the Ikon Base Pass for 2026-27. Mountain High and Mt. Baldy are not Ikon destinations; Mountain High belongs to the Cali Pass and the Powder Alliance instead, and Mt. Baldy sells only its own passes. Mammoth Mountain, at about 310 miles, is also an Ikon destination.
When do the ski areas near Los Angeles open for 2026-27?
As of November 8, 2026, none of them has confirmed an opening date. Big Bear Mountain Resort states that opening day is not confirmed and that November 21 is the earliest date the resorts may open, which it says explicitly is not an opening date. Mt. Baldy is running a limited pre-season lift schedule, Friday through Sunday, and says opening day will be posted on its Mountain Report. Mountain High has published no date we could verify. Check the resort's own page the morning you drive.
Which ski area near Los Angeles has the most terrain?
Big Bear Mountain Resort, if you count its three mountains together: 678 skiable acres across Snow Summit, Bear Mountain and Snow Valley on one lift ticket. Taken alone, the largest single mountain near Los Angeles is Mountain High at 290 acres. All of these are small by Sierra standards. Mammoth publishes 3,500-plus acres and a 3,100-foot vertical, the biggest in California, which is the trade the 310-mile drive buys you.
Keep planning
Deeper on the region, including why Southern California opens later than Mammoth every year and what the snowmaking numbers actually mean: Southern California ski resorts. Mountain by mountain: Big Bear, Mountain High, Snow Valley, Mt. Baldy. Head to head: Big Bear vs Mountain High. Before you drive: chain control explained and opening dates.
These are 6 of the 28 lift-served ski areas we count in California. See them all on the California ski resort map.
How we sourced this. Acreage, vertical, lift counts and night-session dates come from each resort's own published pages, checked November 8, 2026 — we do not use third-party ski databases for California figures, because they are repeatedly stale. Road status comes from Caltrans District 7 and the Caltrans road-conditions feed. Pass access was checked against the Ikon Pass destination list and each resort's own pass page. Where a resort publishes no figure, this page says so rather than substituting one. Opening dates, road status and night-session dates change; the dated lines above say when each was last checked.