Bear Valley Snow Weekend
A small, uncrowded ski hill with its own kids' carpet, a sledding hill a short walk from the rental counter, and giant sequoias in the snow on the drive up.
3.5 hrs drive · 2–3 days · Best for toddlers to teens · Dec–Mar
Day 1: Big Trees and sledding
- 8:00 Leave SF: I-580, I-205, Stockton, then Hwy 4 east
- 11:00 Calaveras Big Trees: North Grove sequoias and gentle sledding hills
- 1:00 Lunch in Arnold
- 2:30 Check Caltrans chain controls, then drive up to Bear Valley (about 30 min in good weather)
- 3:15 Sledding and tubing hill at the Adventure Company
- 5:00 Check in at Bear Valley Lodge or a cabin in Arnold
- 6:00 Pizza in the village
Day 2: Ski school day
- 8:00 Free village shuttle to the ski area (or drive and park by 9)
- 9:00 Cub Club check-in at the Lesson Desk, Lower Breezeway (renters by 9:00 on weekends)
- 10:00 Lessons start. Parents with little ones: Lil' Cub carpet and Panda by the Day Lodge
- 11:15 Early lunch before tables fill (Cub Club lunch pickup is 11:30 to 12:30)
- 2:45 Lesson pickup, then hot chocolate
- 3:30 Short snowshoe loop from the Adventure Company
Day 3: Lake Alpine and home
- 9:00 Snow play at Lake Alpine Sno-Park at the winter gate (day permit required)
- 11:00 Pack up and head down Hwy 4
- 12:30 Lunch stop in Angels Camp
- 3:30 Home
From parents who have been
- Start beginners on the Day Lodge side: Lil' Cub is the lesson carpet and Panda is a short walk away. The carpet ride takes about 7 minutes, so the bunny hill gives real practice. 510 Families
- Free parking fills up. Arrive around 9, or pay about $20 for preferred parking on weekends. 510 Families
- Lunch seating is tight. Many families bring their own food and eat before 11:30 or after 1. 510 Families
- Lifts and magic carpets have no backup power, so an outage stops everything. In one storm the usual 30-minute drive from Arnold took 75 minutes. 510 Families
- The Adventure Company sledding park is a short walk across a field from the rental counter, and parents say even 2-year-olds loved it. Sleds and tubes rent on site. Berkeley Parents Network
- If you rent a cabin, ask whether its road is plowed. Parents note the roads to rental houses often aren't, which makes arrival tricky. Berkeley Parents Network
Good to know
- Bear Valley says it will run 7 days a week in 2026–27; opening is projected for Nov 27 (not official until announced)
- 2026–27 season passes: Child (6–12) $369, Adult $629; kids 5 and under ski free, two free passes per paying adult ($10 processing fee). Day-ticket and lesson prices for 2026–27 aren't posted yet
- Cub Club: AM only for ages 4–5, full day for 6–12; book online at least 24 hours ahead. Full day includes rental, lift ticket, helmet and a to-go lunch. Lessons have no refunds for weather and no-shows forfeit
- Free village shuttle runs 8:30 to 4:30 between the village (stop across from Sky High Pizza) and the resort base, with a daily pause 10:30 to 11:30
- In winter, Hwy 4 is closed at a gate about 2.5 miles east of Bear Valley, at Lake Alpine Sno-Park; Ebbetts Pass beyond is closed all winter
- Sno-Park permits (Lake Alpine, Spicer) are $15/day or $40/season
- Calaveras Big Trees: day use $10 per car ($12 on peak days), sunrise to sunset. The road to the South Grove closes at the first big snow or Dec 1, so winter visits are North Grove only
- A February 2026 storm closed Bear Valley for 3 days and knocked out power in Arnold; check roads.dot.ca.gov for Hwy 4 and carry chains
Sources: Season passes 2026/27 (Bear Valley) · Cub Club lessons (Bear Valley) · Lessons (Bear Valley) · Parking and shuttles (Bear Valley) · Hwy 4 reopens, Feb 2026 (Bear Valley) · 7-day operations 2026–27 (SnowBrains) · Projected openings (OnTheSnow) · Winter sports (Stanislaus NF) · Sno-Park brochure 2025 (CA State Parks) · Calaveras Big Trees (CA State Parks) · Snow play on Ebbetts Pass (Visit Calaveras)