Big Bear Snow Play review for tubing and family rides

The tubing runs are liked, especially the evening sessions, but reviewers often complain about disorganised lines and inconsistent management.

Some call it fairly priced; others say it costs too much for the wait. Weekends are crowded.

The setting and attractions

Big Bear Snow Play is located at 42825 Big Bear Blvd in Big Bear Lake, California. This destination offers year-round recreation. During the colder months, it operates as a snow tubing park, utilizing both natural snow and machine-made snow. Fan guns are used to supplement snow when temperatures allow.

During winter, the park provides snow tubing. Glow tubing is also available during select evening sessions. Beyond the winter season, Big Bear Snow Play features a separate summer tubing attraction. The property also lists a ropes course and a speedway among its activities.

How it works

The snow tubing experience at Big Bear Snow Play depends on the availability of natural snow or sufficiently cold temperatures for snowmaking operations. The summer tubing attraction operates as a distinct offering during the warmer part of the year.

The park is situated in Big Bear Lake. The property offers snow tubing and other attractions as part of its year-round recreation.

Scoring breakdown

We assess each location based on four criteria, weighted to calculate an overall score. This section details how each criterion contributes to the final number.

The experience itself

This measures what the visit or activity itself delivers. Big Bear Snow Play received a score of 6 out of 10 for this criterion. Strengths include lift-served runs, meaning no walking uphill, and evening sessions. The park also offers go-karts and a ropes course during warmer months.

Value and access

Value measures what you get for what you spend, and we gave it a 4 out of 10. Limits noted here include mixed value, with some visitors finding it fairly priced while others feel it costs too much for the wait. Setting and access, which measures the surroundings and ease of arrival and parking, scored a 6 out of 10.

Crowds and organization

This criterion measures how busy a place gets and how long you wait, with a score of 4 out of 10. Limits include long weekend waits and uneven organization. Reviewers often mention disorganised lines and inconsistent management, contributing to the lower score in this area. Weekends are particularly crowded.

Our overall score for Big Bear Snow Play is 5.2 out of 10. The verdict is that the tubing itself is fun, but long weekend waits and uneven organization detracted from the overall experience.

Comparison with other local attractions

Big Bear Snow Play is a snow tubing park with an overall score of 5.2 out of 10. Its scores were 6/10 for the experience, 4/10 for value, 4/10 for crowds and wait times, and 6/10 for setting and access. This venue is suggested for a first snow day with kids. It is located about 1.9 miles from Snow Summit's main address.

Bear Mountain, a ski resort and golf course, received an overall score of 6.6 out of 10. It scored 8/10 for experience, 5/10 for value, 4/10 for crowds and wait times, and 8/10 for setting and access. This location is recommended for a second mountain experience. It is situated about 1.7 miles from Snow Summit's main address.

Big Bear Marina, offering marina services and boat rentals, achieved an overall score of 6.8 out of 10. Its individual scores were 7/10 for experience, 8/10 for value, 5/10 for crowds and wait times, and 7/10 for setting and access. It is best for renting a boat. Its distance from Snow Summit's main address is not specified.

Snow Summit, a ski resort and bike park, earned an overall score of 6.8 out of 10. It received 8/10 for experience, 5/10 for value, 5/10 for crowds and wait times, and 8/10 for setting and access. This venue is suggested for skiing and snowboarding. It is located about 0 miles from Snow Summit's main address.

Scoring breakdown

Our editors assigned scores out of 10 for each location. The experience itself accounts for 40% of the total score, while value, crowds and wait times, and setting and access each contribute 20%.

Big Bear Snow Play is best for a first snow day with kids. Visitors seeking a boat rental might prefer Big Bear Marina, which scored higher in value. Those interested in skiing or snowboarding would find Snow Summit more appropriate, as it scored higher in experience and setting.

Bear Mountain is best for a second mountain experience and has higher experience and setting scores than Big Bear Snow Play. Bear Mountain matches Big Bear Snow Play's crowds and wait score, while Snow Summit scores one point higher.

Snow tubing and more

Big Bear Snow Play uses Magic Carpet moving walkways to transport tubers up the hill. The snow hill is groomed nightly. A ropes course is also available. This course is self-guided and utilizes climbing harnesses, ropes, bridges, and aerial obstacles.

Speedway attractions

The venue also features a speedway with SODI RT8 go-karts. The speedway offers both single-rider karts and dual-control training karts for those learning. The track includes hairpin turns and S-curves.