When the San Bernardino Mountains Get Buried: Storm Days on SR-18, 330 and 38

A fresh snowfall on the San Bernardino Mountains pulls half of Los Angeles uphill the next weekend. Most of the time that works out. In a big storm cycle it does not, and the cars that went up early become part of the problem: stuck on the highway, blocking ploughs, or buried at a cabin for a week.

What a big storm looked like in 2023

In March 2023, after a week of heavy snowfall and with more forecast, Caltrans described mobilising all available resources to help San Bernardino County under a state of emergency. Its crews and private contractors cleared enormous volumes of snow from the state highways, including SR-18 and SR-330. Caltrans and its partners delivered medical supplies to the hospital in Big Bear and secured a lifeline route from Big Bear to Lucerne Valley via SR-18 to move patients. Its director asked residents to drive carefully, asked potential visitors to avoid traveling to the affected areas until the roads were clear, and urged everyone to gather food, water and medicine before a winter storm, because stores might be closed and travel unsafe.

That was an extreme winter, but it shows how quickly mountain communities can be cut off, and why "we'll just drive up and see" is a poor plan in a storm cycle.

The routes up, and what changes in snow

Three state highways climb into the range: SR-18 up the Rim of the World from San Bernardino and down the back side to Lucerne Valley, SR-330 from Highland, and SR-38 from the Redlands side through Angelus Oaks. Caltrans District 8 says keeping these mountain highways open and clear of snow is a daily priority because the mountains draw visitors all year. In a storm, any of them can go to chain controls or close, and the route that is open is the one everyone else is using too.

If you go after the storm

• Follow the posted chain level. At R-2, four-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles are exempt only with snow-tread tires on all four wheels, and they must still carry traction devices. At R-3, everyone chains up.
• Keep the tank full. Caltrans's winter advice is to keep it full because you may have to change routes, turn back or wait in a delay.
• Give ploughs room — Caltrans says at least four car lengths.
• If you are stalled, stay with the vehicle, conserve fuel while staying warm, and be alert to exhaust problems. Keep the tailpipe clear of snow before running the engine.
• Carry a spare key in your pocket; Caltrans notes how often people lock themselves out while fitting chains.

The car you leave parked up there

Cabin weekends end with the car sitting outside through the next storm. Snow sliding off a roof, a carport collapsing under the load, a branch coming down, or a plough clipping a car parked too close to the road — these are the common mountain claims. Damage from falling snow, ice or branches to a parked car is generally a comprehensive claim; a plough or another car hitting it is a question of the other party's liability, or your own collision coverage. On a liability-only policy, none of it is covered. Park well off the roadway and away from roof edges.

A short coverage check before the season

Comprehensive for falling snow and branches. Collision for the slide on the way down. Roadside coverage that includes a winch-out, since recovery from a snowbank is not the same as a tow, and whether it is included varies by insurance company. Rental reimbursement if a week without the car would be a problem.

Before the first big storm, let us check those four lines on your policy; it takes a few minutes and it is a lot easier than finding out at a snowed-in cabin.