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Old 01-22-2010, 04:31 PM
 
1 posts, read 18,657 times
Reputation: 12

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Hello,

My wife and I moved here from FL this year. Our kids have never been in snow and I want to buy them a sled tonight and take them sledding, I know they'll have a blast, twin 11 year olds, one boy one girl. 2 questions:

I can't find a website that shows if they have enough snow in Julian or Palomar Mountain to actually make the drive there. Does anyone know of one? I want to go early tomorrow morning, but I also don't want to waste my time driving to areas that don't have snow. If not, I might just drive to Big Bear to guarantee there will be snow.

If I drive to Big Bear, will I need to buy chains? If so, where should I buy them and are they hard to put on a car?

Thank you all. My wife and I have enjoyed SD City Forum for a lot of knowledge this year.

Last edited by GolfControl; 01-22-2010 at 04:31 PM.. Reason: spelling
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Old 01-22-2010, 05:04 PM
 
Location: Mokelumne Hill, CA & El Pescadero, BCS MX.
6,957 posts, read 22,303,611 times
Reputation: 6471
Quote:
Originally Posted by GolfControl View Post

If I drive to Big Bear, will I need to buy chains? If so, where should I buy them and are they hard to put on a car?
Yes you should always carry chains when driving where there is even the possibility of snow. If you have a front wheel drive car, they go on the front wheels. Try putting them on in your driveway or garage before you go, otherwise you may end up in the most cold and miserable frustration you have ever seen.

Have fun!
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Old 01-22-2010, 05:59 PM
 
Location: SF Bay Area
18,980 posts, read 32,631,650 times
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I doubt Julian will have snow, usually it's either Palomar Mountain or Mt Laguna. Mt Laguna tends to get the most I believe.

here's a webcam for Palomar, not a very good shot but looks like there is enough snow:
Palomar Mountain Webcam

Mt Laguna:
Cameras from various HPWREN related sites

You can always just call the Mt Laguna lodge and ask them probably too.

Big Bear will def have enough snow, they got dumped on. I would check the caltrans site to see if they are requiring chains or even just google Big Bear, usually the ski resort websites will tell you whether or not you need chains. There is some snow parks in the area but they charge around $25 per person, a bit steep.
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Old 01-22-2010, 06:02 PM
 
Location: San Diego, CA
3,545 posts, read 6,030,067 times
Reputation: 4096
Quote:
Originally Posted by GolfControl View Post
Hello,

My wife and I moved here from FL this year. Our kids have never been in snow and I want to buy them a sled tonight and take them sledding, I know they'll have a blast, twin 11 year olds, one boy one girl. 2 questions:

I can't find a website that shows if they have enough snow in Julian or Palomar Mountain to actually make the drive there. Does anyone know of one? I want to go early tomorrow morning, but I also don't want to waste my time driving to areas that don't have snow. If not, I might just drive to Big Bear to guarantee there will be snow.

If I drive to Big Bear, will I need to buy chains? If so, where should I buy them and are they hard to put on a car?

Thank you all. My wife and I have enjoyed SD City Forum for a lot of knowledge this year.
If you have boogie boards, no need to purchase sleds.. they work GREAT in the snow, and you'll get more use out of them the rest of the year!
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Old 01-22-2010, 07:09 PM
 
Location: Sandy Eggo - Kensington
5,291 posts, read 12,735,238 times
Reputation: 3194
No need to drive all the way up to Big Bear, there is 14" of snow on Mt. Laguna!

According to article below, you will need chains on Highway 79, Sunrise Highway and the road up to Palomar Mt. Be prepared for lots of traffic on the the way there. Your kids will have a blast!

Isolated showers, snow still in forecast - SignOnSanDiego.com
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Old 01-22-2010, 09:35 PM
 
Location: San Diego, CA
3,545 posts, read 6,030,067 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdurbanite View Post
No need to drive all the way up to Big Bear, there is 14" of snow on Mt. Laguna!

According to article below, you will need chains on Highway 79, Sunrise Highway and the road up to Palomar Mt. Be prepared for lots of traffic on the the way there. Your kids will have a blast!

Isolated showers, snow still in forecast - SignOnSanDiego.com
I think I'm going up with a pile o' friends on Sunday- hopefully we won't need chains by then (I have them, just never used 'em). I'm excited, the past couple of years we haven't had any snow to speak of- at least not on the weekends when I could make it up.
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Old 01-24-2010, 10:14 AM
 
Location: San Diego
50,247 posts, read 47,005,641 times
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Figure on the 79 area after they close down Laguna and they WILL close it down. Be up there by 6 am if you want a guaranteed spot.
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Old 01-24-2010, 06:39 PM
 
Location: South Park, San Diego
6,109 posts, read 10,888,666 times
Reputation: 12476
Was up there today and it was beautiful, 14-16" of snow, and the typical Southern Californian 100' rule when in nature applied so anywhere beyond 100' from the road was devoid of people. Had some great tranquil hikes in the snow with the dog.

Coming back down at a little after noon was interesting. A completely dry road with almost all the vehicles (I'm assuming non-4WD) with chains on. Does the CHP (or CALTRANS) really have a straight face on when this is required at the bottom of the hill, which, I have to assume was the case because why would anyone be putting chains to travel on a completely dry and safe road?! OK, there was snow at the very top of the hill on the road but even a Camaro driven prudently could have handled it fine.

This of course results in the humorous installation of chains on the wrong axle (A 1980 BMW 320i, chains on the front, and a newer Suburban, the same, Oh dear) or this, a Subaru Outback with chains - Honestly! As Subaru owners (we have two and plow through 15+ inches of snow regularly) that is just an embarrassment to the marque.

Had a blast though and I'm glad I don't have to try to argue with the authorities at the bottom of the hill requiring chains (other than carry). Actually, knowing Southern California driver's general ineptitude in other than perfect conditions I almost understand the overbearing caution- if just used as a gatekeeper to keep out the masses.
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Old 01-24-2010, 11:39 PM
 
Location: Sandy Eggo - Kensington
5,291 posts, read 12,735,238 times
Reputation: 3194
^^I considered heading to the mountains this weekend, but when I saw the news reports of all the traffic up there, I passed. Being able to see the snow-covered mountains while driving around today is always cool, though. Glad you had a great time up there. Suppose to get more snow this week!
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Old 01-25-2010, 12:04 AM
 
88 posts, read 226,310 times
Reputation: 61
^^^what areas in the city/county can one drive through to catch a glimpse of snow-capped mountain(s)?
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