Winter Van Life: Mountain High
When We Visited: January 2020, early February 2023
Mountain High is located in the Angeles National Forest and the San Gabriel Mountains. It’s only 90 minutes northeast of Los Angeles, and it’s the easiest ski area to get to in Southern California as it doesn’t require crazy mountain highway driving.
During the 2019/20 season, our Loveland season passes included us in Powder Alliance which gave us 3 free days at Mountain High. We had an opportunity to go there around Thanksgiving, but the mountain closed due to heavy snowfall and high winds. Many people were eager to see the snow over the holiday weekend, so I had no desire to join everyone on the Big Pines Highway when they reopened.
In January, we were scheduled to have work done on our Winnebago Revel in Santee. Mountain High was on the way, so we stayed one night at Appletree Campground just down the road from the ski area.
The next morning, Kyle rode five runs before the Mountain High Express chair at East Resort stopped spinning. He waited awhile, but a storm was blowing in and wind speeds were expected to increase throughout the day. Snow conditions were also firm. We decided to move on even though we had intentions to stay a second night.
I hate to say that the area was a disappointment. We have visited every state in the West and logged thousands of miles and I have never seen so much trash. No place comes close! Unless you count California ocean and lake beaches after 4th of July fireworks.
There was garbage along the sides of the Big Pines Highway for several miles, including corn cobs, fried chicken buckets, pizza boxes, destroyed sleds, used diapers, beverage cans, and much more. Day Use areas had a mix of loose and bagged trash, with crows picking through it all. I suppose it is acceptable to bag your trash and set it out by the highway. It’s as though people think the same garbage service that arrives weekly at your home will also swing by wherever you recreate.
Three years later, we were back in Southern California to ski/ride Snow Valley. We had Powder Alliance benefits and Indy Passes during the 2022/23 season which gave us a total of 5 free days at Mountain High. Even though our first visit in 2020 was a disappointment, we decided to try again. I didn’t observe the same amount of trash, and we had a fun day at Mountain High’s West Resort working on an early season goggle tan.
Plan Your RV/Van Life Road Trip to Mountain High
mthigh.com
24510 State Highway 2, Wrightwood, CA 92397
(888) 754-7878
Send a message
Pass affiliations: Cali Pass 2023/24, Powder Alliance 2023/24, Indy Pass 2023/24
Lift operations: Open daily. See Mountain High’s Hours for more information.
Mountain Stats
- Average annual snowfall: 117 inches
- Skiable terrain: 290 acres
- Vertical rise: 1,600 feet
- More stats
Driving to Mountain High
Mountain High is 15 miles and 25 minutes off Interstate 15 (I-15) via California State Routes 138 (SR 138) and 2 (SR 2 – Big Pines Highway). All of these highways are very dangerous with fast-moving semis, commuters, and travelers and are subject to closure. Accidents are frequent even in the most optimal weather conditions. I-15 going over Cajon Pass is sometimes only drivable with a California Highway Patrol escort when snow is on the ground. I try to avoid this area during rain, snow, and high wind events. Check road conditions before you go.
Also, vehicles often overheat going east on I-15 over Cajon Pass, and brakes can burn up going West on the downside of Cajon Pass. While this should be true any time you travel, make sure whatever you are driving is in good working order.
Safety tip: When traffic is backed up and if you’re in the right lane, stay within the lines and don’t drift or hang out in the shoulder. I’ve seen multiple cars use the shoulder as a travel lane to try and bypass traffic. Highly dangerous, especially given the amount of debris that sometimes lives in the shoulder like blown tires.
SR 2 to the ski resort isn’t a typical mountain highway. No switchbacks, drop offs, or significant elevation gain. However, after snowfall, there may be significant traffic due to numerous Southern California residents who want to enjoy the snow.
Note: SR 2 west of the ski area is typically closed during winter. If your GPS is telling you to go that way, make sure it is open.
Parking at Mountain High
Mountain High has three resort areas – East, West, and North. On your way to Mountain High via SR 2 West, East Resort will appear first on your left. West Resort and North Resort share the same intersection. West Resort is left and North Resort is right.
You cannot ski/ride between the three resort areas. I believe there is a shuttle, but I searched all over Mountain High’s website and could not find any information. If you have a few days, I would plan on doing a different resort area each day.
West Resort is the main resort and is typically open daily. There are two levels of parking. The uppermost level closest to the lodge is paid parking. A parking attendant will take your payment before you enter the lot and another will guide you where to park.
The lower lot is free. We chose to park in the lower lot along the perimeter closest to the walkway from the lower lot to the lodge.
Note: The walkway from the lower lot to the lodge area is steep and very slippery when icy.
You might find it easier to walk up the road that goes from the lower lot to the upper lot.
East Resort has paid parking only and seems to be primarily open on weekends. We talked to a few different locals and they seem to like the trails at this resort most.
We’ve never seen North Resort open.
RVs and trailers are welcome to park at any resort area during the day but at a much higher rate than regular vehicles. 24-hour notice is also recommended.
Visit Mountain High’s Parking page for more information.
Redeeming Your 2022/23 Powder Alliance or 2022/23 Indy Pass Benefits at Mountain High
For Powder Alliance, bring your season pass with Powder Alliance benefits and a photo ID to the season pass office at West Resort. For Indy Pass, we were able to redeem our tickets at the regular ticket window with a photo ID.
You must return to the season pass or ticket office each day you intend to ski/ride.
If you wish to do East or North Resort, I’d call Mountain High ahead of time to make sure they can process your benefits at those resorts.
Tips for Skiing/Riding Mountain High
See Mountain High’s Trail Map to follow along.
My favorite views were at the Conquest chair at West Resort. (No beginner terrain.)
When you get off the chair, go straight to the ski area boundary ropes.
If you’re an advanced skier/rider, take Inferno Ridge for other California mountain and desert views.
Blue Ridge Express is my favorite chair. You can combine different blues and blacks, groomers and mild bump runs, to keep it interesting with each descent.
McKay’s Glades and Coffey’s Chutes are not anywhere on the trail map for West Resort. They are a memorial to two young lives lost too soon. If you find them, they are my favorite advanced runs at Mountain High.
Where to Sleep in Your Van/RV
Mountain High does not allow overnight RV camping. See their Parking page for more information.
Appletree Campground – 2.5 miles / 5 minutes on SR 2 – In talking to the ranger district in 2020, this campground is primarily used as a day-use area for sledding during winter. Parking gets pretty full during the day but empties out at night. Its intention is tent camping. You park then walk to a snow-covered tent site.
It wasn’t an issue to camp in our van in the parking area, but the parking area is directly next to the highway. It was a little nerve-wracking, wondering if an out-of-control driver might take our van out rounding the highway corner.
If you just need a place to rest your head, this place will do it. However, if you’re looking for a serene campsite in the forest, I don’t expect this campground to satisfy your need. The dumpster provided was only partially full, but it was more convenient for some to leave their trash within a foot next to it. Most couldn’t be bothered to walk that far. The open bathroom with a vault toilet was home to used diapers.
Reading reviews, it doesn’t sound like day users acknowledge your camping area if you want to maintain a little personal space.
The AT&T cell service was barely usable for me here even with a booster. Texting worked intermittently.
In 2020, you needed an Adventure Pass or America the Beautiful Pass to stay at Appletree. However, in 2023, I noticed that Mountain High is now the managing concessionaire of this campground as well as a few others in the Big Pines region of the Angeles National Forest. You can call (888) 754-7878 or email campgrounds@mthigh.com for more information. Camping fees can be paid on-site when you arrive and according to a picture I saw in a review, camping costs $15 per night and there is a 14-day stay limit. You can read about Mountain High’s camping options here. It’s kind of confusing because their site says that Appletree is open May to November, as well as year-round. I would contact Mountain High before you go.
Thank you to the people at the various ranger districts I called to figure out camping near Mountain High in 2020. It was unclear the correct place to contact when I was researching online. Everyone went out of their way to make sure I got to the right person, and someone even followed up to make sure my questions were answered.
Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area – 28.7 miles / 35 minutes in Hesperia – This SRA is our preferred camping option and offers full hookup sites and tent sites. Most people were camping in the full hookup loop, but there were plenty of sites available. Nobody was camping in the loops with no hookups, so we chose a site there, directly next to a walking path to the lake. AT&T cell service worked well enough to text, email, and stream entertainment from our campsite.
While you can make a reservation online up to your arrival date, we just showed up. Before you enter the SRA, you must talk to a ranger at the entrance kiosk. The ranger that helped us was kind of enough to give us a 15-minute pass, so we could check out the campground and pick out an open site. We returned to the kiosk to pay $45 for a tent site (no hookups).
After checking in, we immediately headed for the quarter-operated showers. It was a little chilly that day and the shower building was still sitting in the sun.
The shower cost was a little confusing. One shower displayed amounts that were twice as expensive than another, so I chose the cheaper shower. While a certain number of quarters are required to start the showers, the far left shower I chose was only requiring me to insert one quarter at a time.
The showers were clean, but the water was barely lukewarm. The spray was intense to the point it was almost painful, and it was so widespread that water was traveling beyond the general shower area and into the bench area of the private shower room. I hurriedly took my shower, gathered all of my belongings, and with just my towel around me, ran back to our van. Fortunately, we parked it right in front of the shower building instead of at our campsite. I immediately cranked up our heat. It was one of the coldest showers I’ve had living on the road but I was happy to be clean. It’s possible the other showers (there were 3) might’ve offered a better experience. On a hot day in the middle of summer, it probably feels refreshing.
After our traumatic shower experiences, we did enjoy a nice walk around Silverwood Lake. The SRA has 13 miles of paved hiking and biking trails. See the Park Brochure for more information.
Working Remotely at Mountain High
Texting and emailing worked fine for me using AT&T and a cell booster in the East Resort parking lot. However, I don’t think it would be a reliable place to do a video conference call. AT&T cell service was non-existent in the West Resort parking lot. We had excellent cell service in the developed areas of Wrightwood.
Other Ski Areas Near Mountain High
- Mt. Baldy – 57 miles / 75 minutes in Mt. Baldy
- Snow Valley (Ikon Pass 2023/24) – 60.8 miles / 75 minutes in Running Springs
- Big Bear (Ikon Pass 2023/24) – 79 miles / 2 hours in Big Bear Lake
