Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain - Big Bear, CA

As a staple of Big Bear Lake, Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain is definitely a fun, quick stop to visit if you are in the area. We had no idea that it was there the first few times we visited. Opening in 1983, Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain is Southern California’s only authentic bobsled experience. This Alpine slide track is a quarter-mile long filled with high-banked turns and long straightways. And the best thing, it’s family-friendly so you can bring the little ones for a quick adventure.

STATS:

Where:
Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain
800 Wildrose Ln., Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

Coordinates: 34°14’18″N 116°55’16″W

Cost:
Single Ride $6.00
5-Ride Book $25.00
(Prices might change. Please check their website for more up to date info)

Parking:
Free with plenty of parking

Hours:
Hours change depending on the seasons. Check their website for more info.

Restrooms:
There are restrooms inside the snack bar.

Distance:
Both tracks are 1/4 miles

Level:
Definitely kid-friendly.

Estimated Completion Time:
The ride itself is about 10 minutes from getting on the chairlift to riding down to the bottom. This can get longer depending on how busy they get.

Ideal Weather:
The slides are open year-round.

Other info:
**Riders must be a minimum of 36″ tall.
Children 36″ to 48″ tall need to ride with an adult 18 years or older.
EACH RIDER REQUIRES A TICKET

THE ADVENTURE:

Dustin and I did Alpine slide about 5 years ago for one of our anniversaries. We kept wanting to go back but we hadn’t had a chance to. A few weeks ago, my sister and brother-in-law wanted to come with us to Big Bear. Neither of them had been there before, so we decided to introduce them to Alpine slide. It was more like an excuse for us to go back.

We began our scenic drive up the mountain at around 9:30 that morning. We were definitely looking forward to escaping the heat for a second and taking in some beautiful views. Keep in mind, the road up the mountain is full of twists and turns so if you have motion sickness, make sure to take your medicine before.

Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain is easy to find. You should be able to see the little park on the side of the Big Bear Blvd. GPS should be able to take you right to their parking lot. As you pull into the parking lot, you will be greeted by some of their other attractions. This place has everything from water slide, go-kart, mini-golf to their newest attracting, the Soaring Eagle. The Alpine Slide is on your left-hand side if you’re facing the Snack bar and Arcade building. There are several picnic tables that you can use to eat lunch and watch people cross the finish line as they come flying down the hill.

You begin by filling out the obligatory waiver. Once you’re done, you can proceed over to the ticket booth to get your ticket. The good thing about Alpine Slide is that it is quite reasonable. You can test it out first to see if you like it for a single ride price of just $6 or get a pack of 5 for $25. Since my sister is not as adventurous as we are, we decided to go with the single rides so she could test out the water. Pro-tip: The pack of tickets can be divided between people so if you’re going with other people, you can save money by buying the pack.

It wasn’t busy at the time we went so we didn’t have to wait at all to get onto the ski lift. We handed our tickets to the attendant and stood in the painted boxes as we waited for our chair to come around. The next thing you know, we were scooped up and on our way up to the top of the mountain. It is a nice and scenic ride. You can either watch people fly by on the tracks in front of you or look at the view of Big Bear Lake behind as you climb higher.

Once we reached the top, we were greeted by another attendant. He was there to made sure that we got off the chair safely. It’s definitely easier to get off the chair with shoes rather than a snowboard. As you get off the chair, you can see full stacks of the yellow bobsleds in the corner on the right. Make sure to grab one of them as they will be your sled down.

When we got to the start of the track, there were about 10 people in front of us. The line goes pretty fast. Soon, we were able to slide our sleds on the track and climb aboard. This waiting time gives you a chance to familiarize yourself with the sled and its controls. It is really quite simple. If you push the stick forward, you go faster. If you pull the stick back, you hit the brakes. Pulling the stick to the middle will help with deceleration. When we go down, we tend to not use the brakes. Before sharper corners, it will help to pull the stick to the middle for a smoother turn. Of course, you can break as much as you want and go at your own speed.

If this is your first time or if you prefer to go slower, you can take the lane on the right. It is dedicated to beginners and slower riders. The left lane is for crazy people like us. Finally, it was my turn. The attendant at the top watched the rider in front of me to make sure that they got enough of a head start. He then asked me to pull on the brakes just to show that I knew what I was doing. He then said “ok go ahead”, and it was time to go. I jammed the stick all the way forward and dropped into the track.

It was definitely a rush as you can reach up 25 miles per hour here. Of course, the corners, dips, and turns make these tracks so much more fun. You will definitely want to wear sunglasses because the wind is going to be blasting you in the face, as you fly through the 1/4 mile long track of twists and turns.

After a few more high-speed corners, the run had almost come to an end. You will cross under a large orange banner that has “SLOW DOWN” written on it. This is where you need to pull back on that brakes because the end of the track is coming up very quickly. The end of the track is lined with tires. It’s better than a brick wall, but I still can’t imagine you want to hit it. Also, make sure to get on that brakes early if you catch up to the rider in front of you. The wheels on the sleds are made of teflon. Therefore, at higher speeds, you will skid for a bit before you really start to slow down. When you get down to the bottom, just grab your sled and return it back to the attendants at the ski lift.

We had only planned on doing one run that day. However, everyone in our group had so much fun that we headed right back to the ticket booth for another run. If you are in the Big Bear area, you should definitely stop by and check out the Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain. It is a ton of fun and really reasonably priced.

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