Asphalt Paving in Running Springs, CA

Asphalt paving in Running Springs is high-mountain work. The community sits at about 6,100 feet at the junction of State Routes 18 and 330, the main gateway to Lake Arrowhead, Arrowbear, Green Valley Lake and Big Bear. It is an inholding inside the San Bernardino National Forest, about 17 miles west of Big Bear Lake, and the closest community to Snow Valley, which opened in the 1920s as the first ski resort in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Mostly second homes

The 2020 census counted 5,268 residents and 3,693 housing units, and 39.3 percent of those units were vacant, most of them cabins and second homes. About 77 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied. For owners who are not on site, we schedule work around your visits or rental bookings, send photos at each stage and leave the drive barricaded until it is ready to use.

Built for snow

At this elevation, winter means snow, ice and plowing. Mountain driveways here need:

• A compacted base that drains, so water does not freeze under the asphalt
• Cross slopes that send meltwater off the drive
• Flush edges and transitions so plow blades do not catch
• Crack sealing every fall before the first snow

We also ask where you pile plowed snow, because meltwater from a pile that runs across the drive refreezes overnight.

From logging camp to cabin town

The area was originally called Hunsaker Flats. The Brookings Lumber and Box Company logged it from 1899 to 1912, and the community grew after state highway improvements in the 1920s. Many cabins date from those early decades, and their driveways are often short, steep and thinly paved.

Short season

Paving at 6,000 feet happens from late spring to early fall, when the ground is warm enough for hot asphalt to compact. Book early.

Costs

HomeGuide lists standard asphalt driveways at about $5 to $12 per square foot, and some contractors set a minimum of $2,000 or more. Steep access, retaining walls and drainage add cost. Crack sealing, at about $0.50 to $3 per linear foot, is the best-value maintenance in snow country.

Access and equipment

Mountain streets are narrow and winding. We size equipment to the access and plan deliveries for weekdays, away from weekend ski and lake traffic on Highways 18 and 330.

Fall maintenance

A fall visit to seal cracks, before snow arrives, is the most valuable maintenance in mountain towns.

Shared roads

Some cabin clusters share a private access road. We can price a shared road by section so each owner sees their share, and schedule it so everyone keeps access.

County permits

Running Springs is unincorporated San Bernardino County. Driveway approach work on county-maintained roads needs a county encroachment permit, and the county inspector must be notified 48 hours before work starts. Entrances on Highways 18 or 330 involve Caltrans. Call (760) 383-7312 or

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