From intimate and casual to huge world class ski resorts, Lake Tahoe has something for every age, skill level, and budget.
With 15 area ski resorts to choose from locals and visitors a like can so much variety in their skiing season. If you are not familiar with Lake Tahoe skiing this guide will help get you a quick glimpse of all that the local are has to offer.
Heavenly Mountain Resort
The terrain varies at Heavenly, with 97 trails ranging from wide-open cruisers to plunging 1,600-foot chutes.
Enjoy the convenience of 28 chairlifts around the mountain, including:
- Nine high-speed lifts.
- 4,800 skiable acres—the most in Lake Tahoe.
- 3,500 vertical feet (1,067 meters)—unmatched on the West Coast.
- 10,067 feet in elevation (3,068 meters)—the highest in Lake Tahoe.
- Cross the state line between California and Nevada.
- Two terrain parks.
- Pass Holders
Push yourself in our expert areas (and local favorites) Mott Canyon and Killebrew Canyon. And with three access gates around the mountain, there’s no shortage of intense backcountry terrain.
Palisades / Alpine Meadows
With progressive terrain for every ability and a vast 3,600 skiable acres, Palisades (formerly squaw Valley) is home to everything from mountain-top beginner slopes with views of Lake Tahoe to plunging chutes and wide-open bowls that have bred Olympic champions and ski movie stars. Ride legendary lifts like KT-22 or Siberia, then drop in to hunt for powder stashes or perfect corduroy.
Alpine Meadows With over 100 trails, you’ll find terrain for everyone at Alpine Meadows, from impeccable top-to-bottom groomers to gentle, beginner-friendly slopes. The most treasured terrain at Alpine? Its hike-to back bowls, covert spots like Beaver Bowl, Estelle Bowl, and Grouse Ridge. We promise you it’s worth the effort it takes to get there.
Northstar Resort
Hidden among the trees in the majestic Martis Valley in North Lake Tahoe, Northstar California welcomes friends and families looking to get more our of their mountain getaway. with 3170 acres of Skiable terrain and 100 trails their is world class skiing for all levels
Diamond Peak
Diamond Peak Ski Resort is Lake Tahoe’s hidden gem. Located above Incline Village, things are different here. This is a community-owned resort with breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe; miles of welcoming, uncrowded runs; easy access from the parking lot to the slopes; a dedicated Child Ski Center for the littlest skiers and snowboarders; and a great Ski & Snowboard School for older skiers/riders.
Mt. Rose
Mt Rose – Experience over 1,200 acres and 1,800 vertical feet on some of the Sierra’s most ideal snow conditions. Discover for yourself how Mt. Rose offers Tahoe’s best value, superb conditions, and the most convenient skiing. Tahoe’s highest base skiing and snowboarding mountain with an average of 30 feet of snow each year.
Kirkwood
With 2,000 feet of vertical drop and over 2,300 acres of terrain ranging from calm, groomed, beginner runs to hair-raising cornices and cliffs, there’s something for everyone at “the Wood.” There’s something magical that happens when storms roll into Kirkwood. Some like to say we measure our snow in feet not inches, and others simply sum it up as the “K-Factor.”
Homewood – where the Mountain Meets the Lake. 280 steps from Lift to Lake add 1650 ft elevation gain and you find the most extraordinary mountain ski experience in Lake Tahoe. The kind of view that you remember and want to share. Being the closest resort to the lake in Tahoe, the proximity tells it all. This is the spot. Photo Courtesy of Homewood resort media Use
Other Regional Ski resorts
- Boreal – right off of Interstate 80, Boreal / Woodward prides itself on being a community that is relaxed, comfortable, and confident, creating an atmosphere that makes you feel right at home. Six lifts and two magic carpets service 41 trails; along with Boreal’s popular Tahoe Tubing snow tubing area, the only night-skiing in Tahoe and an incredible beginner ski and ride program
- Sugar bowl – 4 peaks, 1600 skiable acres, 100 trails and 1500 feet of vertical drop along with over 500″ of seasonal snow make Sugar Bowl a legendary favorite of skiers.
- Soda springs -This is Tahoe’s best kept secret for skiing, snowboarding and Mountain Adventure snowplay. The longest running ski resort in California, Soda Springs Mountain Resort is the best place to explore the magic of winter in Tahoe
- Donner Ski Ranch – Family owned and operated Donner Ski Ranch is one of the last of its kind in California. As such, it offers a relaxed and carefree atmosphere making it a favorite for family fun.
- Granlibakken Ski Area – Granlibakken Resort features an intimate ski hill, perfect for beginning through intermediate skiers and snowboarders. It’s a great place to avoid the crowds of larger resorts, while enjoying a day of skiing right out your back door.
- Tahoe Donner Ski Resort- Tahoe Donner Ski Resort is a family resort that is committed to instructing the young and the young-at-heart to ski and snowboard. You can count on uncrowded slopes, excellent terrain for beginners, wide-open bowls, and pristine groomed trails.
Sierra At Tahoe
Play is the name of the game at Sierra-at-Tahoe, where 2,000 acres and 2,212 vertical feet of skiable terrain offer skiers + riders the freedom to explore their style at any level. Whether it’s sending big mountain terrain via Huckleberry Canyon, carving down sun bathed groomers in West Bowl, learning a new trick in the Sierra Playgrounds or the exhilaration of making one’s first turns on Sierra’s Sculpted Learning Terrain, there is a place for you here that’s just waiting to be found.
The Closest Ski resort to Sacramento Sierra At Tahoe
- 2,000 Acres
- 2,212’ Vertical Rise
- 47 trails
- 14 lifts
