Guide to Lake Tahoe Area Ski Resorts: lift ticket prices for 2011 – 2012, snow report, trail maps, live web cams, event calendar, snow & weather forecasts. – Updated February 16 , 2012.
Winter Driving Tips/Caltrans Road Conditions | Map of Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts
Got lift ticket deal tips not listed on our deals page? Please contact us.
Before you plan your trip, check out our fav weather forecasting services below for the most accurate Lake Tahoe area weather, road and snow conditions:
- South Lake Tahoe, CA – 7 Day Forecast by the National Weather Service
- North Lake Tahoe, CA - 7 Day Forecast by the National Weather Service
- Snow forecast for the Lake Tahoe Area by Tahoe Weather Discussion aka “No hype Lake Tahoe Weather”
- Tahoe Weather Geek – an easy to read weather forecast for Lake Tahoe; forecast updated daily, and more often as conditions change.
Note: Resort links below open in a new window (click on the name of the resort for current snow conditions, temperature, weather forecast, wind conditions, snow stats(snow totals in inches), trial/ski run surface conditions, grooming report, lift status, and snow alerts).
South Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts - (click on name for snow report)
| Resort | Lift Ticket | Ski Terrain/Trail Map | % Beg. | % Int. | % Adv. | Vertical Drop in Feet |
| Heavenly (beautiful Lake Views) |
$61-$85 | 30 Lifts, 91 Trails, 4800 Acres |
20 | 45 | 35 | 3500′, Google Driving Directions |
| Kirkwood (877) 547-5966Webcam | Events | Twitter |
$79 | 12 Lifts, 72 Trails, 2300 Acres |
15 | 50 | 20% adv. 15% expert | 2000′, Google Driving Directions |
| Sierra at Tahoe(530) 659-7475Webcam | Events | Twitter |
$74 | 12 Lifts, 46 Trails, 2000 Acres |
25 | 50 | 25 | 2212′, Google Driving Directions |
North Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts:
Central Sierra Ski Resorts:
| Resort | Lift Ticket | Ski Terrain/Trail Map | % Beg. | % Int. | % Adv. | Vertical Drop in Feet |
| Bear Valley -Webcam | Events | Twitter |
$62 | 9 Lifts, 67 Trails, 1680 Acres |
30 | 40 | 30 | 3500′, Google Driving Directions |
| China Peak (209) 426-1111YouTube | Events | Twitter |
$59 | 11 Lifts, 45 Trails, 450 Acres |
39 | 33 | 28 | 1679′, Google Driving Directions |
| Dodge Ridge (209) 965-4444Webcam | Events | Twitter |
$59 | 11 Lifts, 62 Trails, 832 Acres |
20 | 40 | 40 | 1600′, Google Driving Directions |
| Mt Shasta Ski Resort – Webcam | Events | Twitter |
$39 (9am-4pm), Night Skiing is only $16 (3pm-9pm) |
3 Triple Lifts, 32 Trails, 1.75 mile longest run, 425 Acres |
25 | 50 | 25 | 1390′, Google Driving Directions |
| Yosemite Badger Pass Ski Area – YouTube | Photo Gallery | Cross-Country | Twitter |
$42 | 5 Lifts: 1 triple-chair, 3 double-chair, 1 handle tow |
35 | 50 | 15 | 800′, Google Driving Directions |
South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country/Nordic Ski Areas:
| Resort | Trail Fee Day Use Access | Trails | Trail Km | Features |
| Camp Richardson Resort 530-542-6584 |
Varies | Yes | 35 | Snowshoeing, moonlight cross-country skiing, |
| Hope Valley Cross-Country Ski Center 530-694-2266 |
Free | Yes | 100 | 10 miles groomed meadows & forest, full-moon, wildlife tours, backcountry seminars, No trail fees charged; accepts donations to maintain trails. |
| Kirkwood Cross Country & Snowshoe Center 209-258-7248 |
$22 Full Day or $19 Half Day | Yes | 80 | 80 km of groomed trails, diverse terrain for all skill levels. |
| Spooner Lake(East Shore) 775-749-5349 |
$22 Full Day or $18 Half Day(after 1pm) | 21 | 101 | All levels, ovenight stay in a wilderness cabin; over 9000 acres: 30% beginner, 40% intermediate, 30% advanced. |
North Lake Tahoe Cross-Country/Nordic Ski Areas:
| Resort | Trail Fee Day Use Access | Trails | Trail Km | Features |
| Clair Tappaan Lodge 530-426-3632 |
$7 or free to lodge guests |
- | 12 | Snowshoeing, moonlight cross-country skiing, overnight stay and trips. |
| Tahoe Cross Country Ski Area 530-583-5475 |
$22 Full Day or $18 Half Day(after 12:30pm). | 14 | 65 | Full-moon & tours, backcountry seminars. |
| Royal Gorge Cross Country Area 530-426-3871 |
$30 Full Day; $25 Half Day(after 12:30pm). |
65 | 195 | 65 trails & 195 km of skiable terrain; ski and stay packages, learn to cross country ski clinics and special events |
| Northstar at Tahoe Cross Country 800-Go-North |
$25 | - | 50 | 50 km of groomed trails, diverse terrain for all skill levels. |
| Squaw Creek Nordic 800-403-0206 |
Varies, call for ski and stay package deals | 11 | 18 | 18 kilometers on 400 acres; 70% beginner, 20% intermediate, and 10% advanced |
| Tahoe Donner Cross Country 530-587-9484 |
$24 Full Day, $19 Half Day(after 1pm) |
37 | 85 | Enjoy a day skiing through the pines and aspens, climbing peaks or gentle rolling hills or glide along the flats of Euer Valley taking in the tranquil scenery. |
Southern California/Sierra Ski Resort:
| Resort | Lift Ticket | Ski Terrain/Trail Map | % Beg. | % Int. | % Adv. | Vertical Drop in Feet |
| Mammoth Mountain – Webcam/Events/Twitter/Longest Ski Season; typical Closing Date of July 4th |
$92 | 29 Lifts, 150 Trails, 4800 Acres |
20 | 45 | 20% adv. 15% expert | 3100′, Google Driving Directions |
*Lift ticket prices listed are for an adult full
day lift ticket. For a complete lift ticket
price listing based on age(junior/child, teen, student,
senior, super senior, military or civil service/state/federal
employees, Tahoe local resident, mid-week, weekends,
multi-day packages, season passes and holiday peak
season pricing), click on the resort of choice’s adult lift ticket price listed
to go directly to the resort’s lift ticket pricing
page. Prices are subject to change at the discretion
of the ski resort.
Map of Lake Tahoe Area Ski Resorts – click here for an interactive map & get directions to your resort of choice.
*Estimated driving time around the lake: North Shore to South Shore(or vice versa) will take approximately 1 hour drive depending on Snow &
Road/Traffic Conditiontds. Chain control and holidays
will most likely result in longer drive times; plan your trip accordingly.
Lake Tahoe Interactive Google Map:
Be prepared: how to drive safely on roads with snow and ice:
Before driving to Tahoe, check with the Caltrans Highway Information Network (CHIN) 800.427.7623 (a good number to store on your phone) for up to the minute road, traffic conditions and chain control check points when you are driving to Tahoe.
*If you don’t know how or don’t want to install your snow chains, there will be snow chain installers at chain control checkpoints; it costs $30 for an installation and $15 for snow chain removal. Caltrans sets the prices and provides permits but the installers are their own bosses.
Tip: if you need snow chains, look on craigslist.org for good deals; make sure chains fit your tires.
-
Types of Tahoe Area Chain Controls/Requirements (always carry tire snow chains, Tahoe mountain weather conditions change rapidly)
- View a visual regional map of the Lake Tahoe/Reno Area with live updates on chain controls and road conditions.
- View Cal Trans Live Streaming Web Cams of Traffic Areas for Tahoe roads and highways.
- View SF Bay Area Traffic; store the 511 number to your phone
- View Caltrans QuickMaps: access real-time traffic information
Tip #1: Check out SnowPals’ guide to Tahoe area lift ticket deals, promotions & discounts to save money.
Tip #2: Don’t want to drive to Tahoe or deal with installing snow tire chains? Take the Tahoe Ski Bus and save $6 on one day trips, $10 on two day trips, and save $40 on Ski/Ride Travel Vacations to Utah, Colorado, Montana, British Columbia and Austria.
Tahoe Snow News
- Got POWDER?
View a summary of Tahoe resorts’ reported 24 hour snowfall total in inches. What does a la nina or el nino year mean for Tahoe snow?
Get the most up to date snowfall news: check out the live Twitter Lake Tahoe snow alerts
Want to see what it looks like at your favorite Tahoe resort? View Tahoe ski resorts live webcams all on one page.
View a 24 hour loop from a NOAA live infared satellite of the US/Western Pacific Basin Animated Weather Imagery.
This loop contains the past 24 hours of images of the United States, one image per hour taken from a NOAA satellite.
*If you see any error(s) on this page or would like to contribute a tip, please contact us. Thank you!
