Best Ski Resorts In The Sierra
Sierra-At-Tahoe
1111 Sierra-At-Tahoe Road
Twin Bridges, CA 95735
(530) 659-7453
www.sierrattahoe.com
Sierra-At-Tahoe - the closest ski resort to Sacramento - is cherished by locals, yet largely overlooked by the Tahoe tourist crowd. Sierra-At-Tahoe is renowned for its glade skiing, terrain parks and family-friendly atmosphere.
Heavenly Mountain Resort
4080 Lake Tahoe Boulevard
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
(775) 586-7000
www.skiheavenly.com
The muscle resort on Tahoe's South Shore straddles the California-Nevada border and offers 34 miles of groomed trails, along with bowls, parks, pipes, and the signature Gunbarrel run, which drops 1,800 vertical feet to the lodge below. A gondola rising from a base-area village, just a block from Nevada casinos, makes Heavenly Mountain Resort especially popular with the late-night crowd.
Sugar Bowl
629 Sugar Bowl Road
Norden, CA 95724
(530) 426-9000
www.sugarbowl.com
Founded by Walt Disney and partners in 1938, Sugar Bowl is known for its wide-open bowl skiing, Alpine-style lodge and passionate local following. It's 45 minutes closer to Sacramento than the bigger resorts along the Interstate-80 corridor, making it a great choice for day-trippers who get a late start out the door.
Northstar-At-Tahoe
100 Northstar Drive
Truckee, CA 96161
(530) 562-1010
www.northstarattahoe.com
Northstar's tree-protected runs make it the best place on the North Shore to ski or ride on windy days, and its base-area village, set off by cozy fire pits and a centerpiece ice rink, offers what might be the most vibrant après-ski scene at Tahoe. Resort lodging ranges from luxurious village condos to older, economically priced units with plenty of sprawl space for families. The five-star Ritz-Carlton Highlands at mid-mountain has its own dedicated lift.
Alpine Meadows
2600 Alpine Meadows Road
Tahoe City, CA 96145
(530) 583-4232
www.skialpine.com
Expert skiers and riders know Alpine's black-diamond terrain to be some of the most challenging in the West, but fear not: This classic resort has plenty of runs suitable for beginners and intermediates, too. Base-area lodging is limited, and that's how locals like it. Think Tahoe the way it used to be before the deep-pocketed developers moved in.
Squaw Valley USA
1960 Squaw Valley Road
Olympic Valley, CA 93675
(530) 581-7225
www.squaw.com
Squaw Valley USA leaped from obscurity to world renown when it hosted the 1960 Olympics, and ever since serious skiers have tagged it as one of the best ski resorts in the Sierra. Hold your breath when riding up to High Camp on Squaw's iconic tram; the views of the Sierra and Lake Tahoe beyond are dizzying. Ample base-area lodging provides ski-in, ski-out convenience.
