3 minute read
Tahoe Winter Highlights
Olympic Valley/Village at Palisades Tahoe
This scenic mountain valley was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. The pedestrian base village has a unique variety of shops, restaurants, bars, and outdoor seating near firepits. Beautiful sightseeing rides are offered on the aerial tram. Weather permitting, nearby Everline Resort offers cross-country skiing and ice skating.
Heavenly Village/Stateline
Heavenly Village and four nearby casino towers at Stateline are a world-class nucleus of fun. Shops and dining spots line both sides of Highway 50, linked by wide sidewalks and open areas. Heavenly Village has ice skating and sightseeing rides on its aerial gondola, carrying passengers up to 9,123-foot elevation and spectacular views.
Tahoe City/Truckee River Outlet State Park
Tahoe City clears snow from a network of sidewalks and bike paths overlooking the lake, linking one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants. Gatekeeper Museum and its Native American basket collection are part of Truckee River Outlet State Park, as is the dam that controls the top six feet of the lake.
Downtown Truckee/Donner Memorial State Park
Truckee’s charming, “Old West” downtown district is bisected by the Transcontinental Railroad and the Truckee River. The many historic buildings house a variety of quality restaurants, shops, galleries and brew pubs. Donner Memorial State Park is less than three miles to the west, its museum telling the stories of the infamous Donner Party and other Western pioneers.
Emerald Bay
Tahoe’s most photographed spot, Emerald Bay resembles a Norwegian fjord surrounded by steep mountainsides, dotted with an island topped by a stone tea house. Parking can be extremely limited in winter, however, and this section of Highway 89 will often be closed for multiple days after large snowstorms.
Virginia City
This 1860s silver boomtown was pivotal to helping the Union finance the Civil War. Its town center is well-preserved, with wooden boardwalks fronting shops and “watering holes.” The high-desert drive to and from the town completes the Old West journey.
Hope Valley/Kirkwood
The scenic drive on highways 89 and 88 to Kirkwood ski resort winds south from Lake Tahoe through Hope Valley and past Caples Lake. In wintery conditions, the journey is about an hour one-way. Hope Valley is popular with snowmobiling and snowshoeing. Highway 89 continues east from there toward the small historic town of Markleeville.
Mt. Rose Highway Viewpoint
A short drive above Incline Village on Nevada Highway 431 is a scenic pull-off with unobstructed views of the Lake Tahoe Basin, its parking spots usually cleared of snow. The highway heads north from there, traversing a 8,911 foot elevation pass and then winding down the mountainside to Reno.
