Lake Tahoe Winter Activities

You love Lake Tahoe, and you feel as if you’ve seen all the sights it has to offer. But as the old saying goes, you ain’t seen nothing yet ... not until you’ve seen it from the air, piloting your own aircraft over the Carson Range and into the Tahoe Basin. With Hang Gliding Tahoe, you fly a powered hang glider with an instructor along for the ride (the flight can even count for training toward a pilot’s license!) and enjoy the sight of the lake from an entirely new perspective. Morning flights offer spectacular year-round viewing conditions, and you can schedule sessions ranging from one hour clear on up to three hours. Make it an extra-special event and fly as a couple or with a friend, each in your own aircraft, and don’t forget to sign up for the photo or video service for a souvenir of the flight that you will treasure forever.

In the 1960s and '70s, South Shore had the Sahara Tahoe, and Elvis Presley was a regular performer there. In the '80s, it became the High Sierra, and in the '90s it was known as the Horizon. Fast-forward to the present and we now have the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the newest of the Stateline resorts. The showroom is now known as Vinyl, an intimate venue for live entertainment. Dining includes a classic steak room, an oyster bar right alongside the casino floor and a hip new restaurant called Fire Break, an indoor-outdoor venue with a nod to Heavenly’s out-of-bounds area. There is a fitness room and seasonal outdoor pool, and of course the atmosphere is pure rock ‘n’ roll, with memorabilia along the walls as far as the eye can see. The destination resort is now dog-friendly (less than 60 pounds), with pet-friendly rooms and a welcome bag of treats and toys for dog guests. Dogs are not permitted in the restaurants or casino.

With its easy location in the center of town, Kings Beach State Recreation Area makes enjoying the sandy shoreline of Lake Tahoe simple. The park itself is free and offers day use of a few miles of sandy beach, public bathrooms, a children's play area and barbecue grills. There are boat, Jet Ski and paddleboard rentals available as well. Parking costs $10 for both cars and trucks. Dogs are not allowed in the summer. In the winter the bathrooms and other facilities close down, but the beach opens to walkers and dogs, as long as they are on a leash. The park hours are from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m.

Since 1972, the Northstar California Resort has drawn winter sports enthusiasts to the area. Twenty different lifts provide access to some 100 trails on more than 3,000 acres of skiable terrain. The majority of the trails are designed for intermediate level skiers, while about a quarter of them are for advanced skiers and the remainder are just right for beginners. Speaking of beginners, Northstar offers schooling in both skiing and boarding. Fun in the snow at the Northstar California Resort also includes telemark skiing, tubing and cross-country skiing. The resort also offers eight terrain parks. But Northstar isn't just about the wintertime. Year-round amenities include a skating rink, a bungie trampoline, lodging, dining and a wide range of shopping at the Village. Guests at Northstar lodging also have access to the swim and racquet club including outdoor spas and heated lap pool, yoga classes, saunas and teen and fitness centers. In the summer, a whole new world of fun opens up. The ice rink changes over to a roller skating rink, visitors can enjoy an 18-hole golf course, there are some 10 courts available for those who enjoy tennis and fly fishing is available in the Sawmill Lake. And the Northstar California Resort is the site of one of the best lift-served mountain bike parks in the nation, with 52 trails providing more than 100 miles of biking fun.

Northstar California Resort Is Conveniently Located

Located between the High Sierra mountain town of Truckee and Lake Tahoe, the Northstar California Resort is easy to get to whether you are driving from the Golden State of California or the Silver State of Nevada. And if you are lucky enough to be flying in, the airports in Sacramento and Reno are both served by commercial airlines, while the Truckee Tahoe Airport is just 5 miles from the resort.