Best Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts for Families [And the Best Season Pass!]

What are the best Lake Tahoe ski resorts for families? What is the best Lake Tahoe season pass for your family? We have the answers you are looking for! Updated for the 2024 ski and snowboard season!

There is nothing quite like a Lake Tahoe ski vacation. It is California’s premier ski and snowboard destination and there are several Lake Tahoe family-friendly ski resorts.

Lake Tahoe boasts epic scenery, world-class ski resorts, proximity to the San Francisco Bay Area, comfortable ski conditions, lots of activities for kids, and good restaurants that are welcoming to families.

Every year, when the first big winter storm hits the San Francisco Bay Area, our family claps for joy because it means that Lake Tahoe is getting its first serious snowfall of the winter season.

The Best Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts for Families

Just about every ski resort in Lake Tahoe welcomes families with open arms. However, all ski resorts are not created equal.

Our guide to the best resorts for families will help you decide where to hit the slopes with your kids in tow! Depending on what’s important to your family, here are our recommendations for the best ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe area.

Check out our Ultimate Family Ski Vacation Planning Guide. It’s an incredible resource to prepare families for an ultimate ski vacation.

Heavenly Ski Resort- Best All-Around Lake Tahoe Ski Resort for Families

There are lots of reasons why Heavenly Ski Resort consistently gets rave reviews from Trekaroo families. This large ski resort features lots of intermediate runs, so families are able to ski together happily for a large part of the day.

In addition, families with young children love Heavenly’s exceptional ski school. We particularly love how easy the drop-off and pick up experience is. Thoughtful touches like having ski instructors take care of fitting your children with rental equipment and very friendly staff make all the difference at drop off.

Heavenly’s Child Care and Nursery offers care for wee ones as young as 6-weeks old in their CA-licensed nursery. It is the only ski resort offering this service. Heavenly Childcare even offers unique ski-play programs for 3 and 4-year-olds who are ready to be eased onto the slopes but prefer to play.

We also love Heavenly’s delicious on-mountain dining options serving heart-warming favorites like burgers and chili but also healthy options like fresh salads and gourmet meals for those who like to dine well.

Numerous lodges throughout the vast mountain make it easy for families to take frequent breaks and rendezvous for meals mid-mountain.

World-class skiing and an excellent ski school do come at a price. One-day lift tickets at Heavenly aren’t cheap, but the Epic Day Pass and season passes are an incredible value. See our comparison of Tahoe ski passes below.

Trekaroo families rave about the friendly and attentive staff at Heavenly who are eager to help families find their way around, stay safe and have an unforgettably happy day.

See more of the Golden State. Here are the best things to do in California with kids. 

Accommodation Options at Heavenly

Heavenly is located in South Lake Tahoe, which has a variety of family-friendly accommodations within steps of the Heavenly Gondola.

Here’s our list of Kid-friendly Hotels Near Heavenly Ski Resorts in South Lake Tahoe.

Check for hotel availability in Lake Tahoe

Palisades Tahoe- The Best “All-in-One” Lake Tahoe Ski Resort for Families

Palisades Tahoe is another favorite ski resort with Trekaroo families. Palisades Tahoe comprises the Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows base areas. Both ski areas are connected by a 2.4 mile Gondola making Tahoe Palisades one of the largest ski resorts in North America with over 6,000 acres of terrain. There is so much to do in Palisades Tahoe.

Palisades Tahoe is on the north shore. Here are the best things to do in North Lake Tahoe.

Palisade’s lodging is luxury all the way. Upscale stores and restaurants abound in the village and a shuttle runs between the two ski areas. The staff at Palisades and their partner establishments located in Olympic Village sure seem to understand how to welcome their guests. If you’re looking for a place to stay, be sure to check out the Palisades Tahoe Lodge and Village at Palisades Tahoe.

The ski school is fully equipped to accommodate kids ages three and up at all levels of skiing, and the facilities have fun play areas. For a quieter experience, head to the Alpine Meadows ski school instead. Check out our review of the Alpine Meadows Children’s Programs.

The cable car ride up to High Camp is a big hit, offering stunning views of Olympic Valley as well as ice-skating, hot tubs, and a heated pool. There is lots of space for little ones to build a snowman while down at the base of the Gondola, as well as a climbing wall and other amusements.

Palisades Tahoe also boasts a popular tubing hill and throws disco tubing events featuring DJs and lasers. All in all, Trekaroo families agree that for the premium you pay to stay and ski at Palisades Tahoe, you’ll won’t be wanting for much.

Northstar- The Lake Tahoe Ski Resort with the Best On-Site Childcare

Northstar is Heavenly’s sister resort on the North Shore, offering luxury accommodations and amenities. While there are lots of family-friendly touches at Northstar, their child ski and snowboard lessons get big kudos from Trekaroo families.

In addition to excellent downhill skiing and snowboarding, Northstar also offers cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fat tire snow biking, and tubing.

Sierra-at-Tahoe- Best Lake Tahoe Ski Resort for Families Looking for Value

At family-friendly Sierra-at-Tahoe, you’ll find a smaller mountain with great instructors in a low-key environment.

Sierra-at-Tahoe is closer to Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area via Hwy 50, and vacation homes and motels in the area are generally less expensive.

This ski resort is a popular ‘commuter’ mountain. There are fewer crowds, less night life, and more focus on what people actually come for: the snow.

Sierra-at-Tahoe is open again this year with private lessons continuing to be offered and smaller group lessons. For the latest details, check the Sierra for families page.

The instructors here know that the best way for kids to learn is to come often. Older kids who are accomplished skiers and riders will love Sierra’s chutes, and as parents, we love that all runs funnel into a single bowl making it easier for everyone to find their way down at the end of the day.

Sierra-at-Tahoe resort also offers a tubing hill.

Which Lake Tahoe Season Pass Should Families Get?

Updated for the 2024 ski and snowboard season.

Every year, the season pass wars wage fiercer, but the competition is great for skiing families. There are basically two top contenders. Keep in mind that things are different this year, as some passes require reservations so that the resorts can keep tabs on capacity on the mountains.

The Epic Local Pass for Tahoe gives you access to the three Vail Resort’s Tahoe mountains – Heavenly, Northstar, and Kirkwood.

The Ikon Pass for Lake Tahoe Resorts gives you access to Palisades Tahoe (Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows).

Sierra-at-Tahoe also offers a season pass of exceptional value for families with kids 12 and under.

Furthermore, each of these passes differentiates by restrictions and benefits at different price points. In order to make a proper comparison, you’ve got to read the fine print and take into consideration what’s most important to your family in deciding which season pass is right for your family.

The below comparison takes into account some of the most important factors families will consider – value, blackout dates and restrictions, and quality of skiable terrain.

Value Comparison of Season Passes for a family of 4 (2 adults, 1 teen, 1 kid)

Here’s a side-by-side comparison that cuts through the clutter of options and focuses on the five best season passes that families should consider for skiing. atLake Tahoe. Here’s are our top considerations:

• You don’t plan to ski anywhere else besides Lake Tahoe this season.
• You can work around blackout dates
• *Price comparison uses the following family unit 2-adults, 1-teens, and 1-kid
• You will be skiing for more than 7 days if not, a season pass is not your best option.

If you plan to ski less, you might want to consider the Epic Day Pass or the Ikon Day Pass, which offers discounted rates for purchasing lift tickets early in the season.

Consider the Cost of Ski School

When deciding which season pass is suitable for your family, it is also vital to consider how many ski/snowboard lessons your family plans to take. Do you prefer half-day or full-day lessons for kids? The cost of lessons adds up quickly for families. For the 2024 season, Kirkwood has the lowest prices for both half and full-day lessons. Pricing is variable between the different ski resorts. Be sure to double-check the resort’s website.

Also, consider that lift tickets bundled with full-day group lessons can sometimes be a better deal. The table below gives you a place to start for 2024, but check the websites for pricing, as the options can vary by date and time.

Lake Tahoe Ski School Comparison: Prices for Half Day and Full Day Lessons

Quality of Skiing Offered

The Epic Local and Tahoe Value Passes give you access to three ski resorts – Heavenly, Northstar, and Kirkwood. Combined, this is almost double the skiable terrain of Palisades Tahoe.

Considering that snowfall can be variable around the Lake Tahoe area, having the option to ski at different locations with different ski conditions is a plus.

On the other hand, it’s nice that Palisades Tahoe includes Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows. The two base areas are close together and are now connected by a gondola. You can easily ski at both in a single day if you choose to.

Number of Blackout Dates and Restricted Days

The blackout dates for both passes are primarily during the holidays (between Christmas and New Year, MLK weekend, and President’s Day Weekend). If you plan on skiing during these times, both offer the option of purchasing discounted tickets during blackout dates.

If skiing on Saturdays is important to you, you’ll still get the most value from the Tahoe Value Pass because you can still ski at Heavenly or Kirkwood.

Recommended Unlimited Access Season Pass

If you are looking for unlimited skiing during the holidays, the Vail Resorts Epic Pass is comparable to the Ikon Pass for Palisades Tahoe. Both offer unrestricted access to all their Tahoe resorts. This year’s passes offer additional access and perks at resorts outside Tahoe in the United States and internationally.

Now, go forth and shred the gnar!

Visiting Lake Tahoe in summer? Check out these 24 spectacular things to do in Lake Tahoe this summer.

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LiLing Pang

LiLing Pang is a Co-founder of Trekaroo.She is a mom to two boys and a girl and recently traveled through Central America.Together with her husband, Brennan Pang, they hatched the idea of Trekaroo one summer day along the California coast while searching for the best kid-friendly tide pool near La Jolla with their curious 2 and a half year old. LiLing holds a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

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