Lake Tahoe: Winter Edition
Before you go:
COVID-19 protocol: COVID tests aren’t required but recommended (as most places).
Since South Lake Tahoe sits on the border of California and Nevada, it’s important to look into the guidelines for both states. When we were there (Dec. 2020), California went into lockdown and most non-essential businesses closed, dining was outdoor only, and all activities except skiing were canceled for us. Meanwhile, in Nevada, most places were open and we could eat inside or outside as long as we only had 4 people per table (this meant we split our group of 5 into 2 and 3 people).
Where to stay:
We stayed at the Stardust Lodge and were pleasantly surprised by how great the management and property are. It looks like a motel from the outside, but the rooms are awesome! All the units have one or two bedrooms with a kitchenette and a living room. We didn’t have an oven, but we could still cook plenty of meals.
The location is probably the best part of the Stardust. It’s located right off the main road and directly across the street from Heavenly Village and the Marriott Gondola.
What to do:
Our primary aim for this trip was to ski, but we also wanted to explore the area. We fit in a couple of extra activities in addition to two full days on the slopes.
Skiing
Heavenly Ski Resort (the main ski area) is located 10 minutes from Stardust Lodge and there is convenient free parking onsite. There's also a free shuttle that goes from the Marriott Gondola to the main lift at Heavenly.
We bought passes about a month in advance via the Epic website. It was $220 for two days. Once we had the pass, we were given a 20% discount on lessons and ski rentals. We opted to rent from the Heavenly Lodge since this is where lessons are, although there are several other pick up spots. You can pick up rentals and go up the Marriott Gondala just across the street from the Stardust Lodge. For reference, an adult ski lesson cost $123 and two days of equipment rentals was $105. Skiing definitely isn’t cheap, but it was worth it!
In terms of trails, Heavenly Mountain is very much an intermediate to advanced mountain. On the main lift from the Lodge, there were two green trails and on the Marriott Gondola, there was only one. Some of the blues were reasonable, but definitely not for the inexperienced skier. My friends who are experienced skiers really enjoyed the mountain and will likely be back. Something to consider when booking your trip is that many of the runs weren’t open when we went because it was still early in the season and there wasn’t enough snow.
That didn’t stop the views though. The lifts and trails have the best views we’ve ever seen while skiing. Everything you see as you go down is trees, snow, and a stunning view of Lake Tahoe. Honestly, even if you don’t want to ski, I’d recommend buying a Gondola pass. There’s an observation deck halfway up and a great view from the very top (as well as a restaurant).
Another thing to note is that since a majority of the mountain is on the California side, the restaurants were either closed or only had outdoor seating. The food was pretty good at Stein’s (Heavenly Lodge), but very expensive (as expected). Don’t forget, if you buy an Epic Pass, your discount still applies here.
Hiking
There are several beautiful national parks located around Lake Tahoe and they all have great hiking trails. We explored a couple and I’ll definitely be back to check out the rest.
Emerald Lake
This area is gorgeous, as is the drive to it. The bay features the only island in Lake Tahoe, known as Fannette Island, as well as a sandy beach and a Scandinavian style home from the early 1900s. In the summer Vikingsholm offers tours, but it was boarded up in the winter. There’s a dock and several picnic tables if you’d like to have lunch or a snack on the beach. It’s a pretty intense hike on the way back up since it’s quite steep.
Eagle Falls
This trail is located just three minutes from the Emerald Lake trail. You’ll hike up a slight incline for about .25 miles and then come upon a bridge under which there is a waterfall. In the winter, it was absolutely stunning because most of it was frozen (I have a video on my Instagram highlights if you’re interested). We opted not to continue to the other side of the trail because you need to request a pass from the park service. It was really snowy and beautiful! In the summer, I’d love to try the rest of the trail and check out the view from the top.
Lighthouse Trail
Lake Tahoe has the highest elevation lighthouse in America and there’s a trail that runs all the way from Vikingsholm to it called the Rubicon Point Trail. You can also drive closer to it and start your hike one mile away instead of three to four miles away, which is what we did.
Probably not the smartest move, but we started this trail around 3:45 PM and it’s roughly a two to three-mile round trip. Keep in mind it gets dark around 4:30 PM. The trail itself was hard to navigate because it was super icy and none of us had spikes for our hiking shoes - there were many spills and thrills haha. Once we made it to the main trail, it was pretty clear of ice and easier to navigate.
To be honest, the lighthouse was a bit disappointing. It’s a tiny thing that took us forever to find because the trail indicators are almost nonexistent. The view from the lighthouse and along the whole trail is pretty incredible though so it was worth it! You can see across the entire lake to the Heavenly ski resort, which was pretty cool. On the way back we had to rush in order to make it back before it was completely pitch dark, which we did, but just barely.
Sandy Beach Trail
Sandy Beach is located on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe about 40 minutes from Heavenly Village. It’s a beautiful bay with crystal clear water and a nice walking trail that’s about one mile. There’s a $10 cash park entrance fee, so I’d recommend stopping at an ATM beforehand. There are also picnic tables and great spots for a quick snack or a quality lunch with magnificent views any way you look.
Snowmobile Tours
I was so excited about this, but when we landed I was notified that our tour had been canceled because there wasn’t enough snow (again, plan for this if you’re going early in the season). The tours are pretty expensive - $180 for one rider and $220 for 2 people for a 2-hour tour. We were willing to pay for it since we hadn’t done it previously, and I’m sure it would’ve been worth it. Our tour was the Summit Tour with Lake Tahoe Adventures.
Boat Tour
The water in Lake Tahoe is insanely clear and blue. We were looking forward to doing a boat tour to see a different perspective of the lake and the mountains, but this was canceled when California decided to close all non-essential businesses. I wasn’t able to find boat tours in South Lake Tahoe that were on the Nevada side, but there are many on the California side if you have an opportunity to book one. I looked online at Get Your Guide to find the best option for us - there are happy hour tours, sunset tours, and day tours. These tours are also a great option because you’ll get to sail into Emerald Bay and checkout Fannett Island up close.
Sleigh Rides
We were really excited to go on a sleigh ride, but unfortunately, there wasn’t enough snow for a real sleigh. The sleighs had wheels on them which just isn’t the same. The sleigh rides are located at Sandy Beach and I bet if you go later in the season, there will be more than enough snow. The same company does carriage rides in Heavenly Village and they’re usually located on the corner of the Nevada-California border.
Ice Skating
There’s a cute ice rink in Heavenly Village. You’ll need to make a reservation in person for a two-hour time slot. This helps with social distancing due to COVID restrictions. We didn’t do this, but it looked like fun!
Where to eat:
*Plan to make dinner reservations in advance. We struggled to find openings at the last minute. Options are limited and there are a lot of COVID restrictions in place leading to less seating and earlier closing times.
Tahoe City
We stopped here for lunch on our first day when we went hiking and ate at Za’s Lakefront. The views were good as were the cocktails, but the food wasn’t amazing. Their dinner menu looked much better and I’d probably go back to try it. Tahoe City is cute and has many different restaurant options as well as some shops.
Heavenly Village:
FiRE + iCE: Phenomenal cocktails with giant outdoor fire pits - even still it was quite chilly when the sun went down. The buttery hot chocolate is a must-try!
Coldstone Creamery: I still couldn’t resist ice cream even in 30-degree weather haha. Top-notch, as usual.
Base Camp Pizza Co. We ordered pizza to our rooms the last night for a movie night. All the locals raved about this place and it was really good! I don’t think any spot can compete with my favorite Austin pizzas, but this one was pretty close.
Nevada
This is where all the casinos are and with those come some great, but expensive, restaurants. There are also some bars on the way from Heavenly Village - it’s about a 10-minute walk - but we didn’t explore them.
Ciera Steak and Chophouse: We chose to eat here on our last “free” night before non-essential businesses closed, and it turned out great! The food was fantastic, as were the drinks, and the service. It wasn’t cheap, but it was well worth it. We had the option of ordering from pre-set $50 or $60 menus that included an appetizer, meal, and dessert or ordering individually.
Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen: We couldn’t get a reservation here, but I’ve always wanted to try it!
Final thoughts
I’m glad we went when we did because we made it right before the lockdown and were able to stay and explore the area. Although we didn’t have as much snow as we would’ve liked, I think it was nice because we could do a lot of hiking without spikes. If we’d had more snow we could’ve gone snowmobiling, there would’ve been more trails open on the ski resort, and we could’ve done a sleigh ride, but we’ll save those for next time!
