Tahoe — New Year on the Snow
California / Nevada, USA · Lake Tahoe
4 places pinned — click any one for its story.
About the place
Ringing in the new year up in the Sierra — five nights at the lake from December 28 through January 2. Tahoe in winter is a different place from the summer lake: the surrounding peaks hold some of the deepest snowpack in North America, feeding a dozen ski resorts within an hour's drive.
The Washoe wintered in the valleys below while the high country lay under snow; the modern ski era arrived with the 1960 Winter Olympics at what's now Palisades Tahoe, which put the region on the world map. The lake itself never freezes — it's simply too deep — so the water stays that startling blue against the white shoreline all season.
The best possible way to close out one year and open the next.
What I want to see
History & facts for each spot — with a “then & now” archival photo where one exists. Every one has its own page; open it for the full write-up and all the photos.
The Olympic Valley resort that hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics — the first Games ever televised live. 6,000 skiable acres now linked to Alpine Meadows by gondola.
Full history & photos →Read more on Wikipedia →The South Shore giant straddling the state line, with runs that drop toward the lake and views straight down onto that impossible blue.
Full history & photos →Read more on Wikipedia →A sheltered, tree-lined resort above Truckee known for grooming and its ski-in village — the easy-going choice when the wind is up elsewhere.
Full history & photos →Read more on Wikipedia →
The postcard cove ringed in snow, with Fannette Island frozen-still below the overlook — worth the drive even on a ski day.
Full history & photos →Read more on Wikipedia →Archival photo: Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, steamer at pier LCCN2007660509 — Wikimedia Commons