South Lake Tahoe at Christmas
 

We (myself, husband and grown son) are thinking of going to Lake Tahoe for 3 or 4 days over Christmas. Son is an excellent skier so it looks like Heavenly is the place to be. We're thinking to stay at Timber Lodge Marriott which still has availability. My questions are: What will there be to do during the day for the 60 something parents? and Will we be able to find decent dining options for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Thanks for any info you can provide.

Julie, check out Kalani's if they are opened for christmas. If you like chocolate, try their chocolate red wine, it's unique.

I remember there was a movie theater - either in the village or in Horizon casino - they are all close to each other, also check the show shedules in the casinos, maybe it's too early for December?

Even if you don't skate, take the funicular up the mountain for the views.

Hi Julie

The Sleighrides are about a 10 minute walk from the Timber lodge Marriott. The have Dinner rides starting around 4:30 pm. and are open from 10 am until 4 for 30 minute rides over a meadow and through the woods... have fun over Christmas

Sounds good. Thanks for the info. I'm starting to get excited about this.

Sleigh rides/snowmobiling/dogsledding adventures are all dependent on the amount of real snow on the ground at Christmas. Sleigh rides and dogsledding were not operating when we were there a fews ago at Christmas, and the snowmobiling options were very limited.

www.sleighride.com/
www.dogsledadventure.com/
www.laketahoeadventures.com/

I believe that week is THE busiest week of the season there, so please make your dining reservations very, very early, especially for a large group like yours. I can't stress this enough, as we were highly disappointed that we could not get into many of the better restaurants because I didn't plan far enough in advance.

This place had a surprisingly good, cheap Prime Rib dinner, though:
www.lakesideinn.com/restaurants.html

There is also a tiny outlet mall at the "Y":
http://www.tahoevacationguide.com/Ac.../shopping.html

Thanks lvk. Good advice. I've been searching the forum for info on dining. I have no trouble making dining reservations a long time in advance. I just hope some of the better restaurants are open over Christmas to make the reservations in.

The movie theater is behind the Marriott Grand which is right next door to the Marriott Timber Lodge. I am thinking however that an excellent skier might be more interested in Squaw Valley than Heavenly. There is probably more to do for parents in Heavenly though.

It's not exactly a funicular which rides on rails it's a gondola which is conveyed via cables. You can take a scenic ride and meet for lunch up top and hang out at the observation point.

If the weather is decent you could make your way to Carson City or even Virginia City for some history.

The Edgewood (country club/golf course) has always offered a nice Christmas meal.

There are lots of Christmas activities on the north shore as well including Squaw Valley. The lovely torchlight parade in Squaw is nice if it’s not crazy snowing:

http://www.squaw.com/christmas-eve-torchlight-parade

Plumpjacks would be the place for a Christmas dinner there.

Suzie, thanks so much. Is it possible to drive from South Tahoe to Squaw or vice versa for dinner, an afternoon of sightseeing, etc, so that we can get the best of both worlds?

It is possible to drive around the lake for sightseeing and even on to Squaw Valley and Truckee if the weather is good.

Again, thanks everyone for your helpful information. Son has now weighed in and really like Squaw (he's an expert skier) so we're starting to look at staying North instead of south and probably making a day trip to Heavenly--or are there ski shuttles between the north and south areas? I'm also making the assumption that both Squaw and Heavenly are at high enough elevations that we'll be assured of snow at Christmas. Please reassure me on that score. Ordinarily I'd be holding out for the area that has the most to do for non-skiers but the pictures of the torchlight ski parade and the idea of dining at Plumpjack pretty much wins me over to Sonny's preferred Northern area.

So now, where to stay in Squaw--or is there another area that would be better to stay and have Sonny hop a shuttle for his skiing? Thanks so much to all of you for help on this matter. I'm fine at working to plan these things, but I am prety much useless when it comes to figuring out ski stuff or even finding the right info. Your help is invaluable.

that we'll be assured of snow at Christmas. Please reassure me on that score.
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Not always. We went one year and it rained on some days, so conditions were very icy. It's rare but can happen. I'd still go again during that time, though.

Both Squaw and Heavenly have extensive snow making operations so there will be snow - quality is an unknown however. Last Christmas condistions were outstanding but they were very good all season due to it being a wet winter.

Not a ski shuttle from Squaw to Heavenly more like the other way around - SLT to Squaw.

http://www.visitrenotahoe.com/reno-t...on/ski-shuttle

There are other ski resorts on the north side like Alpine Meadows, Diamond Peak and Sugar Bowl that might be of interest to your skier.

<<<I'm also making the assumption that both Squaw and Heavenly are at high enough elevations that we'll be assured of snow at Christmas. Please reassure me on that score.>>>


Sorry, but Lake Tahoe ski conditions can't be "assured" until the middle of January at best. We went one year and there was a path of snow down the middle and the rest was mud. It could be great, it could be better for hiking than skiing. Of course, they'll make snow, so it will probably be at least "okay", but if you're looking for assurances, that's just not possible.

Again, thanks to all for the info. It's not quite as good as I was hoping to hear but I realize that I asked for the truth. Still sounds like it's worth taking a chance since our options keep getting narrowed down.

But I don't understand one thing. If there's a ski-shuttle from SLT to Squaw, doesn't it have to go back and forth. Otherwise Squaw would become a parking lot for ski shuttles. Am I missing something? Thanks for the link. Perhaps I can get my answer there.

The Squaw ski shuttle that picks up in SLT does not drive back to SLT with skiers from Squaw. It leaves SLT drives to Squaw, stays there and then drives back. There are ski shuttles from all around norhtern Lake Tahoe that go to Squaw though.

http://www.squaw.com/winter/shuttle_ss.html

There is only 1 trip per day. So yes the shuttle is parked all day - however perhaps not in the squaw parking lot.

During our "low-snow" Christmas in SLT, they were indeed making snow at Heavenly. However, most of the expert terrain was closed due to lack of snow coverage.

FWIW, the summit elevation of Heavenly is about 1000 ft higher than at Squaw. Heavenly also has more skiable acres, so the chance of more terrain being open during lower-precipitation times may be greater at Heavenly than at Squaw. If you combine that with the shuttle info and the non-skier activities, it might just make more sense for you to stay at the south end of the lake.
(Though that torchlight parade looks very appealing to me too. :) )

Gosh, this is like being on a teeter-toter. Thanks again to those who have responded. now if I could just get a commitment from Sonny on all of this. For anyone who's intersted I'll try to remember to post back here when we finally decide what we're going to do. Last time I went through this kind of exercise, I explored the Dolomites and wound up in Barcelona.

<<< Last time I went through this kind of exercise, I explored the Dolomites and wound up in Barcelona.>>>


:-))

sf7307, for a while it looked like this year might end up in Buenos Aires but we settled on Tahoe after all.

We decided to split the difference and hedge our bets. Sonny will fly in on the 22nd and stay at Squaw Valley Inn for 2 nights, then meet us back at the Reno airport when we come in late afternoon on the 24th. We'll all drive to South Lake Tahoe and stay at the Marriott Timber Lodge for 3 nights and then move on to spend some time in Napa Valley and San Francisco before flying home on Jan. 2. A little hectic but doable and almost everybody gets what they want.

Thanks to all of you who have responded and provided such useful information. As a result I think we have a better plan than I ever could have come up with on our own and we've hedged our bets on snow conditions, entertainment for non-skiers, etc, etc.

That sounds like a great plan. Have a terrific time - we're all hoping for another good snow year.

Suzie, (or anyone else) if you're around and checking, please help with our dinner plans if you can.
Based on Dayeau's info above, I booked us into Kalani's for Christmas Eve. I'm interested in Swiss Chalet (looks cute and we like raclette and fondue) and saw that Mirabelle is open for Christmas Eve and day. Thinking to book Mirabelle for Christmas Day dinner and Swiss Chalet for dinner on the 26th. Does that sound like a good line up for our dinners or should I look at other places?

For lunch options I'm looking at Cafe Fiore, Gi Fu Loh (DH is an Asian food fanatic), Fresh Ketch, and Samurai Sushi. Figure I won't need lunch reservations and can check them out a bit before booking or just walking in. Am I on the right track with these places and my no lunch reservations policy? Your advice very much appreciated.

Quick update: We are set for our holiday trip. Son leaves Dec. 22 to stay in North Tahoe for 2 days, then pick us up at the Reno airport on Christmas Eve and drive to South Tahoe for three nights before moving on to 3 nights in Napa and then 3 in San Francisco. We have dinner christmas Eve at Kalani's, Christmas day at Sage in Harvey's, and the 26th will be dinner at the Swiss Chalet. Our lunches are open so we'll shop around for what looks good. We're excited for our trip--Now to get there!!

Can anyone living in the vicinity give me odds on
1) son being able to get to Plumpjack and Squaw from RNO on 22nd (I've been watching that reporter on the weather channel standing in downtown Truckee talking about 13 FEET of snow on its way)
2) us being able to get from Seattle (after FLL and ATL) to RNO and then to South Tahoe on Dec. 25.

Thanks.

I don't live in the area, but this is the website to check for road conditions: www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi Just pop his intended routes (80,89, etc.)into the box. Also helpful is: www.safetravelusa.com/nv/

Looking at the Reno airport website, currently flights seem to be running on time: http://renoairport.com/ , so his odds of getting into Reno look good. The problem doesn't seem to be in Reno, it is getting from there into the Sierra, where there has already been 7-10 feet of snow in the past week. I'm sure your son knows to rent chains with his vehicle. He might also want to check hotel availability in Reno, just as a backup plan. It is scheduled to let up on Thursday, so you should be okay on Saturday.

Have a wonderful, white Christmas!

We drove from San Francisco to Truckee and back on Saturday. The only part of the drive that was difficult was over the summit (about 9 miles from Kingvale to Truckee). I don't know whether it was a similar problem on the "other side" (i.e. Truckee to Reno).

Is your son driving his own car? He will have to have chains (the car in front of us must have convinced the inspector he had 4-wheel drive, and didn't, and he was skidding all over the road, whereas we had 4-wheel drive and snow tires, and had no problem at all).

At the moment there are no chain controls in effect on Hwy 395 from Reno to South Lake Tahoe.

Should you need to stay over in Reno, there will be no problem finding a hotel, and very inexpensively.

Correction. I don't believe the rental companies will rent or even allow tire chains on vehicles. I hope that he has reserved a 4-wheel drive vehicle. For R1, R2 conditions, this should be allowed. (They say you need snow tires, but I have a 4wd w/o snow tires, and anytime we have approached the chain areas, we just hold up 4 fingers and the CHP waves us through, without checking our tires.)

If the conditions reach R3, even 4wd's need chains. However, most roads will be closed before that happens. www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/wo.htm

I would NOT have wanted to be on the road on Saturday without snow tires, especially if your son does not have experience driving in the snow!

Maybe your son can check with the rental car companies at the Reno airport to see if they rent 4wd's with snow tires. Some rental companies in winter resort areas do.

I agree with the experience comment. DH learned to drive in the German Alps without the benefit of 4wd or tire chains. For this, he wins the privilege of all winter driving in our family. :)

Thank you all so much for this information. We've rented a Nissan Xterra or similar which is a van with I believe 4 wheel drive. Son grew up driving in Minnesota though he now lives in NYC and only drives when he visits us in FL or when he travels to ski. Sure hope snow driving is like riding a bike. I'll send all this info on to him. Thank you, again for your speedy and complete responses to my question.

I got through to the rental place at RNO. The xterra is a 4wd and it will be equipped with snow tires so it sounds like we're as set as we can be. Now if the old skills are still there. Sonny was hoping for good snow. Be careful what you wish for. Again, thanks for the helpful responses.

As I said, that's what we had on Saturday, and we had no problem (except for visibility, part of our drive being at night, but we're very familiar with the area). As long as he takes it slow, he'll be fine. Cars with chains on are supposed to drive 25-30, and he shouldn't plan to go much faster. Do tell him that if he hits a chain control point (where they check), he should get in the empty lane -- he'll tell them he has 4-wheel drive and snow tires, and they'll wave him through.

Thanks sf. I'm sending him this post and telling him to pay attention. He's over 30 so there's some hope that he'll listen.