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What to do and see in California, United States: The Best Ski & Snowboard Areas
California is a fertile, peaceful place where you’ll find a near-equal balance of vineyards and deserts, beaches and mountains, hippies and traditionalists. Catch an epic wave in Big Sur or swirl a glass in Napa Valley. Be dazzled by the Joshua Tree night sky or just star-gaze in Hollywood. Swish down the slopes of a Tahoe ski resort, or cruise across the Golden Gate Bridge with the top down and the music blasting. Above all, don’t forget to soak up some Golden State sunshine.
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1. Rim Nordic Cross Country Ski Center
2. Big Bear Lake
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 660 reviews
Reviewed By harnhnv - Pasadena, United States
A great getaway for Angelinos to be in the mountains and at the same time with a big body of water to enjoy. the lake itself is great for water activities in the summer, and the road around makes a nice biking/running route as well. highly recommended.
3. Mammoth Mountain
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,154 reviews
A variety of late spring and early summer terrain is available for first-time beginners and double diamond pursuers.
Reviewed By ACSlater4444444
The best spring riding I have experienced. Felt like winter. Great mountain and the locals were very helpful. I cannot wait to go back again. Check out our Youtube video for highlights of our trip: GoPro 2K: South West Road Trip (Sedona, Grand Canyon, Page, Las Vegas, and Mammoth Mountain).
4. Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 53 reviews
Reviewed By Adventurethatislife3 - San Diego, United States
Awesome experience. We were lucky enough to be up at Mammoth during a full moon and booked this snowshoe tour. Our guides were lovely and very informative. There were about 20-25 people total on the tour. Included the snowshoes and hot beverages and dessert afterwards. The tour was about 90 minutes long hiking through the woods and amazing views of the mountain and sky. Definitely recommend.
5. Kirkwood Mountain Resort
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 200 reviews
This spectacular Sierra ski resort has a base elevation at 7,800 feet that is open for great skiing during the winter season, and great hiking trails in the summer.
Reviewed By Alilu007 - Menlo Park, United States
While out of the way from South Lake Tahoe, would definitely recommend the trip for a full day of skiing on the weekend. Kirkwood is the most challenging out of the three on the Epic pass and is great for getting you out of your comfort zone. The terrain is definitely unique compared to Northstar and Heavenly. It is exposed, not a lot of trees or folds in the mountains, and so you can see people skiing from very far away, which makes the lifts more entertaining! Solitude lift gets crowded with intermediate skiiers as it only services blues, but the line is shorter on the Reut lift, and some of those blacks are pretty comparable to other blues on the mountain. On days when it’s not icy, my favorite run is Conestoga, off the Reut. Lower Monte Wolfe off Solitude is also not too crowded. Lifts opened with staggered times, so the back side can get crowded in the late mornings. There also are no single riders lines.
6. June Mountain
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 82 reviews
A resort offering great skiing, snowboarding and other snow play recreation in this quiet nook of the High Sierra.
Reviewed By LNLew
June is smaller than Mammoth, but that makes it less much crowded and no lines at the lifts. Perfect for families with free skiing for kids. It's a beautiful setting with easy parking right by the lower lift.
7. Diamond Peak Ski Resort
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 287 reviews
Diamond Peak is a community-owned resort with breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe; miles of welcoming, uncrowded runs; easy access from the parking lot to the slopes; a dedicated Child Ski Center for the littlest skiers and snowboarders; and a great Ski & Ride Center for older skiers/riders. All of this and affordable lift ticket and season pass prices makes Diamond Peak Tahoe’s best value, year after year.
Reviewed By elaineb312 - Salem, United States
We had a great experience with two children ages 6 and 9 and one adult. All had never skied downhill before. Took lessons in the morning and skied the rest of the day for 3 days. Nice choice of slopes. Very well organized parking, check in, and equipment rental.
8. Squaw Valley Ropes Course
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 9 reviews
In 1998, this ski area began offering challenge courses to strengthen teamwork, confidence and trust for individuals, business groups and college students.
9. Alpine Meadows
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 151 reviews
Intermediate and advanced skiers and riders will most enjoy this resort, known for its especially long season.
Reviewed By Kaydfw888 - Dallas, United States
Beautiful ski area. Designed for the more advanced skier - lots of blues and black runs. Only 2-3 green runs. This is not a large resort - much smaller than neighboring Squaw Valley but really nice. We enjoyed our day here a lot. Great views of Lake Tahoe from the top of the Lakeview lift.
10. Granlibakken Ski and Sled Area
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 52 reviews
The area's oldest ski resort is a perfect choice for families with children and beginners looking to learn to ski or snowboard, in a low-pressure, intimate setting. Our ski rental shop offers ski, snowboard, x-country ski and snowshoe rentals. All sledding tickets must be purchased online, and include the use of a sledding saucer. Sledding sessions last 90 minutes, with 30 minutes between sessions to clear the hill. The time blocks are 8:30 am to 10:00 am, 10:30 am to 12:00 pm, 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm, and 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm. All sledding tickets must be purchased online. Kids under the age of 3 sled for free. Lodging guests receive 50% off of sledding and ski lift tickets. X-country and snowshoe trails lead off of the base of the ski hill to beautiful Paige Meadows.
Reviewed By Lovef1906 - San Jose, United States
My family and I were on vacation in Kings Beach and we went to Granlibakken for Ski lessons for the girls (5 & 8) and sledding. Granlibakken is relatively small with one ski run, 2 hills for sledding, and a snow play area. Since it was Covid times they were limiting the number of people so it was important to make reservations for any of the activities in advance. They do a great job with sending reminder e-mails in advance with everything you need to know. Also it is important to arrive at least 45 minutes to 1 hour early for lessons so that you can get fitted with all the necessary gear. The ski instructor for the girls (JB) was awesome. He was enthusiastic and kept the kids motivated to continue even when they got a little tired. By the end of the day, they were both proud of themselves for all they had accomplished. The ski lessons here were also MUCH less expensive than the surrounding ski resorts. The sledding was a blast for the family. There is a kiddie hill and a longer steeper hill. We ended up sledding for 2 days because we had so much fun. I highly recommend it as a great place for kids lessons and sledding.
