Winter at Lake Tahoe runs from the first lifts in late November to the end of March, and January is the cold middle of it. Tahoe City's 1991–2020 normals for January are a 39.6°F high, a 20.6°F low and 37.9 inches of snow; South Lake Tahoe Airport, lower and drier, normally reaches 42.8°F and falls to 18.4°F (NOAA). The lake itself does not freeze, so the shoreline stays a place to walk.
Skiing is the main event, and the Tahoe ski resort opening dates page tracks it. This page is everything else, with what it cost in 2025–26 or costs in 2026–27 where the operator says, and the road each one depends on.
- Roadwork between Spooner Burn and Marlette Creek, traffic getting through — road work; until 3:30 p.m. Oct 23
Up the mountain without skis
- Heavenly Gondola, from Heavenly Village on US-50 in South Lake Tahoe. Heavenly lists sightseeing from the village gondola 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in winter, from opening day, November 20, 2026.
- Palisades Tahoe Aerial Tram, Olympic Valley off SR-89. It climbs 2,000 vertical ft from the 6,200 ft base to High Camp at 8,200 ft. The resort's Sierra Sightseeing Pass covers the tram, the Gold Coast Funitel and the base-to-base gondola for a day.
Neither resort had posted its 2026–27 sightseeing price by October 21.
Sledding and tubing
- Adventure Mountain, at Echo Summit on US-50, 7,400 ft. A 2-hour tubing session is $40 for adults and $35 for children 44 inches and under, plus a $20 vehicle day-use fee; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is right on the pass, so check Echo Summit chains first.
- Tahoe City Winter Sports Park, 251 N. Lake Blvd. The sled hill was $20 for a 1.5-hour session in 2025–26, disc included; it opens when there is snow, after the rink opens on November 28.
- Granlibakken, Tahoe City. Sled rental comes with admission, and there is evening sledding on Fridays and Saturdays at 5 p.m.
- California Sno-Parks: plowed lots for snow play and touring, with a permit required from November 1 to May 30. It was $15 a day or $40 a season in 2025–26, sold online and at shops including Alpenglow Sports in Tahoe City and Tahoe Bike & Ski in South Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe ones are Taylor Creek and Echo Lake on the south side and Blackwood Canyon on the west shore.
Sledding is not allowed on the roads or trails of Van Sickle Bi-State Park. More hills between Reno and the lake, including the free roadside ones, are on snow play areas near Reno and Tahoe.
Snowmobiles
Zephyr Cove on US-50 runs a 2-hour Scenic Lakeview Tour that climbs to "nearly 9,000 feet": $250 for a single rider and $280 for a double. Children 15 and under ride free with an adult Monday to Thursday.
Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing
- Sugar Pine Point State Park, SR-89, 10 miles south of Tahoe City. More than 20 km of marked cross-country trail, a heated restroom, and ranger talks most weekends January to March. $10 a car.
- Spooner Lake, near the US-50 and SR-28 junction. Open every day, sunrise to sunset, $10 for Nevada cars and $15 for others; Nevada Nordic grooms the trails free.
- Tahoe Meadows, on the Mt Rose Highway 16 miles from I-580. A 1.3-mile loop, flat enough for a first try on snowshoes, at the top of SR-431.
- Tallac Historic Site, SR-89. The buildings shut in winter, but the grounds are open, free, and used for skiing and snowshoeing.
- Tahoe City Winter Sports Park has a groomed cross-country loop, $25 a session in 2025–26.
Guided night tours, full-moon snowshoe walks and astronomy evenings are in Tahoe in winter without skiing and snowshoe trails near Reno.
Ice skating
- Heavenly Village, outdoors, four sessions a day, seven days a week. The 2025–26 price was $25 for 12 and over, $20 for ages 4 to 11, and $5 less with your own skates.
- Northstar Village, free, noon to 9 p.m. weather permitting.
- Tahoe City Winter Sports Park, from November 28: $20 a session in 2025–26, or $25 with skates.
Reno's own rinks are on ice skating in Reno and Lake Tahoe.
The lake in winter
The shore is quieter, and much of it is still open. Sand Harbor is open all winter from 8 a.m. to an hour after sunset, with its lots plowed and no reservation needed; the Sand Harbor camera shows the road. The Emerald Bay walk is open but icy, with no services until May. The holiday cruises on the M.S. Dixie II are in Lake Tahoe in December; the Tahoe Gal does not run in winter. The shore-by-shore list of what is open is in things to do in Lake Tahoe.
Getting round without driving
TART buses on the north and west shores and TART Connect on-demand rides are free to the rider; Placer County has kept them free through 2027. In South Lake Tahoe, the Lake Link on-demand shuttle is free, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Leaving the car parked is the easy answer to a chain control.
The roads in winter
SR-89 past Emerald Bay is the road that closes most, during and after storms; the SR-89 status page has it live. Snow in the next 72 hours at each pass and resort is on the Tahoe snow forecast, and the live chain answers are on each pass's page: Donner, Mt Rose, Echo Summit and Kingsbury.
Cameras on SR-89 and SR-28, the west and north shore highways.