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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Leslie Harvey is a family travel blogger and freelance travel writer. Her site, Trips With Tykes, chronicles the joys and challenges of travel with young kids. Her work focuses on identifying and overcoming the little logistical challenges of travel with young children that make so many families shy away from it before they even begin. Her travel passions include all things involving planes and air travel, Disney, snow skiing, and national parks.
January 8, 2019 • 13 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Quick summary
Lake Tahoe offers a diverse range of ski resorts, each with unique features catering to families, including ski schools, child care and non-ski activities.
Top family-friendly resorts highlighted include Northstar California, Diamond Peak, Heavenly, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows and Sugar Bowl, each providing distinct advantages for various age groups and preferences.
Some resorts stand out for their convenience, cost-saving policies like Kids Ski Free, and access to accommodations bookable with hotel loyalty points.
The article also shares logistical tips for maximizing family ski trips, such as booking early for award stays and leveraging resort-specific programs.
What to consider
Award stays at popular hotels near the slopes can fill quickly, especially on winter weekends, so advance planning is essential.
Kids Ski Free policies vary by resort, with age cutoffs and inclusions differing across locations.
Some resorts offer unique programs, such as parent switch tickets or hybrid ski school/child care, which can help families with young children.
What you'll miss from the article
Detailed comparisons of each resort’s family amenities, insider logistical tips and strategies for using hotel points to offset trip costs.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Like many families based in the San Francisco Bay Area, my family heads to the mountains of Lake Tahoe every winter for our ski vacations. Lake Tahoe is a vast area, with more than a dozen ski resorts of varying sizes, prices and ski conditions so narrowing down where to ski in the Tahoe area takes some knowledge.
Northstar Lumberjack (Image by Leslie Harvey)
Over the years, I've managed to ski nearly every ski resort in the Lake Tahoe area, including many with my kids in tow. While all of them have their redeeming features, there are a few that are standouts for family travelers. Some offer easier logistics (and logistics can be everything when dealing with a grumpy toddler in a snowsuit and ski boots). Some offer discounts or deals that benefit families the most. And others offer a wide variety of non-ski activities that make for a fun family vacation even if everyone in your family is not a skier or snowboarder.
Vail has put a lot of money into the resort over the past decade, turning it into a family-friendly winter wonderland on and off the slopes. Northstar's high-end Village has shops, dining and activities galore. My kids can't get enough of the ice-skating rink, bungee trampoline, movie theater and free s'mores at the end of the ski day.
Parents will be most impressed by the quality ski school and instructor staff. Northstar is one of only a few Tahoe resorts that teaches kids as young as 3 years old to ski, so it has a real commitment to starting kids early with proper technique. The resort also pioneered small group lessons for kids called "Ultimate 4" that have no more than four children per instructor. Ultimate 4 lessons are more expensive than standard ski school, but the more individualized instruction helps kids learn more quickly.
Ski school lesson at Northstar California. (Image by Leslie Harvey)
Northstar is also one of only three resorts in the Tahoe area to offer child care. Minors Camp takes children from ages 2–6 (potty training not required), so parents can get a day on the slopes together. My son was a frequent winter season visitor when he was 3 years old and not quite ready to ski. He still talks about the fun times he had in "snow preschool."
For the ultimate in ski-in and ski-out luxury, families should book a stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe. As a Marriott Category 7 hotel (from 60k Marriott Rewards points per night), it's a pricy points redemption, but the hotel's location and amenities can really help simplify the logistics of skiing with kids. Award rooms on weekends in winter tend to disappear fast, so be sure to book as early as possible if you plan to use points for a ski stay.
Staying at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe with a baby made our family's ski logistics so much easier! (Image by Leslie Harvey)
Diamond Peak is a midsized ski resort in Incline Village, Nevada, in North Lake Tahoe. After skiing pretty much every resort in Lake Tahoe, I can say with certainty that Diamond Peak is truly a Tahoe hidden gem for families. It's probably the Tahoe resort I recommend the most to friends with beginner skiers, especially toddlers/preschoolers and younger elementary-aged kids.
A 4-year-old in ski school at Diamond Peak. (Image by Leslie Harvey)
Diamond Peak is large enough to have plenty of challenging terrain for parents, but small enough that the logistics of skiing with kids are a breeze. Being able to pay $20 for preferred parking that is just 50 steps from the ski school can't be beat. There's no lodging on-site, but there are a wide variety of resort communities in the surrounding neighborhoods with moderately priced vacation rentals. The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe (World of Hyatt Category 5, from 20k points per night) is also a short drive away. If you are short on Hyatt points, they transfer from Chase Ultimate Rewards and cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card at a 1:1 ratio.
The big draw for families at Diamond Peak is the significant cost savings. Ski school is considerably less expensive and just as high quality as the ones at the major ski resorts. Diamond Peak also alleviates the financial burden of skiing with kids by offering the most generous Kids Ski Free policy in Lake Tahoe. Children ski free at Diamond Peak until their seventh birthday.
A lesser-known offering that also saves money is Diamond Peak's Parent Switch ticket. This ticket can be shared by two parents who are trading off caring for babies and toddlers too young to ski. It costs the same amount as a regular individual ticket, so it doesn't penalize parents with little ones.
Skiing Heavenly in a winter storm in pre-kid days. (Image by Leslie Harvey)
In South Lake Tahoe, Heavenly is another Vail-owned resort that participates in the Epic Pass. Like its Vail-owned cousin, Northstar California, Heavenly has invested deeply in its infrastructure, both on and off the slopes. The resort has a wide variety of restaurants and activities, like tubing and an alpine coaster (summer only).
Heavenly has the most urban of locations of the Tahoe area ski resorts, which means lodging options are plentiful. Families can redeem points at two Marriott properties within walking distance of the Heavenly gondola: Marriott's Timber Lodge and Grand Residences by Marriott, Lake Tahoe (both Category 6 properties, from 50k points per night). Independent vacation rentals are also a popular choice, as are the many more budget hotels that the big casino business over the Nevada state line helps support.
Ski school for kids is convenient no matter where you are staying, with three locations for drop-off (Boulder Lodge on the Nevada side, the Heavenly Gondola or the California Base Lodge). Heavenly starts ski school for kids at age 4 and snowboard school at age 5.
Heavenly boasts some of the best Lake Tahoe views. (Image by Leslie Harvey)
Heavenly is also another Lake Tahoe area resort that offers child care for non-skiing kids. Heavenly Day Care offers programming for kids as young as 6 weeks up to 12 years old. But Heavenly's programming gets even more innovative, offering a hybrid day care/ski school for younger kids. Kids ages 3–5 can ski part of the day in the morning and then return to the child care center for lunch and afternoon activities. This program is an excellent way to introduce preschoolers to skiing without having them commit to a full-day lesson where they might melt down. The most important thing at that age is that kids associate skiing with fun, and not some sort of over-tired punishment!
Squaw Valley is probably the biggest name in Tahoe skiing, thanks to its role in hosting the Winter Olympics in 1960. It merged with nearby Alpine Meadows in 2011, creating a two-resorts-in-one setup with an impressive amount of skiable terrain and plenty of lodging, dining and other off-slope activities. Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows are the only resorts in the Lake Tahoe area to participate in the Ikon Pass.
While bigger can sometimes create more logistical challenges for families, it also creates opportunities. Off the slopes, Squaw Valley's selection of activities is probably the most varied of any resort in Tahoe. The resort offers tubing, snowmobiling (including mini-snowmobiling for kids ages 6–12), a bungee trampoline, dog sledding, an aerial tram ride and a museum dedicated to Olympic history. The dining options are also quite extensive.
Squaw has a wide variety of ski-in and ski-out accommodations, which can make for much easier logistics when traveling with kids. The Resort at Squaw Creek and the Village at Squaw Valley are two options that work well for families.
Families with tweens and teens who have skied a bit should check out Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. Luxury-seeking families with kids of all ages will find it checks the right boxes, too.
Sugar Bowl is one of the closest Tahoe ski resorts for San Franciscans. (Image by Leslie Harvey)
Near Donner Pass on Interstate 80, Sugar Bowl has the distinct advantage of being the closest major ski resort to Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. As many parents know from road trip experience, a shorter drive is always better with kids. Although many ski resorts are only 20–30 miles farther down the road, those extra miles can be significant when driving in winter weather to Tahoe. Skiing at Sugar Bowl can often mean an hour or two less time on the road in each direction.
But location isn't the only reason Sugar Bowl is a great fit for traveling families. It has an excellent ski school with two drop-off locations for easier logistics (insider tip: pre-book lessons online in advance and get access to exclusive up-front parking at the Judah Kids drop-off location). Sugar Bowl also allows kids to ski free until their sixth birthday, which is a more generous policy than most of the large resorts in Tahoe that start charging a year earlier.
Bluebird day at Sugar Bowl. (Image by Leslie Harvey)
Although Sugar Bowl can probably no longer be called a midsize ski resort, it doesn't have the extensive après-ski activity options of Northstar or Squaw. This is a resort for families who want to make time on the slopes the focus of their trip.
Bottom Line
The closest major airport to resorts in the Tahoe area is Reno/Tahoe and it is served by most major US airlines including Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue and Southwest. You really can't go wrong with any of these family-friendly ski resorts in Lake Tahoe, but all offer something different to families looking for fun in the snow. What's your favorite Tahoe area ski resort?
Leslie Harvey is a mom of two children, ages 9 and 5, from the San Francisco Bay Area. She blogs at Trips With Tykes, is the co-host of the podcast Disney Deciphered and co-owns the Disneyland planning Facebook group, Disneyland with Kids.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
