Winter in Olympic Valley, California (Palisades Tahoe)

• More about your Oliver Guide: Courtney Leary
• Trip type: Adult, Family, Group getaway, Solo, Mountains
• Activity level: high
• Ideal length of trip: Two days to two weeks... although my husband could stay forever.

to & from

Fly into Reno, SF, or Sacramento if traveling from out of state. Reno is closest and best.

• If driving from the Bay Area leave before 1pm or you will hit traffic, especially on Friday. Traffic can make a 3.5 hour trip into a 7 hour trip. It is no joke. Be sure and check weather as well as they do close 80 in big storms. There is chain control going over the pass so you will need chains, 4-wheel drive.
• As of 2018-2019 season there is a great shuttle within the Palisades Area, Mountaineer that makes it so you do not need a car once you are in the valley.
• There is a Palisades Shuttle that will take you back and forth between the two mountains. This is about a 10-20 minute ride depending on traffic.
• Northstar, Heavenly, Sugarbowl are all separate ski areas over 20 mins away.

Where to Stay

We usually rent condos within Olympic Valley off of Squaw Valley Road or in the village. There are some on airbnb and vrbo or through Palisades directly. If you stay outside of the valley, Truckee or Tahoe City, expect heavy traffic to ski mountain on weekends. At this point there are not any super luxurious places to stay (e.g. the Ritz) within Palisades Valley but those listed below are very convenient, walking distance to the mountain, and do the trick.

• Everline Resort & Spa-- The most amenities of anywhere in the valley. Ski-in, ski-out with a ski concierge at the bottom of the run (note the run to this hotel is a blue run so any true beginners will not be able to ski-in/out), restaurants within, spa and gym, kitchenettes. Hot tub, pool and sometimes an ice skating rink.
• Plumpjack-- A short (1 block) walk to the mountain. Very basic but nice rooms that were super hip about 15 years ago, great bar and bar restaurant-- although very crowded. Also very nice upscale restaurant that has sadly inconsistent food of late. Does have a small gym and a hot tub. Scheduled to be remodeled in the near future.
• Palisades Tahoe Lodge-- Ski-in/out withOUT the ski concierge, located right at the base of the mountain. This was originally the dorms for the 1960 Olympics and though there have been many improvements, it still has that feel. These are mostly barebones condos with kitchens --individually owned so some are much nicer than others. The room arrangements range from lofts to 2 bedrooms. There is also gym, pool, hot tub.
• The Village at Palisades Lodging- These are condominiums that are fairly new and scattered throughout the village mostly above the retail. All are within a block of the mountain. They have very nice finishes and are the newest of all the lodging options in the village however they are very small. They can also be noisy as well depending on the locations. If it snows, the parking lot gets plowed early in the morning so you will not want to be too close to the lot, but also want to avoid being over a noisy restaurant or the ballroom if an event is happening.