Tahoe lodging with sledding hill?
We're two families who want to spend President's Day weekend in Tahoe (mid-February). I get that we probably should have started planning sooner than now but here we are!
The kids have never been skiing before and the adults are mostly beginner level. We'd really like to find lodging where we can walk to a sledding hill and/or other activities (without getting in a car). We are open to both families staying in a rental house together or...even better...finding a hotel/resort type place where we'd have separate spaces. Although we're not looking to splurge, we're happy to pay a reasonable amount for nice accommodations. I was told about Granlibakken and would love to hear reviews, plus any info you have about other places that might work for us.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Parent Replies
We LOVE Granlibakken and go every year. We stay near Homewood, but I think they have lodging right there, and you can probably find VRBOs or airbnb's nearby. We've looked for other places to sled but didn't find any, and Granlibakken is so fun we stopped trying to find alternatives. It's a pretty big hill though, so appropriateness might depend on your kids' ages. We started when kids ranged from about 5-10 years old, with younger ones sledding with parents.
We really like to stay in the Tahoe Vista area for this. North Tahoe Regional Park has a great sledding hill that is very inexpensive, and Tahoe XC is nearby and a good starter skiing spot if you aren't skiiers, since downhill (also nearby at Northstar) is more of a commitment in terms of cost and gear. You could likely find a rental walkable to one or the other (though not both). There is also a skating rink at Northstar. We often look at Granlibakken, but it's pretty pricey and we've been happy with the lower key options. However, if you really want to be within walking distance, that may be your best bet. It will cost an order of magnitude more than most rental houses in the area, though.
I recommend this place, https://longbarn.com/. Easy drive, low-key location. Sledding not too far away. We went when my daughter was about 6 or 7, besides the cold weather (brrr) we had a great time.
We like staying at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe in Incline Village, NV. Our two kids (7 and 11) were beginner skiers last winter and we went up for two long weekends. The hotel is right next door to Diamond Peak, a very family friendly mountain. They operate an equipment rental store affiliated w the mountain, and also run a shuttle up and back - it's only about a mile away. I feel like it was about as easy as it could get, and the ski experience was fun and chill overall. We hope to go again this year - and were able to make plans short notice last year, so I bet you can still get a reservation.
I forgot all about Granlibakken, until you mentioned it, but I do love it there. It sounds like the perfect spot for what you are looking for. I was thinking you might like the Hyatt in Incline Village, but you would have to drive to sledding.
Hi! I highly recommend Camp Richardson on the southwest shore. Its is affordable, right on the lake, and is completely surrounded by national forest so you really feel like you're in the woods. Yet its just a 5-minute drive to South Lake Tahoe restaurants, grocery stores etc. The lodge is historic and has small but serviceable rooms, and they also have cabins that are scattered across the property which are great for kids because they have kitchens and its quieter. There's also a (so-so) restaurant and general store on the property, as well as a sledding hill and groomed cross country ski trails just across the road. I used to live in South Lake Tahoe and this is my favorite place to stay whenever I go back to visit. I've also organized an overnight event there for 30+ people so I can tell you that the staff are very professional and runs a tight ship.
Definitely check out the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel. It's great for families (every room is a suite) and it's in the center of everything so you can walk everywhere. There is a big sledding hill behind the hotel.
The Claire Tappaan Lodge has a sledding hill, and a large snowshoe/groomed track system.
It's rustic, with a big shared game room, shared hot tub, and a series of mini-dorms with 5-10 beds each. Dinner is on site each day, guests help clean up.