Try Cross Country Skiing With the Family This Winter
While downhill skiing and snowboarding are synonymous with snow sports to many people, cross country skiing is a fun and low-key alternative to the lift lines and crowds. Cross country skiing is easy to learn for all ages and requires a minimum of equipment—dress in warm active clothing, put on your boots and skis, grab your poles and you're good to go!
When we first tried cross-country, my kids picked it up right away; after 20 minutes on the practice loop they were off skiing the trails. The whole family can join in, too—you can even get a jogging stroller on skis and pull your little one along, and many cross country trails allow dogs, too. An added bonus: cross country skiing is one of the best aerobic exercise activities you can do. It's a great way to get active and enjoy the beauty of the mountains in winter.
Northern California has plenty of places to try out cross country, from ski resorts offering rentals and lessons to side-of-the-road Sno Parks where you bring your own gear, park your car, and go hit the trails. If you're just starting out and want to give it a try with the kiddos, we highly recommend the wonderful Alder Creek Adventure Center at Tahoe Donner near Truckee. This fantastic snow sports center features gear rentals, lessons, miles and miles of groomed trails, a restaurant, lounge, locker rooms, and a shop selling outdoor apparel and gear. You can also try out other fun winter sports activities like snowshoeing and fat biking.
Here's our guide to cross country spots in Northern California, including ski resorts that offer dedicated cross country resources, California State Parks, and Sno Parks.
Ski Resorts
Tahoe Donner
Alder Creek Adventure Center, 11509 Northwoods Boulevard, Truckee 96161; www.tahoedonner.com or (530) 587-9400
Northstar
5100 Northstar Drive (off Highway 267), Truckee CA 96161; www.northstarcalifornia.com or 1-800-GO-NORTH
Palisades Tahoe
1980 Olympic Valley Road, Olympic Valley, CA 96146; www.palisadestahoe.com or 1-800-403-0206
Granlibakken
725 Granlibakken Road, Tahoe City, CA 96145; www.granlibakken.com or 1-800-403-0206
Kirkwood
1501 Kirkwood Meadows Drive, Kirkwood, CA 95646; winter.kirkwood.com or 1 (877) KIRKWOOD
Sierra at Tahoe
1111 Sierra at Tahoe Road, Twin Bridges, CA 95735; www.sierraattahoe.com or (530) 659-7453
Tahoe XC
925 Country Club Drive, Tahoe City, CA 96145; tahoexc.org or (530) 583-5475
Bear Valley Cross Country
1 Bear Valley Road, off Highway 4, Bear Valley, CA 95223; bearvalleyxc.com or (209) 753-2834
California State Parks
Many of our California State Parks in the Tahoe area that offer hiking trails during the summer also offer cross country skiing trails during the winter.
Donner Memorial State Park
12593 Donner Pass Road, Truckee, CA 96161
Ed Z'Berg Sugar Pine Point State Park
7360 West Lake Boulevard, Tahoma, CA 96142
Lake Valley State Recreation Area
2500 Emerald Bay Road, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
Sno Parks
Operated by the state's department of off-highway motor vehicle recreation, California Sno-Parks are no-frills places to park the car and get out for a day in the snow. Many of them offer access to cross-country skiing trails. Sno-Parks cost $15 for a day-use pass or $40 for a season-long permit. You can buy a pass online and print it out or purchase one from a vendor.
Parking is on a first-come, first-served basis. Passes are not available for purchase on site so make sure you have one when before you arrive; the CHP does patrol the lots frequently and will issue you an expensive ticket. Conditions can change and parks can close, so check the Sno-Parks website before you head up to the mountains for directions and more information.
Northern California Sno-Parks that offer access to cross-country ski trails include:
- Donner Summit (near Truckee off I-80)
- Blackwood Canyon (near Tahoe City off Highway 89)
- Carson Pass (off Highway 88)
- Echo Lake (off Highway 50)
- Iron Mountain (off Highway 88 near Kirkwood ski area)
- Highway 108 (near Strawberry)
- Hope Valley (off Highway 88 east of Kirkwood)
- Lake Alpine (off Highway 4)
- Meiss Meadow (off Highway 88 near Carson Pass)
- Spicer (off Highway 4)
- Taylor Creek (off Highway 89 near Fallen Leaf Lake)
- Yuba Pass (off Highway 49)
