North Lake Tahoe Backcountry Skiing and Boarding

The North Lake Tahoe area, with its easy access and mountain town of Truckee is home to some fantastic backcountry skiing and boarding. With the right latitude within California, the North Lake Tahoe area tends to have some of most consistent snowpack in the Sierra Nevada for backcountry skiers and riders.   

Centered around the town of Truckee, the North Lake Tahoe backcountry skiing options range from the Highway 89 corridor up to Donner Pass and Frog Lake Zones and the higher altitude backcountry slopes off the Mount Rose Highway in Nevada. Each area has its own character and selection of terrain for backcountry ski enthusiasts.

Perhaps the most popular area around Donner Pass is the Castle Peak zone on the North side of I-80 which, along with Andesite Peak, boasts some great introductory backcountry terrain not too far from the trailhead, which is the Donner Sno Park near Boreal Ski Resort. This is a great area to start your backcountry skiing and riding career as it is possible to avoid most avalanche terrain (if you have the training to recognize it) and find some low angle runs to practice on. However, Castle Peak itself has some South facing chutes and slopes for the more advanced backcountry skiers in the right conditions. Also in this area is the Johnson Canyon area such down off I-80 at the Donner Lake interchange  which on good snow years offers tons of mellow lower angle backcountry skiing terrain.

 On the other side of I-80 to the South off the Donner Summit of old Highway 40 is the Mount Judah just area on the boundaries of Sugar Bowl ski resort. This is good “mini golf” backcountry terrain with selection of steeper, shorter runs to choose from on the East Side of Mount Judah. It is also an avalanche prone area as well in unstable conditions. Limited parking is available right off old Highway 40 at the summit. Sugar Bowl ski resort itself has the distinction of having some of the best lift-assist backcountry skiing in California. With an open boundary policy Sugar Bowl offers the backcountry skier the opportunity to use their lifts to quickly get up further into the backcountry. They sell less expensive backcountry lift tickets good for only a few lift rides. One of the most famous backcountry ski runs in the this zone is the “Lake Run” that goes from the top of Mount Judah all the way down to Donner Lake which of course requires a shuttle. Parking access at Donner Lake is restricted and very specific so you’ll want to check on current rules before you set ski shuttle for the Lake Run.

Along Highway 89 going South from Truckee towards Lake Tahoe there is the Silver Peak/Pole Creek area and the Deep Creek drainage which can offer fantastic backcountry ski and board descents. While somewhat longer approaches, you can find stellar backcountry tree skiing in both of these drainages. The North faces of these areas tend to be more sheltered and hold cold snow longer. Parking for these areas is along Highway 89 which can be challenging after winter storms. It is imperative that you park completely off the road and shoulder. Alpine Meadows Ski Resort (now part of Palisades Tahoe) also has some great options for out of bounds skiing towards Twin Peaks.

Moving East up along the Mount Rose highway is the backcountry skiing zone around Tamarack Peak in Nevada. Just above Incline Village, this is the highest trail head in the Tahoe region and a great choice anytime, but especially on low snow years. The famous run called Hourglass Bowl and so many others can be found here. It is an area that takes a little more time to get to know than some of the other backcountry skiing and riding area in North Lake Tahoe, but some may argue it has the best backcountry skiing in the area for the more experienced backcountry rider. Available parking can be an issue here, especially on the weekends.

Overall, the North Lake Tahoe and Truckee areas have some of the most accessible and fun backcountry skiing and boarding options in California. While not the massive ski mountaineering descents of the Eastern Sierra and Mount Shasta, North Lake Tahoe has some really fun backcountry skiing and access to some great mountain town. And isn’t having fun what it’s all about?  

New to backcountry skiing and boarding? Check out our Intro to Backcountry Skiing and Boarding Courses in North Lake Tahoe.

IAG founder and director Dave Miller grew up in the North Lake Tahoe area and learned to backcountry ski there over 30 years ago.