Spotlight: Kirkwood Mountain Resort

• 15 Lifts
• 72+ Designated Trails
• 2,300 Skiable Acres
• 7,776ft Elevation at The Base
• 9,800ft Elevation at The Top
• 2,100ft Vertical Rise
• Terrain is 15% Beginner, 50% Intermediate, 20% Advance and 15% Expert
• Open 9am to 4pm Between November and April

If you are vacationing in South Lake Tahoe, you are in for a beautiful drive if the weather is clear! From the center of South Lake Tahoe, the drive is about 50 minutes (that is, if you don’t stop for too many photo opportunities). From Meyers, you will take CA-89 S through a gorgeous mountain pass. Once you start descending down, you will see Hope Valley. At the intersection in Hope Valley, turn right onto CA-88 W. This road snakes through Hope Valley, and starts climbing around Red Lakes area before reaching Caples Lake and then Kirkwood Mountain Resort. After 34 miles of driving, you will arrive at your destination.

Once you pass the Kirkwood sign, continue past the houses and condos. There is a beginner area, the Timber Creek Base Area. For families with small children and beginners, this can be a good place to set up for the day. Otherwise, continue driving and you will start seeing people parking on the left side of road. Everything is first-come-first-serve. For $20 per day, you can park in one of two lots right close to the Mountain Village. For free parking, continue to the large free lot past the Community Rec Center. There are free shuttles to take you closer to the Mountain Village if you don’t want to shlep your gear yourself. If you know you are going to ski Kirkwood, we recommend purchasing your lift tickets in advance. Otherwise, tickets can be purchased in the Mountain Village.

Depending on your ability, there are a few lifts you might want avoid. Assuming that you are an intermediate to advance skier, we love heading over to the backside in the morning. The Chair 4 (the Sunrise Chair) is in the sun first, and during Spring skiing conditions will be softer. There are a mix of intermediate to advance trails, some groomed some with bumps. If you need a break, there is a small little bar/restaurant to grab a beer and a bite to eat. There is a rope tow at the top of Chair 4, that will take you across the ridge line to access more terrain. Kirkwood also has a T-bar at the top of Chairs 3 and 2, to bring you across Lookout Vista and drop in to the Devil’s Corral.

As you make your way back across to the front side, advanced and expert skiers should take a trip up Chair 10 to ski or snowboard down The Wall. From this lift you can ride the steepest terrain on the mountain, head down some chutes and practice your bumps. Chair 6 is a favorite to many, and is one of only two high speed quads on the mountain. From Chair 6 you can access a large span of trails, with Warren Miller’s Off The Grid to lookers-left, and access to the Sentinel Bowl on lookers-right. You can spend a whole afternoon exploring the terrain off of Chair 6,, and if feeling adventurous on a powder day make your way over to the Palisades Bowl.