Outside Tahoe Donner Resort
Beach
• Everyone likes Lake Tahoe. It has it's place in my recreation pallet. However, not every day is a Tahoe day. Tahoe can be cold, choppy, and crowded (depending on your destination), and some days I just don't feel like making the drive (albeit only 30 minutes). Just minutes away is Donner Lake. I talked about the Beach Club and Marina above, but want to introduce you to the West End Beach. They have lots of parking, a snack shack, bathrooms, and your usual pile of lake-type things to rent. There is room to spread out and enjoy the afternoon. Admission is $4 per person.
• Donner Memorial State Park offers camping, hiking, boating, fishing, and swimming. In the winter, this is an excellent place for snow shoeing.
Golf Near By (there are many more courses, but these are some of our favorites)
• Coyote Moon Golf Course
• Northstar at Tahoe
• Lahontan Golf Club
• Old Greenwood Golf Course
• Old Brockway Golf Course -- 9 hole
• Ponderosa Golf Course -- 9 hole, (530) 587-3501
Shooting Area
• The Boca Shooting Area is is located near the reservoir, You can get an access key from the ranger at the Truckee Ranger Station.
Fishing
• Truckee River, Little Truckee River, Boca and Prosser reservoirs are our favorites when we need a quick fishing fix. Stop in at the Mountain Hardware and Sports for all the latest fishing information and supplies.
Hiking
• There is so many hiking trails in the area. Too many to list. If you don't want hike inside Tahoe Donner, a fun place (but expensive) to hike is at Northstar. Take the tram to the top. The view is breathtaking. Take water and sun screen.
Skiing Near By (there are many more ski areas, but these are some of our favorites)
• Sugar Bowl is our favorite ski area and is actually easy to get to if it's not snowing. Take Donner Pass Road up around the back side of Donner Lake. The drive is about 20 minutes from Tahoe Donner. If it's snowing, take Hwy 80. We really like this place. It's large enough to give everyone a challenging day yet small enough to feel intimate. Both downhillers and snowboarders share the slopes. There is a well maintained feature park. There are two lodges. Lots of parking. Like ALL Tahoe ski resorts, you really need to be in the parking lot (of any ski resort) by 10;30. Any later and you will have a long walk to the base.
• Northstar at Tahoe is a really large resort. It's lots of fun with a big selection of runs. On nice days, expect to wait in line for the chair, food, bathroom, and rentals. Don't ignore this place just because it's busy, just be mentally prepared to wait in line. It is worth it (most of the time).
• Squaw Valley USA was home to the 1960 winter Olympics. This place is legendary. It is massive with endless runs. It does get extremely crowded. Even with all the quad chairs you can wait in line 20 minutes or more. If you want serious terrain and lots of different runs, you can ski here all day and never go down the same run twice.
• Boreal is at Donner summit. There is always snow on this hill. It's a very easy place to ski. Offers night skiing.
Biking
• Downhill biking is a thrill with a fair amount of danger. Northstar has an extensive trail system. Take the chairlift up and ride down. Repeat.
• If you are looking for trails and a place to rent gear, Squaw Valley has an extensive tail system. You can also rent bikes in Tahoe City and ride along the Truckee River. This is an easy activity for the whole family.
River Rafting
• River rafting at Tahoe City is a slow gentle float down the Truckee river. This is something the entire family can do. It take 2-4 hours. You can bring your lunch and stop mid way and enjoy a bite on the shore. There are no real rapids and you do not get wet. We like the folks at Mountain Air Sports. Easy access to the river, a fair amount of parking. The bus that brings you back from the take-out is clean and comes often.
Other links that we find helpful
• Historical Downtown Truckee, don't miss this place
• Truckee Chamber of Commerce: all kinds of information about the area
• Events in Truckee
• Lake Tahoe area guide: Fodors
• Nearby Golf courses
• Lake Tahoe ski resorts
• Tahoe National Forest
• Reno: dining, casinos, recreation, nearest airport, big box stores
• Everyone likes Lake Tahoe. It has it's place in my recreation pallet. However, not every day is a Tahoe day. Tahoe can be cold, choppy, and crowded (depending on your destination), and some days I just don't feel like making the drive (albeit only 30 minutes). Just minutes away is Donner Lake. I talked about the Beach Club and Marina above, but want to introduce you to the West End Beach. They have lots of parking, a snack shack, bathrooms, and your usual pile of lake-type things to rent. There is room to spread out and enjoy the afternoon. Admission is $4 per person.
• Donner Memorial State Park offers camping, hiking, boating, fishing, and swimming. In the winter, this is an excellent place for snow shoeing.
Golf Near By (there are many more courses, but these are some of our favorites)
• Coyote Moon Golf Course
• Northstar at Tahoe
• Lahontan Golf Club
• Old Greenwood Golf Course
• Old Brockway Golf Course -- 9 hole
• Ponderosa Golf Course -- 9 hole, (530) 587-3501
Shooting Area
• The Boca Shooting Area is is located near the reservoir, You can get an access key from the ranger at the Truckee Ranger Station.
Fishing
• Truckee River, Little Truckee River, Boca and Prosser reservoirs are our favorites when we need a quick fishing fix. Stop in at the Mountain Hardware and Sports for all the latest fishing information and supplies.
Hiking
• There is so many hiking trails in the area. Too many to list. If you don't want hike inside Tahoe Donner, a fun place (but expensive) to hike is at Northstar. Take the tram to the top. The view is breathtaking. Take water and sun screen.
Skiing Near By (there are many more ski areas, but these are some of our favorites)
• Sugar Bowl is our favorite ski area and is actually easy to get to if it's not snowing. Take Donner Pass Road up around the back side of Donner Lake. The drive is about 20 minutes from Tahoe Donner. If it's snowing, take Hwy 80. We really like this place. It's large enough to give everyone a challenging day yet small enough to feel intimate. Both downhillers and snowboarders share the slopes. There is a well maintained feature park. There are two lodges. Lots of parking. Like ALL Tahoe ski resorts, you really need to be in the parking lot (of any ski resort) by 10;30. Any later and you will have a long walk to the base.
• Northstar at Tahoe is a really large resort. It's lots of fun with a big selection of runs. On nice days, expect to wait in line for the chair, food, bathroom, and rentals. Don't ignore this place just because it's busy, just be mentally prepared to wait in line. It is worth it (most of the time).
• Squaw Valley USA was home to the 1960 winter Olympics. This place is legendary. It is massive with endless runs. It does get extremely crowded. Even with all the quad chairs you can wait in line 20 minutes or more. If you want serious terrain and lots of different runs, you can ski here all day and never go down the same run twice.
• Boreal is at Donner summit. There is always snow on this hill. It's a very easy place to ski. Offers night skiing.
Biking
• Downhill biking is a thrill with a fair amount of danger. Northstar has an extensive trail system. Take the chairlift up and ride down. Repeat.
• If you are looking for trails and a place to rent gear, Squaw Valley has an extensive tail system. You can also rent bikes in Tahoe City and ride along the Truckee River. This is an easy activity for the whole family.
River Rafting
• River rafting at Tahoe City is a slow gentle float down the Truckee river. This is something the entire family can do. It take 2-4 hours. You can bring your lunch and stop mid way and enjoy a bite on the shore. There are no real rapids and you do not get wet. We like the folks at Mountain Air Sports. Easy access to the river, a fair amount of parking. The bus that brings you back from the take-out is clean and comes often.
Other links that we find helpful
• Historical Downtown Truckee, don't miss this place
• Truckee Chamber of Commerce: all kinds of information about the area
• Events in Truckee
• Lake Tahoe area guide: Fodors
• Nearby Golf courses
• Lake Tahoe ski resorts
• Tahoe National Forest
• Reno: dining, casinos, recreation, nearest airport, big box stores