Spend your holiday season at Lake Tahoe under birdbird skies and glistening fir trees. With the big ski resorts opening for Thanksgiving. This is the year for a Lake Tahoe winter holiday. With a dozen mountain resorts ringing the lake that never freezes, it boasts excellent skiing and lots to do for apres. With lots of sun, outdoor activities reign, so travelers will find sledding, snowshoeing, XC skiing and more. Here are Top Things to do at Lake Tahoe in December.
Top Things to Do at Lake Tahoe in December
Head to a Ski Resort
Have a Holiday Dinner
Go Sledding or Snow Tubing
See the Holiday Decorations
Go Snowshoeing
Best Place for a Sled Rides in Lake Tahoe
Why Visit Lake Tahoe during the Winter
As a top winter destination in the U.S., one of the Top Things to do at Lake Tahoe in December is to visit a ski resort. Visitors will find more than a dozen ski resorts within an hour’s drive. For first-time visitors, both skiing and snowboarding are both popular.
Top Things to do at Tahoe City
Top Things to Do at Palisades Tahoe
Formerly Squaw Valley, Palisades Tahoe is located at 1960 Squaw Valley Rd. in between Tahoe City and Truckee. It is one of the premier mountain resorts in Lake Tahoe.
Thanksgiving at Palisades Tahoe
For the 2024-2024 Ski Season, Palisades Tahoe opens on November 27, 2024. This year the opening day special is a $75 lift ticket to celebrate its 75th year.
Thanksgiving Buffet
In a lavish buffet, enjoy locally sourced holiday favorites. Two seatings are available at 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 28. 2024. Adults are $90, kids (5 – 12) are $29 with kids 4 and younger free. Reservations required.
Welcome to Winter
In a come and go event, visitors will enjoy live music, the unveiling of the art installation, Forged, and the lighting of the The Tram Plaza tree. Located at the Village at Palisades Tahoe from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Free.
Snow Tubing
Located in the SnoVentures area, 55-minute snow tubing sessions scream fun. Starting at the top of the hour.
Must be 40-inches tall to participate. One person per tube with adult and kid-sized tubes available. Sessions are $42 on weekdays and $54 on weekends.
Learn to Ski and Ride
For $109, those new to the sport will get a 2 and 1/2 lesson with rental equipment and a beginner ski lift ticket. This event is from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11.
TahoeLive with Lil Wayne and Diplo
TahoeLive will be Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15 in a ticketed event for 18+. Advance tickets required. .
Great Basin Carollers
Back for 2024, this group sings the sounds of the season from 4 to 7 p.m. on December 20 to 24, 2024. Located in The Village at Palisades Tahoe and free to enjoy.
Disco Tubing at Palisades Tahoe
Tubing is fun and Disco Tubing is fab! Add LED lights, lasers and a live DJ and the SnoAdventures area comes alive after 5 p.m. Timed hourly admissions at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. with 55 minutes to tube for $63. Advance online reservations required. The dates for 2024 have not been released.
Must be 40-inches tall to participate. One person per tube with adult and kid-sized tubes available.
Christmas Eve Dinner Buffet
In a lavish buffet, enjoy locally sourced holiday favorites. One seating is available at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 24. Adults are $95, kids (5 – 12) $34 with kids 4 and younger free.
Winter Guide to Lake Tahoe
Holiday Events at Northstar California Mountain Resort
Northstar California’s alpine-inspired village offers a charming backdrop to celebrate the holiday season. Located at 5001 Northstar Drive, in between Tahoe City and Truckee. Northstar opens for the season on Friday, November 22, 2024. The 2024 – 2025 winter season dates have not been released.
Ice Skating
Opening for the season on December 3, bring your own skates and skate for free daily from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Skate rental is $20. Located in the Village.
NorthStar Winter Music Series
The Village is your destination for apres on Saturday with live music, fire pits around the ice rink. Every Saturday from mid-November until mid-April.
On Firdays and Sundays, the Village ice rink hums with music from a local DJ from mid-November till mid-April. Free and open to all.
Winter Wonders
On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from mid-December through New Years Eve, head to the Village for live music, Santa sitings and ice skating. Free and open to all.
S’mores Fun
Visitors should head to the Village Overlook for s’mores at one of the fireplaces. Maybe grab a cocktail at the nearby bar (additional cost) then watch the sun set. Free and open to all.
New Year’s Eve Celebration
All day long there will be activities in the Northstar Village, like face painting and a parade from 12:30 to 1 p.m.
Top Things to do in Tahoe City
Holiday Events at Mt Rose Ski Tahoe
A local favorite for the large range of terrain, Mt Rose Ski Tahoe offers a signature event for the holiday season. It opens for the season on Friday, November 8, 2024.
Ring in the season with some Santa Cheer. Come dressed in a full Santa suit to ski or snowboard in unison down the mountain. Kick off the holiday season on Saturday, December 14, with special lift tickets.
Celebrate an early New Year’s Eve at Mt. Rose. See the Snow Cat Parade at 5 p.m. then there’s the kid’s torchlight parade at 5 p.m., finishing up with fireworks at 5:45 p.m.
Mt Rose Ski Tahoe is located at 22222 Mt Rose Highway between Reno and Incline Village.
Mt Rose Ski Tahoe Family Review
Diamond Peak Ski Resort
Another favorite among local families is Diamond Peak Ski Resort with interchangeable lift tickets for parents and kids under 6 ski free. Diamond Peak opens for the season on Thursday, December 12, 2024 (projected)
To celebrate the season, Santa and Peneguin Pete will visit on December 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Take a picture with Santa and then see his moves on the slopes.
Diamond Peak Ski Resort is located at 1210 Ski Way in Incline Village on the north shore.
Granlibakken Tahoe
Granlibakken Tahoe is a intimate resort on the western shore and minutes from Tahoe City. Offering a secluded property rich in Tahoe history and it hosted the 1932 Olympic ski jumps trails. It opens for the season on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.
Tuesday, December 24 is the annual Torchlight Parade at 5 p.m. free and open to all.
Wednesday, December 25 is the Christmas Buffet. Adults are $88 and $44 for kids 6 to 12 and free for 5 and younger.
Located at 725 Granlibakken Rd. in Tahoe City.
Tahoe Film Fest
Film fans will want to check out the line-up of independent films in the Tahoe Film Fest. Fromt December 5 to 8, 2024, more than a dozen films will be shown at several theaters in Tahoe. For the most up-to-date information, head to its website.
Skiing and Sledding at Granlibakken Tahoe
Sleigh Rides at Sand Harbor State Park
A holiday tradition since the 1960s, take a one-hour horse-drawn sleigh ride through the postcard perfect scenery at Sand Harbor State Park on the north shore with Borges Sleigh Rides.
Available daily from November until March Reservations are recommended. Adults are $50 kids 2 to 10 are $20. Located at 2005 Nevada Highway 28, outside of Incline Village. State park admission required.
Lake Tahoe Snow Mobile Tours
Celebrate the beauty of nature with a snowmobile tour through the pristine forests surrounding Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe Snowmobile Tours arranges 2-hour groups and private tours through Lake Tahoe’s national forests at Brockaway summit.
Lake Tahoe Snowmobile Tours is located on Highway 267 Brockway Summit in Tahoe Vista. Must be 16-years-old to drive and 5-years-old to participate. Reservations recommended and clothing available for rent. Tours depart every day in December at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. prices start at $230.
Tahoe City
Located along the western shore of Lake Tahoe, it’s a hub of activity.
Tahoe City Winter Sports Park
Take the kids ice skating at Tahoe City Winter Sports Park. Also find a small sled hill great for toddlers along with groomed snowshoeing and cross country ski trails (dependent on snow).
It’s open every day in December and advance reservations required. Located at 251 N. Lake Blvd.
Free Sledding at Lake Tahoe
Capture the nostalgic charm of finding a perfect sled hill in the largest national forest outside of Alaska. Find hills for everyone from bunny-suited toddlers to dare-devil teens. Best of all it’s free.
Find off-highway parking and a year-round restroom. Located in Tahoe Meadows, a year-round outdoor destination about seven miles from Mt. Rose Ski Resort. It’s just pass the Mt. Rose Summit on the Mt. Rose Highway (Hwy 431) on the way to Incline Village.
With off-highway parking and a steep hill, this area attracts a crowd quick during school holidays and weekends. Find parking in front of the sledding hill and along the short access road off the highway but no restrooms. Located just pass Spooner Summit on U.S. Highway 50 at the turnoff for Nevada Highway 28.
Best Free Sledding in North Lake Tahoe
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