There are so many cool things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids – it is not surprising that it is such a popular family vacation destination. This article specifically covers great things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids in winter but with small modifications you can use this itinerary in any season (in spring to see the wild flowers galore, in the fall – fall foliage, and in summer you can add water fun into the mix).
Lake Tahoe offers lots of family things to do, both on California and Nevada side, all of which are impossible to cover in 1 trip. That’s why in this post I only focus on North Lake Tahoe, California, from Truckee to Tahoe City. North Lake Tahoe and Truckee area is famous for its ski resorts (Squaw Valley, Northstar, Sugar Bowl – just to name a few) but it has plenty of things to do in terms of family fun, even if you are not a skier. In fact, this Tahoe family road trip itinerary is specifically designed with no skiing activities in mind. However, if you want you can easily get to the slopes anytime. Three days is sufficient to enjoy all the great things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids that are listed below.
Things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids in winter – # 1 SQUAW VALLEY
Squaw Valley became famous after 1960 Winter Olympic Games that were held here and this is one of the reason I am suggesting you visiting it. When you arrive, take the gondola up the mountain to the High Camp. The 360 degrees panorama on this approximately 20 minutes ride is awesome! Even if there was nothing on top of the mountain it would still be worth it, but there is a lot to do up there.
We enjoyed a small Olympic Games museum with cool memorabilia and an ice-skating rink with fantastic views of Lake Tahoe (NOTE: currently the ice rink is closed for repairs indefinitely but it will be open for roller-skating in summer. For ice-skating this season see Items # 5 and 6 below).
When you get down take your kids ages 6-12 for a fun ride on mini snowmobiles next to the tubing hill and after that you can have fun tubing with the whole family. Finish your visit with a hearty bowl of hot soup at Soupa Café, which serves about half a dozen varieties daily.
Things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids in winter – # 2 Donner Memorial State Park
Donner Memorial State Park. It is a nice park with trails leading through a conifer forest to Donner Lake which is a beautiful alpine lake, a small cousin of Tahoe. In summer its sandy beach is perfect for all sorts of water fun. If you have older kids stop by the Emigrant Trail Museum which depicts the history of the area and the people who came into this part of the Sierra, including local Native Americans, the Donner Party, and builders of the transcontinental railroad.
Things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids in winter – # 3 Legacy Trail
Legacy Trail. This is a 4.4 miles paved hiking trail that winds along the Truckee River. If there is little or no snow the trail will be cleared for walking or biking and it will be perfect for strollers. With sufficient snow it can be used for cross-country skiing.
The trail has gorgeous views of the Truckee River and interpretive stands along the way to learn more about the area’s history and ecology. The trail has several access points, we started from Glenshire Dr. and we loved the fact that it has beautiful views from top of the hill at that entrance point and a good parking lot (but no restroom facilities).
My goal is to make every trip an educational experience for us so we always go prepared. We almost never go hiking without National Audubon Society Field Guide to California
which helps us to identify plants and wildlife and learn more about them. It is small enough to carry in a pocket but it has lots of useful information. Another must have on this hike and this trip overall is good binoculars
for spotting wildlife.
Things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids in winter – # 4 Truckee River Bike Trail
If you love hiking (or biking in summer) you should try Truckee River Bike Trail. The difference between this trail and Legacy Trail is that the Legacy Trail goes in the middle of open meadows, while Truckee River Bike Trail goes for the most part surrounded by beautiful pine trees (pine cone collectors will have an absolute blast!)
It is a paved trail which would be good for strollers. Access to the trail is either from a parking lot next to HW 89 when you turn towards Squaw Valley or from Fanny Bridge in Tahoe City.
Things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids in winter – # 5 Truckee Ice Rink
Truckee Ice Rink, 10500 Brockway Rd. This ice-rink in Truckee is a classic outdoor skating rink in a local park, which is never too crowded – tons of pure winter fun for under $10 pp + $3 skates rental. Warming fire pit is available on site. Northstar ski resort also has an ice rink which is FREE to use if you have your own skates. Skates rentals are $10 but parking and crowds can be crazy here.
Things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids in winter – # 6 Tahoe City Winter Sports Park
Tahoe City Winter Sports Park offers 3 favorite winter time activities: skating, cross country skiing (very easy trails, my 6 year old did not have any issues skiing there) and sledding. The sledding hill is not too big so it is perfect for younger kids (even though I myself thoroughly enjoyed it too 🙂 )
Winter Sports Park has a nice cafe on site so you can replenish yourself and spend pretty much the whole day here.
Things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids in winter – # 7 Lake Tahoe
If you made the trek all the way down to Tahoe City, you may want to take some time to enjoy Lake Tahoe itself. You can stroll along Commons Beach or enjoy the views from Lake Tahoe Dam (or do both). Lake Tahoe is beautiful any time of the year.
Things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids in winter – # 8 Downtown Truckee
The town of Truckee has a charming “old West” type downtown which was featured in many old Hollywood movies. It has a very picturesque main street (Donner Pass Road) with cute little shops and restaurants. It’s a good place for a lunch or dinner break. Our family thoroughly enjoyed Best Pies Pizzeria with tasty pizza and quick and friendly service.
The Truckee Downtown image below is courtesy of Scott Shots. On the day we were there it was pouring rain so I couldn’t capture anything myself but what I learnt that day is that a big part of the downtown commercial area is covered (as the image shows), so you can stroll, shop and eat without getting wet – we spent almost 2 hours there and couldn’t be happier. I will bring my photos back next time we go there.
In summer, the same covered area will protect you and your family from the heat of the sun – so whichever way you look at it Truckee downtown should be on your list of things to do in Lake Tahoe.
Things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids in winter – #9 Soda Springs
Soda Springs is a winter wonderland park. It is technically a ski resort for beginners with a separate area for very young kids where they can enjoy winter fun in a secure protected environment designated just for them. For older children and adults there is a separate tubing and skiing hill perfect for beginners. It is one of the funnest things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids!
Things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids in winter – #10 KidZone
KidZone and a massage. Every time we take a family road trip I plan at least 1 activity for adults’ enjoyment. Sometimes it is a wine tasting at a local winery, other times we take turns with my husband to go to a gym or spa, etc. In Truckee I got the “lucky ticket”: my husband agreed to take children to a kids’ museum while I had a chance to go for a massage. KidZone is a small museum with interactive exhibits perfect for younger kids. My 4 year old didn’t want to leave after 2 hours there but I am told my 10 year old got a little bored.
In the meantime I had my full body massage at Truckee Massage. There is a fair number of massage places in Truckee – why did I choose this one? To be honest, I had to cold call: some places were booked, others didn’t call me back when I left a voicemail. Truckee Massage responded, found a convenient time slot for me and just provided overall great service (including a fantastic massage).
Additional tips for things to do in Tahoe with kids:
1.Where to stay in Truckee
When we go to Truckee we like to rent a place through VRBO. Usually we prefer hotels with free breakfast, a pool and a hot tub but in Truckee there is such an abundance of houses and condos for rent for any taste and budget so you can probably find a better deal than in a hotel. If you prefer to stay in hotels then I would go for Hampton Inn 
from Hilton Family hotels located on Route 267. I write about my strategy of choosing hotels in my Choose the Best Lodging Option post.
2. Stargazing
Truckee is a perfect spot for stargazing: located at 5817 feet elevation and away from the glaring lights of big cities it is a fantastic spot to study the sky on a clear night. The stars are so big and bright here you can easily detect all major constellations. I have downloaded a free app on my phone called Star Walk 2 (Android an iOS versions are available) and we had a blast with it every evening. If you want to go a step further, consider Tahoe Star Tours. They organize various astronomy events in North Lake Tahoe Area with splendid opportunities to stargaze using their Celestron telescopes.
Another option to consider is bribing your own telescope. Sounds like an outrageous idea? Think about it: for a family stargazing tour you will pay $150-200. A good portable beginner telescope on Amazon costs under $90! And you can use it many times. I have searched a lot and finally zoomed in on this one: Emarth Telescope, Travel Scope, 70mm Astronomical Refracter Telescope with Tripod & Finder Scope, Portable Telescope for Kids Beginners (Blue)
. It is perfect for our family needs and we plan to use it at home as well as on all our mountain adventures.
3. Trip prep
If you like history and find it important to make every trip an educational experience from that perspective then I strongly recommend watching this PBS documentary as a background to your trip: The American Experience: The Donner Party
(on a second thought, even if you are not into history I am pretty sure you will be fascinated by this film.
The Donner Party story is an integral part of this region and watching it unfold will help you appreciate the blessings you have in your life and respect the wilderness and unpredictability of the Sierras so much more) We got unbelievably lucky – this film was broadcast on TV when we were actually in Truckee. Being there, pretty much on the spot of the tragedy, made the viewing an almost immersive experience as if we were sharing this journey with the Donner Party. It is a wonderfully done documentary using diaries of the members of the Party and creating visually stunning historic re-enactments.
If you found this list of things to do in Lake Tahoe with kids in winter useful, please do me a little favor and share this trip with others, for there’s a good chance that it will help them with their travel plans. 🙂
