Sierra Snow Play
Sierra Snow Play
Sierra Snow Play Areas
Finding for a safe place to enjoy the snow can be a challenge. Sierra Snow Play is a compilation of all the best snow play areas in California's Sierra Nevada, from Donner Summit to Kern County.
Click on the snow play area title for an overview map with links to each destination, or go directly to one of the snow play destinations.
Donner Summit Snow Play
- Boreal Tahoe Tubing - a well-organized tubing hill with a lift at Boreal Mountain Ski Resort.
- Donner Ski Ranch Snow Tubing - a short tubing hill with a lift
- Kingvale Resort - Cisco Grove snow play, a favorite with families
- Nyack Snow Park - Convenient location off I-80, best for younger children
- Soda Springs Planet Kids and Tube Town - a great place for snow play for all ages with many nice facilities.
- Tahoe Donner Snowplay - in the Tahoe Donner Development, a nice sliding hill for all ages.
Lake Tahoe Snow Play Areas
- Adventure Mountain - a well-developed snow play area at Echo Summit.
- Blizzard Mountain - Sierra at Tahoe ski resort's snow tubing hill and snow play area.
- Granlibakken Sledding - a nice sliding hill at Granlibakken resort near Tahoe City
- Hansen's Snow Tube Hill - right in South Lake Tahoe
- Heavenly Tubing Hill - high at the top of Heavenly ski resort's Gondola.
- Incline Village Snow Play - snow play and sledding on a golf course
- North Tahoe Regional Park Sled Hill - a nice little, walk-up sled hill with restrooms and parking
- Spooner Summit Snow Play - a popular walk-up sledding and snow play area
- Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley) Snow Tubing - groomed tubing hill with lift
- Tahoe City Winter Sports Park - sledding hill, ice skating, and more.
- Tahoe Meadows Snow Play - popular informal sledding hill near Mount Rose
- Tube Tahoe - tubing hill in Meyers, near South Lake Tahoe
Ebbetts Pass Snow Play Areas
- Bear Valley Sledding and Tubing - small walk-up hills across from Bear Valley Village. Good Sno-Parks nearby.
Sonora Pass Snow Play
- Dodge Ridge Snow Tubing - a new tube sliding hill at Dodge Ridge Ski Resort.
- Leland High Sierra Snowplay - a snow play resort with groomed slopes and lifts.
Yosemite National Park Snow Play
- Crane Flat Snow Play - snow play and sliding hills at an undeveloped area near Crane Flat Campground.
- Goat Meadow Snow Play - just outside the southern entrance to Yosemite, an informal snow play area.
Shaver Lake Area Snow Play
- Shaver Lake Sno-Parks - popular snow play areas at several of California's Sno-Parks
Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks Snow Play
- Big Stump Snow Play - an informal snow play area near Grant Grove
- Columbine Snow Play - a picnic area at Grant Grove turned snow play destination in the winter
- Wolverton Snow Play - informal sliding hill in Sequoia at site of former ski slope
Kern County Snow Play
- Alta Sierra Tube Park - organized tube hill with groomed slopes and a lift
Mammoth Lakes Snow Play
- Scenic Loop - Mammoth Scenic Loop - undeveloped snow play areas along 6-mile road
- Woolly's Tube Park - part of Mammoth Mountain ski area, groomed slope with lift
Sierra Snow Play Cautions
While a trip to the snow is a wonderful adventure for the whole family, a few words of caution are in order. At the risk of sounding preachy, we call your attention to the following:
- Avoid hillsides too close to highways. Pedestrians, especially children, are in danger of being hit by passing cars. Also, parking legally off the highway is often a challenge. Sliding hills that send riders shooting off the edge of the snow and onto the pavement, of course, are obvious poor choices.
- Highway Rest Areas are not snow play areas. As tempting as they may be, highway rest areas do not allow snow play. The CHP has been issuing tickets.
- Use extra vigilance watching your children. Sliders come down the hill with very little control. Children who stand in the way at the bottom of the hill are in danger of being hit. Most dangerous are wooden toboggans which can cause serious injury.
- Leave the snow play area clean. Pick up all your trash, including broken saucers, food containers, and yes, even diapers. Trash left behind by visitors at some snow play areas has become a serious problem in the Sierra.