The Skiers' Guide to Kirkwood

Kirkwood is such a hidden gem in the Tahoe basin because of how far away it is from everything. It takes more work to get there, so the masses avoid it. But what it does have are a bunch of die hard locals. And incredible chutes, and steeps, and hidden gems to explore. While the runs can be fairly short, the terrain is steep and challenging and so much fun on a powder day.

There is very limited lodging and definitely no fancy dining or bars. This mountain is all about the riding.

I really love Kirkwood. It’s definitely my favorite resort in California. The staff are nice, the runs are so great, and it’s in a gorgeous part of the mountains. I only wish that there were more things in the area since it’s about 45 minutes from South Lake Tahoe and there isn’t anywhere to stay or anything to do outside of the resort itself.

Off the beaten track withold school lifts and endless exploration for expert skiers. Don’t tell your friends.

Kirkwood is by far my favorite local resort. With incredible views of the Carson iceberg wilderness and desolation, this small resort (compared to heavenly about an hour away)
Attracts locals interested in a varied technical ride. The backside is a bowl with a myriad of options for groomers and tree runs, as well as drop offs on the wave, chutes through volcanic rock, and routes into the frontside meadows. While the resort only has 2 express lifts and it can take a while to get to the top of a run, the resort boasts far less people than heavenly and time spent getting from bottom to top typically equals out. Plus they have a lifties lodge with a fireplace and 5$ beers which is an apres dream.

Kirkwood is my home mountain. It’s the best on powder days. It gets “Kirkwood deep.” This is mountain full of more locals than tourists on powder days. It has the best beginner runs in South Lake Tahoe area. It’s got steeps, chutes, and bowls. If you can handle a fast steep chute then Once is enough is for you.

Kirkwood is an awesome resort. The resort still has some of the small-resort feel despite being part of the Vail umbrella. Terrain and vibes at this resort are hard to beat and it’s the place to be when it fills in. It’s only downside is distance from civilization and lack of parking on busy days but both can be seen as positives to others (limited crowd and less shenanigans). All things considered, it’s a must visit if you’ve already hit some of the other Tahoe staples and are comfortable on expert terrain.

I really loved this place. We did over a week in Southern Tahoe so hit here (twice), Heavenly, Sierra & even made the run to Palisades Tahoe (the old Squaw Valley) 1 day & I think Kirkwood was my favourite. The terrain was good with lots of diversity & we had great snow which never hurts.

I highly recommend it as well as the other 3 places I mentioned above. The drive along the lake to Palisades alone makes it all worth it. The drive up to Kirkwood was pretty impressive in its own right.

Kirkwood is my favorite and most often skied resort near Tahoe, but it has some limitations. Only two high-speed lifts: Timber Creek serving low intermediate and Cornice serving advanced. Best lifts are slow and often closes during storms: The Wall, advanced and expert, and Sunrise aka Backside, intermediate to advanced and expert on some returns to frontside. Kirkwood runs more lifts during storms than Heavenly or Palisades so if you can get there during storm, you should get powder. Access from W on CA-88 often closes due to avalanche control when there is 12" of more new snow and sometime can close for a few days. Kirkwood is about 45 minutes from South Lake Tahoe with no traffic, but can be double that if it's storming and you get stuck behind line of vehicles going 25 mph or less with chains on. $3 beers at 7800. Free parking (reservations required) on weekends requires you to be early or you will have a long walk to lifts. Many great advanced to expert runs.

Love that Kirkwood is its own little village. Restaurant, slopes and shops are all within a short walking distance from accommodations. Scenery is gorgeous, employees are super friendly and overall one of the best atmospheres

Short but steep runs, chutes, and natural drops. Not recommended for beginners and challenging for intermediate skiers and boarders.

I go to kirkwood most of the time after exploring all lake tahoe and some resort in oregon and kirkwood kick ass its super great especially if your an expert rider .

Perfect mountain for snowboarders, more remote than nearby mountains. Usually good snow conditions and not many flat spots

Big beautiful mountain, great snow, and friendly and efficient staff. Wait times were extremely friendly. Overall crows size was quite favorable as well.

I have seen instructors at the kids ski school yelling at the kids. I seriously couldnt believe it! A lot of the staff is on drugs

We spent a week in South Tahoe & hit Kirkwood twice. Personally I loved it there, but admittedly some of my group didn't like it as much. If I remember correctly some of them thought there wasn't enough extreme terrain or more specifically they sleeps as they really like their steeds. IMO it had plenty of diversity.

I learned to ski on the slopes at Kirkwood and still find fun runs to improve my skills. Super fun resort!

Hi there mountain people!

Heavenly Resort is an amazing resort with decent mountain height and friendly amazing workers there to brighten your day.

Both the California and Nevada sides of the resort are fun to shred, but I prefer California side since the runs are a little wider and there is an amazing view of the vast Lake Tahoe in the background that is to die for!

Snow condition is usually great and not icy with a lot of powder stashes between the trees for adventurous riders.

The food and drink bar is great, but obviously a little pricy compared to food and drink outside the resort.

And the park setups are really fun. The runs arent too long or short and they have plenty of different features that are friendly for both beginner and veteran park enthusiasts.

Lastly, the surrounding area around Heavenly is downright fun and exhilarating! There are plenty of restaurants, casinos, and shops to keep you and your friends entertained for the whole time you visit.

I highly recommend visiting Heavenly resort if you are planning to visit Lake Tahoe, you wont regret it!

Happy shredding and Happy Holidays!

Super nice employees got my boots here the boot fitter seemed super knowledgeable was no rush in picking anything out or getting them fit steep runs with alot of challenging terrain here definitely the most challenging resort as a whole I've been to

I absolutely love the Kirkwood mountain experience as an intermediate-advanced snowboarder. As someone who visits once a weekend for day trips on average, the experience is amazing. The drive up can be a bit rough, but the all-mountain ski/snowboard experience is top notch. It has some of the toughest terrain in the Western Hemisphere, with many cliff drops and chutes (like Heart Chute and Once is Enough). The progression experience is decent as well, with some beginner terrain off Timber Creek Express, Chair 9, and Chair 1, with top-tier intermediate and advanced terrain. There are some drawbacks with the terrain parks (there are only two), and there isn't too much to do after snowboarding. Overall, I would give the resort a 4/5 stars just because of its amazing ski experience.

Kirkwood is an awesome mountain with an excellent amount of options for everyone to take part in! Towards the lodges, beginners can find multiple places to start and push themselves to grow. The main canyon is home to many runs that are usually groomed of necessary for intermediate skiers looking for quick ones and towards the top they will be able to find more advanced terrain for any thrill theyll need to seek! One of these is called the wall which is made to test anyone looking to be a little crazy. The backside of the ridge has a lot of open and ready to explore terrain that people find themselves sending down and really caters to intermediate and above. If you are looking to just sit and relax at the bottom for a break, the lodge is just below all of the hills and is a perfect place to see people going for it. Kirkwood is a fairly large mountain while also being pretty mellow with how many people are there. It is a little more difficult to get to, but definitely worth it for the adventure factor! Go try it out!