Things to Do in Lake Tahoe in Winter When Not Everyone Skis: A Guided Snowshoe Day for the Rest of the Group
Who sits out the skiing in your group? Often it's a grandparent with bad knees or a seven-year-old not ready for ski school. Of all the things to do in Lake Tahoe in winter, a guided snowshoe tour with Snowshoe Tahoe is the one that puts them on the same snow as everyone else. If the ski week falls over the December holidays or in January, sort out the non-skiers' days in the same sitting as the lift tickets.
Quick Summary: Key Takeaways
Snowshoeing is walking: no lessons, no lift line, no gear to buy.
Pick the trail by age and legs: kids 7 and up suit the family tour and Chickadee Ridge, and Palisades Point is recommended from age 10.
The skiers can come too: the night tour goes out after dark on mostly flat meadow.
Book with the ski days: cancel or shrink your group penalty-free up to 48 hours out.
Most Things to Do in Lake Tahoe in Winter Assume You Ski
A ski week runs on the lift schedule, and the person who doesn't ski ends up with an awful lot of lodge time unless they get a plan of their own. Snowshoeing fixes that. If you can walk, you can snowshoe, and most first-timers stop noticing their feet within about ten minutes.
The snow is certainly there. NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals put Tahoe City's average snowfall at 36.2 inches in December and 37.9 inches in January, with January highs averaging 39.6°F. It's the same snow the skiers came for. A non-skier deserves a proper day out in it, not a consolation afternoon of window-shopping in town.
Three Guided Trails Cover Most of the Non-Skiers in a Group
Snowshoe Tahoe keeps groups to eight to ten people on private trails outside avalanche terrain, and three daytime tours fit almost every non-skier we can think of. The Beginner and Family Snowshoe Tour climbs a gentle 200 to 500 feet from River Road in Tahoe City. Chickadee Ridge, which starts at the Tahoe Meadows trailhead on the Mount Rose Highway, minutes from Incline Village, and suits groups staying on the Nevada side, gains about 300 feet to an overlook near 8,000 feet. It's a short climb.
Palisades Point is the workout. It climbs about 800 feet over 3.3 miles round trip and suits ages 10 and up. The overlook faces Palisades Tahoe and Alpine Meadows, so if your skiers are at either resort, the snowshoers stand looking across at the very runs the rest of the group is on.
Grandparents and Sea-Level Visitors Do Best Starting Short
For a grandparent, or anyone who flew in from the coast, the first outing should be the shortest one. Snowshoe Tahoe asks guests to be ready for up to two or three hours of activity at elevation, and it points anyone unsure of their fitness to a two-hour tour or a self-guided rental. Altitude matters too. The company flags elevation as a factor for people coming from sea level, which is worth knowing when Chickadee Ridge tops out near 8,000 feet.
Two practical details help older legs. The beginner tour and Chickadee Ridge have no restroom at the meeting point. Stop on the way. And a private tour can be booked at checkout if you'd rather the group were just your own family.
Kids Who Skip Ski School Still Get Their Snow Day
The family tour is built for exactly these kids. It's recommended for children 7 and older, keeps the pace easy and builds in pauses for snow play while the guide talks about the trees, the wildlife and some Sierra Nevada history. A seven-year-old who melts down in a ski lesson can be perfectly happy stomping through powder.
If your family would rather set its own pace, snowshoe rentals cover four marked loops near Tahoe City, the shortest about 45 minutes, and Snowshoe Tahoe recommends rentals for children 6 and older. Pack extra energy snacks.
A Night Tour Lets the Skiers Come Along
Once the ski boots come off, the Full Moon Snowshoe Tour gives the whole group one night on the same trail. Everyone goes. The tour heads out after dark from Page Meadows, off Silver Tip Drive in Tahoe City, and covers roughly 2.8 miles of mostly flat ground, gentle enough for grandparents and for skiers whose legs are done for the day. It suits children 8 and older, and its brightest nights fall around the full moon, so check the calendar against your ski week. The guide uses a laser to trace the constellations, and with so little light pollution over the meadows, there are plenty to trace.
Bring a capable vehicle. The company asks winter guests to arrive with four-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, chains or snow tires, and nobody wants to start a moonlit walk after a white-knuckle drive on an icy road.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the best things to do in Lake Tahoe in winter if you don't ski?
A: Snowshoeing, on a guided tour. It needs no lessons and no lift ticket. Snowshoes and poles are included.
Q: How old do kids need to be to snowshoe at Lake Tahoe?
A: On Snowshoe Tahoe's guided tours, 7 and up for the family tour and Chickadee Ridge, 8 and up for the Full Moon tour, and 10 and up for Palisades Point. Rentals are recommended from age 6.
Q: Can I bring my dog snowshoeing at Lake Tahoe?
A: Yes, on Snowshoe Tahoe's trails. The company recommends dogs of 30 pounds or more with the energy for up to three hours out, and fresh powder is harder going for them than packed snow.
Book the Snowshoe Day With the Rest of the Ski Week
Send your non-skiers home with stories about the ridge and the moonlit meadow, not the lodge fireplace where they waited for everyone else. Pick the non-skiers' tour on snowshoetahoe.net in the same sitting as the lift tickets. The family tour and Palisades Point start from 2456 River Rd, Tahoe City, CA 96145, while the Full Moon tour meets at Page Meadows.
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