Top 5 Ski Resorts Close to Reno

Reno and Lake Tahoe are renowned for their world-class ski resorts. Every year, millions of people fly into Reno-Tahoe International (RNO) to hit the High Sierra slopes dotted with hotels and ski resorts.

Photo: On the mountain at Northstar by Dan Bablinskas

For skiers and snowboarders, there is nothing like the exhilarating rush of brisk air as you take off down the hillside in the morning sun. It always takes a first run to get your bearings and remember how to balance, but once you are warmed up, there’s no stopping you, other than when until you reach the bottom and catch another lift. You can’t help but feel giddy as you ride down the steeper hills. Fun intermingles with danger. You are connected to your muscles’ every move while simultaneously feeling out of body in awe-inspiring surroundings.

No ski trip is complete without a warm coffee or cocoa, or a beer or glass of wine, and this is where the ski resorts with lodges and outdoor bars really shine. A midday burger also helps to provide needed sustenance to keep you warm and powering through run after run.

The mountains around Reno and Carson City have no shortage of ski resorts, and every one of them is worth visiting. But when it comes to striking out from Reno proper, these five ski spots stand out among the crowd.

It's common to ski with a view of Lake Tahoe around here. This view is from Mt. Rose. Photo by Dan Bablinskas

5. Diamond Peak Ski Resort

Diamond Peak is a great ski resort for families. Located just outside Incline Village, it is an excellent option if you want to stay on the lake in one of Incline’s hotels. While not a huge resort, it is notable for its affordability, lakeside views and large sections for kids and beginners. As a kid, I spent a lot of learning to ski on the green rides of Diamond Peak with my siblings and cousins while my parents hit the blue and black runs up above.

Pros

• Great kids’ section

• Affordable

• Not too crowded

• Close to Lake Tahoe with plenty of lake views

Cons

• Mt. Rose Highway sometimes gets snowed in and trafficky

• 1-hour drive from Reno

• On the small side

4. Heavenly Ski Resort

If you want an amazing experience, and money, time and battling people are not concerns, then Heavenly is a stand-out ski resort in the Reno Tahoe region. You'll find a huge variety of terrain, plenty of mountain and lake views, a lot of great lodges and watering holes, and various events throughout the season. Coming from Reno, though, it is a bit of a hike, so this is more of a once-a-year resort than one you could visit regularly, and tickets tend to be much more expensive than some of the other ski resorts on this list.

Pros

• Huge resort that is truly world-class! Part of the Epic pass network. Great for highly experienced skiers

Cons

• 1½-hour drive from Reno
   
• Expensive if you don’t purchase an Epic pass
   
• Crowded on weekends — you spend a lot of time in lines

Riding high over Palisades Tahoe. Photo courtesy of Palisades Tahoe

3. Palisades Tahoe 

Palisades Tahoe is a combination of two large ski resorts, formerly known as Alpine and Squaw Valley. The Olympics took place here in 1960, which should give you an idea of how great this area is for skiing. This is a vast resort full of runs for every skill level. It’s on par with Heavenly for the breadth of its terrain (and also similar in its high price), but it is a bit closer to Reno and usually less crowded than the more well-known Heavenly.

This is a great once-in-a-year place to visit (and preferably stay in one of the hotels at the village), because you can’t get bored with the huge number of runs at Palisades.

Pros

• Enormous, beautiful resort with tons of ski runs
   
• Lots of hotels, restaurants and amenities in the Village at Palisades Tahoe

Cons

• 1-hour drive from Reno
   
• Can get crowded and has complicated parking access for day trips
   
• On the pricier side and not part of the Epic pass
   
• Complicated to navigate between the two main sections

2. Northstar Ski Resrot

Slightly closer to Reno than Palisades Tahoe, Northstar is a little smaller than the former but still a formidable resort. It’s also part of the Epic pass network, making it a great place to frequent throughout the year if you get the Epic Season Pass before they go off sale. With hotels and lodges right on the mountain, this is also a great location to stay the night and hit the slopes over a multi-day period with family and friends.

Pros

• 40-minute drive from Reno
   
• Part of the Epic pass
   
• Lots of hotels and amenities close by

Cons

• On the pricier side
   
• Sometimes snowed in

View of the Highway from Mount Rose. Photo by Dan Bablinskas

1. Mount Rose

Mount Rose Ski Resort, located on Slide Mountain, is just up the road from Reno. It blends a variety of ski runs with affordability, ease of access and a locals’ feel that is hard to experience at some of the larger resorts. It’s not the largest or most amazing and it doesn’t have any hotels nearby, but it’s still a good size and has some stellar runs, along with plenty of beginner and advanced options. And since it sits up so high, it tends to have ample snow both early and late in the season, even in drought years. Most importantly: it’s rarely overrun with crowds.

In the last year, they’ve added an outdoor bar and concert location located at the top of one of the hills, and there are plans in progress to expand the resort onto another mountain range.

Pros

• 30-minute drive from Reno
   
• Affordable and accessible
   
• Always has snow and plenty of parking
   
• A large variety of ski runs packed onto a couple of mountain peaks

Cons

• Small compared to Palisades and Heavenly
   
• Has a lot of windy days
   
• No hotels nearby

The author enjoying a beer at Mt. Rose’s Lower Lodge overlooking Washoe Lake. Photo by Dan Bablinskas