Thinking about planning a trip to Heavenly? After living in South Lake Tahoe and working at Heavenly for an entire season Sawyer and I have created this honest review of riding and skiing at Heavenly!
By Bekah Whitney & Sawyer Lane
The 22-23 season was one for the books. Literally. Ski resorts all over the west coast broke snowfall records, especially in California and Utah. This was also the year that we decided to do winter vanlife in a snowy place instead of Florida or Arizona for the first time in four years. Even though we had more powder days that season than we have ever had before, we were also there for an entire season, so we got to see icy days, slushy days, bluebird days, and a few days where there were literally blizzard warnings (yes we went to the mountain, yes it got closed down, and yes the 3 runs we got in were absolutely incredible)! In this article, we will be sharing the basic stats of Heavenly, what we love and dislike about this mountain, some need to know tidbits, and of course what you can do after a long day on the slopes!
Skiable acreage: 4,800 acres
Number of lifts: 28 total
Base elevation: 6,255 feet
Summit elevation: 10,040 feet
Average snowfall: 360 inches
Terrain overview: 9% beginners, 57% intermediate, advanced/expert: 34%
Website: https://www.skiheavenly.com/
Heavenly actually spans across two states, California and Nevada, with base locations in each state along the southern shore of Lake Tahoe. Heavenly is an hour drive from Reno, two hours from Sacramento, and about eight hours from Los Angeles.
The California Base and Gondola are located in South Lake Tahoe, California. The Stagecoach Lodge (aka Nevada Base) is located in Stateline, Nevada.
Heavenly loves to boast about the fact that they are the largest resort on the pacific coast, the tallest resort in the Lake Tahoe area, and span across two states. They have a reason to brag, the mountain is HUGE! With 4,800 skiable acres, it can feel daunting when you first look at the map. Even as employees, it took us a while to figure out the flow of the mountain.
If it is your first time to Heavenly, we suggest picking an area of the mountain: California side, Nevada side, or the Gondola area, and sticking to it to get the most out of your day, as it’s easy to spend your day on trying to get from one side to the other. If you are familiar with Heavenly, one of our favorite things to do was to bounce back and forth between the California and Nevada side on the upper lifts as you can get some incredible powder runs in!
Further down in this article, I talk about the high winds and the effect they have on the lifts. If all, or even most, of the lifts are open and it has just snowed, it feels like there is untouched powder for literal days. Once Sawyer and I showed up at 2:00pm and were still getting first tracks. Unfortunately, if only a few of the lifts are open, the powder doesn’t make it very long. You’ll also have to find trails that are a little further from the lifts to keep finding the powder, but if you have a few days at Heavenly under your belt already, you’ll find it! Even on some of the more crowded lower lifts, you can often find an untouched line if you go hunting for one.
This can be a downside when you get a bunch of inexperienced riders on terrain they have no business being on, but for the most part it’s incredible! There is such a large variety of fun runs that Sawyer and I didn’t get bored with the mountain the whole season. In fact, we had a goal of making it to all the resorts around Lake Tahoe when we first arrived, but by the end of the season we only went to one other mountain. There are seemingly endless tree runs, lots of fun boulder and log jumps, and if you get tired you can usually cut over to a big groomer pretty quickly.
Heavenly only has a few lower lifts and most of the lifts are up the mountain. This means you only have to get scanned at the lower lifts, making the upper lift lines go by more quickly. This was also great if you were skiing or riding with children (as an instructor) as somehow things always go wrong with their passes.
This can be a downside when you get a bunch of inexperienced riders on terrain they have no business being on, but for the most part it’s incredible! There is such a large variety of fun runs that Sawyer and I didn’t get bored with the mountain the whole season. In fact, we had a goal of making it to all the resorts around Lake Tahoe when we first arrived, but by the end of the season we only went to one other mountain. There are seemingly endless tree runs, lots of fun boulder and log jumps, and if you get tired you can usually cut over to a big groomer pretty quickly.
Due to the location of Heavenly Mountain in relation to Lake Tahoe, wind speeds can get crazy (over 90 MPH crazy). This means lifts, especially the gondola and the aerial tram, will often close or be put on wind hold, especially if there is a storm moving in or if it is actively snowing. The amount of times the part of the mountain we wanted to get to was closed was slightly funny, but mostly irritating. Plus if the upper lifts were closed, there was no way to get from the California side to the Nevada side. This meant everyone was skiing and riding the same terrain and the powder would disappear in just a few runs. On a few occasions, the mountain didn’t open at all on days we really would have liked to hit some powder.
If you are an avid skier or rider and start at California Base, it will take you 3 chair lift rides to get to where you will actually want to be riding. I, Bekah, would often space out and have no idea if I was on the 3rd or 2nd lift until I went to unload and looked around. Taking lifts and cattracks can take up a lot of your day, especially if you aren’t familiar with the mountain. Then, if you want something out of the lodge or your car, you have to ride three lifts to get back to where your friends are. The sheer size of the mountain also means that the terrain is kind of fragmented, meaning it isn’t simple at all to get from one base area to the next and we ran into plenty of tourists that were panicking about getting back to their car on time or even asking where the bus is that takes them to their car because they missed the gondola. Watch the clock!
It might be because I had to work in California Base everyday, but California base is grungy. It doesn’t give you that winter wonderland vibe that I really want from a lodge, especially on cold days when I want to take more breaks to warm up. There are other lodges, like the Tamarack lodge at the Gondola that do give you that dreamy feeling. I, Sawyer, think that Cal Base could possibly be revived by new flooring and fresh paint, but it feels very industrial and outdated as it is.
Parking at Heavenly is a little bit of a joke. There was a lot of talk of introducing a pay to park and reservation system in the 23-24 season, but I don’t have a lot of faith after seeing how long the lines were to get to California base in the morning. If the upper lot was full, you would have to park on the street a good distance from the base of the mountain. A shuttle would pick you up, but it was tiny and not very efficient. If you have decided to skip California base and are hoping to take the Gondola up, you will either be paying high parking garage fees or need to walk from your hotel as there is not any easy to access public parking. We never parked on the Nevada side, but I heard that if you want to find a spot, you better get there early! However, the parking staff gets yelled at A LOT and they are just doing their best, so please be nice to them and everyone else on the mountain.
I’m hoping after reading this and then visiting, you think I’m insane because the roads are beautiful and have been fixed, but I doubt it. The roads all through South Lake Tahoe are full of potholes, and after living in Colorado, I get it. The constant freeze thaw cycle destroys the roads in just one season and the budget to fix them just doesn’t seem to be there. People who knew where the potholes were would literally drive down the center side of the road if there were no cars coming. Also, the roads up to California Lodge are really steep and often covered in ice. One day, there was a twelve car pileup that I got stuck behind for at least an hour and we saw plenty or near-misses. People were skiing down the side of the street way faster than cars on busy days at 4:00.
The joke among locals is that they call the snow there “Sierra Cement” and boy are they right! If you are used to skiing and riding in dry locations, be aware that your legs will get tired a lot faster. Now don’t think this means the snow is terrible, I promise the powder is still fine and beautiful. Vail Resorts has these little “ski term” signs around the lodges and one of them explains what Champagne Powder is (super dry and light), and I thought it was funny everytime I passed it because Champagne Powder doesn’t seem to fall in Tahoe.
As instructors, we can confidently share that Heavenly is not the best mountain for beginners. The options for beginner terrain are extremely limited leaving new skiers and riders to jump to higher levels of terrain before they are ready. If you are a beginner or beginner/intermediate rider, we suggest choosing a different mountain until you have a higher skill level to enjoy your time to the fullest. If, however, there are others in your party that are more advanced and really want to ski Heavenly, there is a learning area at the top of Gunbarrel chair that has an incredible view, which is rare for a “bunny hill.” Remember to check out my Ski Trip Preparation Guide to plan an unforgettable experience!
Going out in South Lake Tahoe was a little too expensive for us on a day to day basis, plus Sawyer is an incredible chef, so eating at home was still luxurious in my opinion. Here were our favorite places for Aprés after a full season in South Lake.
We had driven past this place with little domed Igloos and heaters on our way home from work many times. Finally, after a good tip day, I told Sawyer I was buying and to pull over. The prices are reasonable, the beer is amazing, and the igloos make the experience so fun, especially if it is currently snowing! I was feeling bougie and bought us both a flight, which were also reasonably priced! If you are looking for a luxurious feeling without having to pay luxury prices, the Hangar is your place!
If you are staying on the Nevada side, South of North Brewing Co. will give you similar vibes as the Hangar. They have a cute patio with fire pits and string lights. Their food is also tasty if you are hoping to grab a bite. They also have live music some nights which can make for a fun after the mountain experience!
Often, I don’t feel the need to go to an Italian restaurant because of the huge caloric intake. Skiing and snowboarding is the one exception! I take advantage of being able to down as many carbs as I can after a long day on the slopes and preparing for another. Scusa was definitely a more expensive restaurant option for us, but it was not out of reach!
If you are looking for a classic dive bar, Classic Cue is a go to! Playing pool is relatively expensive as they charge per hour, but this just means that the tables are nice and if there isn’t a table open when you arrive, there will be one opening up soon! Beers are pretty cheap and their food is mostly fried but super tasty. I always got buffalo chicken tenders and was always thrilled.
Of course one of the big night life draws is the casinos in Nevada. There are a ton to choose from and, well, they are pretty much all the same in my opinion. The casino that really stands out to me is the Hard Rock. This is because there are burlesque shows and a club with gogo dancers. This can make for a super fun evening, plus one of my good friends is a dancer there.
With diverse terrain, stunning views of Lake Tahoe, and almost 5,000 skiable acres, Heavenly is an absolute blast if you are a proficient skier or rider. Heavenly does have some pitfalls in getting to and around the mountain, but it more than makes up for it when the powder is good and the lifts are open! Plus South Lake Tahoe, California and Stateline, Nevada have a lot of Aprés options to offer.
Let us know if you have any additional questions about Heavenly or South Lake by leaving a comment below. If you loved this review of riding and skiing at Heavenly make sure to share it with your friends and family and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss an adventure travel guide!
Hi! I’m Bekah, but you can call me Beks, all my friends do! I travel full-time in a tiny home on wheels that my partner, Sawyer, and I built from a cargo trailer shell in 2019. We started out in beautiful Colorado and have been all over the United States over the years. This space is designed to inspire and guide the nature obsessed nomad, weekend warrior, and future roadlifer. I’m so excited you’re here!
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If someone tells you the type of socks you hike in are unimportant, they are dead wrong.
Wool socks help keep your foot dry and able to breathe. Hiking specific socks provide cushioning in areas that are susceptible to rubbing.
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