Family Skiing Areas near Sacramento

Skiing is a wonderful family activity. The sport is suitable for children as young as 3 and is a great way for families to be active together. Dozens of ski resorts are within close proximity to Sacramento, and most offer programs especially for families.

Ski Season

People often consider skiing to be a winter activity. However, when the snow pack is good (like this year), most resorts stay open through spring. Some ski areas even stay open into summer!
Soda Springs

What to Wear

Skiers should make sure to layer their clothing under a weatherproof coat, wear sunscreen and sunglasses (or ski goggles) and ski gloves. Sacramento has dozens of area retailers who carry appropriate clothing for snow sports.

Stores like Target and Wal-Mart carry an assortment of gear like ski pants, gloves and long underwear suitable for the slopes. Additionally, sporting goods stores such as Big 5, Dick’s Sporting Goods or REI are good places to find winter apparel.

Soda Springs

Ski Equipment

Conveniently, all resorts offer ski rentals on-site. Unfortunately, helmets are not included in ski rental packages. Do not skip this important item when renting gear. Always request to add a helmet to your rental.

All skiers, regardless of age or skill, should wear a helmet

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Learning to Ski

All ski resorts offer lessons for any age or skill level. Beginners should schedule a lesson to learn the basics of turning, stopping and chairlift use. After a couple of hours of ski school, most new skiers will be able to navigate the slopes on their own.

Where to Ski

Sacramento families are fortunate to have over a dozen ski areas within a 2-hour drive of their homes. Choosing which ski area to visit will depend on distance, budget, conditions and terrain.

Boreal Mountain Resort

Closest Ski Resorts to Sacramento

These resorts are family-friendly and easy to get to:

• Soda Springs is a small resort with 13 runs served by 4 chairlifts. Families with young children will enjoy its Planet Kids program which is a ski learning program for children age 8 and under. Equipment rentals and ski lessons are available at the resort.
• Donner Ski Ranch is a smaller resort perfect for families. The smaller size means shorter lift lines and smaller crowds. They operate 2 moving carpets and 6 chairlifts. Ski rentals and lessons are available for all ages. Check the Donner Ski Ranch webcam for a live view of the mountain.
• Boreal is a mid-sized mountain, with 33 ski runs served by 8 chairlifts. Information on equipment rentals, lessons and passes are available online. Visit their webcam to check current conditions.
• Sugar Bowl is a larger resort and has over 100 ski runs to suit any skill level. They operate 12 lifts including 2 surface lifts for beginners. Plan your visit by checking ticket prices, scheduling lessons for first-timers and learning about equipment options. View real-time conditions with the Sugar Bowl webcams.

Donner Ski Ranch

Other Ski Areas near Sacramento

These larger resorts are off of Highway 89 near Tahoe City:

Northstar California Resort is comprised of 98 ski runs served by 20 lifts. To learn more, check out their ticket, rental and leason webpages. To see their current conditions, visit the Northstar live webcams.

• Alpine Meadows/Squaw Valley Ski Resorts offers world-class ski terrain. Visitors can plan their adventure by reading about daily pass, ski lesson or rental information View the resort in real time by visiting the interactive Alpine Meadows/Squaw Valley Ski Resort webcams.

Sugar Bowl

Other Ski Resorts

Northern California is home to many other ski resorts as well. These resorts include Kirkwood, Bear Valley, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Homewood, Mt. Rose, Dodge Ridge, Heavenly and Mt. Shasta.

Downhill skiing is a great way to spend time as a family. This, combined with the historic levels of snow we’ve received makes it a great time to plan your family’s ski adventure.

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Not sure if you’re ready to try downhill skiing? No problem. Check out our extensive listing of other places to go in the Sacramento area.