Lake Tahoe transforms into a snowy playland with FREE adventure at your fingertips every winter! The streets turn into Santa’s workshop bursting at the seams with Christmas lights and holiday decorations pouring out of shop windows and music filling the streets. The sky erupts in magical winter sunsets seen from special spots and cozy corners. Adventure enthusiasts escape the crowds in their snowshoes and Nordic skis, and kids launch down sled hills with their parents racing after them. It’s winter bliss, and it’s all FREE!
Christmas Lights & Festive Decorations
Tree lighting celebrations are just around the corner with streets set alight in Christmas colors and shop windows filled with holiday decorations! The Bud Fish Tree Lighting takes place on November 18 and the Palisades Tahoe Tree Lighting and Santa Claus Visit on November 25 from 12 to 5PM is another free event open to all! Stroll through Downtown Truckee sightseeing and listening to free live music every Thursday to Saturday night this winter outside Bar of America and Moody’s Bistro Bar & Beats! Wander through Northstar Village and The Village at Squaw as the spirit of Christmas covers everything in sight!
Spectacular Winter Sunsets
Catch memorable winter sunsets over Lake Tahoe! The West Shore bursts with vibrant sunsets over Emerald Bay and from vantage points like West Shore Cafe! Enjoy the perfect mix of solitude and beauty sitting on a bench right along the water at William B Layton Park in Tahoe City. See magical colors blending into each other as they reflect over the Lake and fall across the Sierras at Hidden Beach in Incline Village, Donner Summit in Truckee and Moon Dunes Beach in Tahoe Vista! The views are free, and the memories will last a lifetime.
Snowplay & S’mores Kid Style, Especially for the Adults
Grab your own gear and head to the closest snowshoe trails for FREE adventure! Escape the crowds and embrace Mother Nature snowshoeing and cross country skiing through groomed trails and wild backcountry. Bring your own sled or snowtube and launch down free slid hills bouncing and laughing like a kid! Build snowmen, make snow angels and prepare for snowball fights. Get adventurous and go geocaching in the snow! Pack a hand shovel and pencil and hunt for treasure from Incline Village to Olympic Valley. See who can find the biggest pine cones along the way and warm up with hot chocolate and homemade s’mores at a lakeside firepit before heading back to your cozy rental after a fun day in the snow!