Palisades Tahoe & Aerial Tram
The Olympic mountain and its sky-high pool deck
⏱ 2 hours to full day👤 All ages$$$
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When the 1960 Winter Olympics came to a then-obscure California valley, they built the template for the modern ski destination — and the mountain spent the decades since earning its on-film legend: the granite chutes of KT-22, Palisades' namesake cliffs, and the Olympic Valley sightlines that made it extreme skiing's Hollywood. Today's resort pairs that pedigree with scale: 6,000 acres and 42 lifts across two base areas (Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows) linked by the Base-to-Base gondola, with terrain honestly stacked from world's-steepest-marquee to beginner zones, and a snow year that regularly runs lifts into late spring. It's on the Ikon Pass — North Tahoe's counterweight to Heavenly's Epic.
The Aerial Tram is the all-season flagship: a 120-passenger cabin — the only aerial tram at a U.S. ski resort — climbing 2,000 vertical feet from the Village to High Camp, perched at 8,200 feet in a granite amphitheater with Lake Tahoe on the horizon. High Camp is a destination, not a lift station: the seasonal Umbrella Bar and restaurant terraces, the famous summer swimming lagoon and hot tub deck (swimming at 8,200 feet is the flex), the Olympic Heritage exhibits, disc golf, and trailheads for high-alpine hiking — the Shirley Lake trail descending to the Village via waterfalls is the classic. Summer 2026 marks the resort's 75th anniversary season of this routine.
The Village at Palisades Tahoe anchors the valley floor — lodging, dining, and apres that functions year-round — with Tahoe City and the north shore's beaches fifteen minutes away. Logistics: Ikon and advance online tickets for winter (holiday walk-ups sting), tram tickets bundled with High Camp amenities in summer, and parking reservations on peak winter dates — check before driving up. For the North Shore trip, this is the mountain half; Sand Harbor's water is the other.
What to Expect
Format
A 6,000-acre, two-valley ski giant (Ikon Pass) with the 1960 Olympic pedigree — and the year-round 120-passenger Aerial Tram to High Camp's 8,200-foot pool deck, Olympic exhibits, dining, and alpine trailheads.
Best Time
Winter for the legendary terrain (midweek beats holiday crowds and parking reservations); summer for the tram-and-pool combo and high-alpine hikes. Spring skiing here famously outlasts the calendar.
Duration
Two hours for the tram and High Camp; a half-to-full day skiing or hiking.
Tips
Buy winter tickets online ahead and check parking-reservation requirements on peak dates. Summer move: tram up, Shirley Lake trail down past the waterfalls. The High Camp pool is seasonal — confirm it's filled before promising kids. Afternoon thunderheads build fast at 8,200 feet; hike early.
⚡ Quick Picks
Best For
Serious skiers in winter; in summer, anyone who wants to swim at 8,200 feet with the lake on the horizon.
Families
High Camp's pool-and-disc-golf afternoon is the north shore's sleeper family hit; winter ski school is Olympic-grade.
Couples
Tram at golden hour, drinks at the Umbrella Bar, alpenglow on the granite — the North Shore date.
Pair With
Tahoe City's lakefront and Commons Beach fifteen minutes down the valley, or Truckee's historic downtown.
Time Needed
Two hours to a full day.
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Get Tickets →Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the old Squaw Valley?
Yes — the resort renamed to Palisades Tahoe in 2021. Same 1960 Olympic valley, same KT-22, now linked with Alpine Meadows into one 6,000-acre resort on the Ikon Pass.
What's at High Camp?
An 8,200-foot perch reached by the Aerial Tram: seasonal swimming lagoon and hot tubs, restaurants and the Umbrella Bar, Olympic Heritage exhibits, disc golf, and alpine trailheads with lake horizons.
Can non-skiers ride the tram in winter?
Yes — the tram runs for sightseeing year-round (weather permitting), and High Camp's dining and viewing decks work in both seasons.
How does it compare to Heavenly?
Palisades is the skiers' mountain — steeper legend, Ikon Pass, North Shore base. Heavenly is bigger-view skiing with the lake panorama and South Shore nightlife. Dedicated trips do one week at each and refuse to rule.
Do I need parking reservations?
On peak winter dates, often yes — the resort runs a reservation system for busy mornings. Check the parking page before any holiday or powder weekend drive.
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Heavenly Mountain Resort & Gondola
Tahoe's biggest mountain, straddling two states — 4,800 skiable acres in winter, and year-round gondola rides from South Lake Tahoe's village to a 9,123-foot observation deck with the lake filling the horizon.
Northstar California Resort
Tahoe's polished family mountain — 3,170 groomed-to-silk acres above a pedestrian village with an ice rink and s'mores hour, plus summer lift-served mountain biking that ranks with the West's best parks.
Donner Memorial State Park
The Sierra's most sobering story, told where it happened — the Donner Party's 1846 winter camp beside its namesake alpine lake, with a modern museum, the Pioneer Monument's 22-foot snow-depth pedestal, and summer beaches.