California, Usa · Epic
Heavenly
4,800 acres across CA-NV border, 1,066m vertical, 97 runs. Epic Pass access at Lake Tahoe's highest resort.
Season 2026 - 2027
Opens
24 Nov 2026
Closes
4 Apr 2027
Days open
131
Annual snow
30ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Heavenly spans 4,800 acres across the California-Nevada border at Lake Tahoe, with a summit elevation of 3,068 metres making it the highest resort in the basin. The 1,066-metre vertical drop feeds 97 runs spread between four base areas, whilst the ski area receives an average of 9.1 metres of snowfall annually and maintains extensive snowmaking across more than 60 per cent of terrain. The resort opened in 1955 and has been owned by Vail Resorts since 2002.
Terrain breaks down to 8 per cent beginner, 62 per cent intermediate, 25 per cent advanced and 5 per cent expert. Ridge Run and California Trail deliver panoramic Lake Tahoe views across long intermediate cruisers on the California side, whilst Mott Canyon on the Nevada side offers steep chutes and glades with over 490 metres of sustained vertical. The ski area's unique straddling of two states creates distinct characters - California slopes face the lake with wider groomers, Nevada terrain delivers steeper pitches and Carson Valley vistas.
The base village sits in South Lake Tahoe at Heavenly Village, where the 8-person gondola rises 900 metres from the casino corridor. On-mountain lodges include Tamarack at the gondola's upper terminal, California Lodge with the aerial tram, and East Peak Lodge on the Nevada side. Crowds concentrate at weekends and holidays, particularly on connector runs between states, though the sprawling footprint disperses traffic across multiple pods.
Epic Pass provides unlimited access, with the resort also honouring Epic Local Pass with holiday restrictions. The 2025-2026 season runs from 22 November through 5 April. Heavenly suits strong intermediates and groups mixing abilities, though beginners face isolated learning zones with limited progression routes between sectors and experts may find the double-black percentage modest for a resort of this scale.
3,497ft
Vertical
97
Runs
4,800 acres
Skiable
30ft
Annual snow
Epic
Pass
The Terrain
97 runs across 4,800 acres skiable
Heavenly spreads 97 runs across 4,800 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 62%, with 8 beginner runs to find your feet and 29 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
97
runs
97 runs across 4 grades
Beginner8 runs · 8%
Intermediate60 runs · 62%
Advanced24 runs · 25%
Expert5 runs · 5%
Time it right
When to visit Heavenly
The 2025-2026 season opens 22 November 2025 and closes 5 April 2026, delivering a 135-day operating window. Heavenly typically opens in the third or fourth week of November depending on snowmaking windows, with Thanksgiving weekend reliably seeing gondola and multiple base areas operational. The resort celebrated its 70th anniversary in the 2025-2026 season, having first opened as Heavenly Valley on 15 December 1955.
Annual snowfall averages 9.1 metres at upper elevations, with the 3,068-metre summit and extensive grooming fleet maintaining cover throughout winter. Snowmaking blankets approximately 60 per cent of terrain via over 200 snow guns, concentrated on lower and mid-mountain zones. The Tahoe basin's relatively moderate elevation for a major resort means rain can affect base areas during warm cycles, though upper mountain snow quality benefits from cold storms tracking across the Sierra crest.
January through March deliver peak powder reliability, with the first week of March historically the snowiest period averaging 43 centimetres across 3.3 snowy days. December and April offer thinner but often uncrowded conditions. Spring corn develops by late March on sun-exposed California faces. Base depths held at 104 centimetres mid-season 2025-2026, with 477 centimetres of cumulative snowfall recorded.
The resort hosts the Toyota Air and Après event in late February featuring professional athletes on a 14-metre jump constructed on World Cup terrain. A weekend DJ Cat programme runs December through March with guest DJs performing from a snowcat on weekends. Night operations are not offered, though the gondola operates for summer sightseeing from May, and tubing at Adventure Peak typically opens mid-December.
Season 2026 - 2027
24 Nov 2026
Opens
4 Apr 2027
Closes
131
Days open
30 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Heavenly, and where to stay
Heavenly occupies the southeastern corner of Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada, with the ridgeline summit forming the California-Nevada state border at 3,068 metres elevation. The resort sits directly above the town of South Lake Tahoe on the California side and Stateline, Nevada, where casino hotels cluster along the boundary. The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit oversees the permit area through the USDA Forest Service, with approximately one-third of the 4,800-acre permit currently developed for skiing.
South Lake Tahoe, population 21,330, provides the primary base with lodging concentrated along Highway 50 and around Heavenly Village at the gondola plaza. Stateline casinos including Harrah's and Harveys sit 500 metres from the gondola base. The California Lodge base lies 3.4 kilometres south along Ski Run Boulevard, whilst Nevada's Stagecoach Lodge sits 9 kilometres northeast via the winding Kingsbury Grade Road climbing 450 vertical metres from the lakeshore.
Highway 50 delivers all-weather access from Sacramento, 177 kilometres west via Echo Summit, a drive of two hours. From the San Francisco Bay Area, the journey covers 320 kilometres and takes approximately 3.5 hours via Interstate 80 to Truckee then Highway 89 south, or via Highway 50 through Placerville. Winter chain controls apply regularly on both routes during active storms.
Reno-Tahoe International Airport lies 88 kilometres northeast, a 75-minute drive via Highway 395 and Highway 50 through Carson City. Multiple shuttle operators including South Tahoe Airporter run hourly services taking 75 minutes. Sacramento International Airport sits 177 kilometres west with a two-hour transfer. Amtrak serves Reno with connecting shuttles to South Lake Tahoe. No passenger rail serves the immediate area, though the BlueGo bus system operates free routes between Heavenly Village, California Lodge, and both Nevada bases with service every 30 minutes during ski season.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Heavenly, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026
Unstable Glacier Above Randa Puts Zermatt-Area Village on Alert
A hanging glacier above the Swiss village of Randa, just south of Zermatt, has been shedding large chunks of ice for weeks, with authorities warning more break-offs are likely. A danger zone has been closed off since June, though officials say the village's 479 residents aren't at risk. It's a familiar pattern for this glacier - it's done this before, in 1819, 1972 and 1973 - but a reminder of how closely Alpine authorities now watch terrain once considered stable.
26 Aug 2026
Thredbo Is 'On the Table' as EVT Reviews Its Whole Business
Thredbo is officially 'on the table.' EVT Limited, owner of Australia's most decorated ski resort, has hired Rothschild & Co to review its entire corporate structure - and confirmed Thredbo isn't off limits, even as it books a stronger year of earnings. The resort's own valuation has nearly halved after a brutal 2026 season, and speculation is already running toward Vail Resorts, Alterra, or a New Zealand operator picking it up. Here's what EVT actually said, and who could buy it.
25 Aug 2026
Heavenly Lift System
Twenty-six lifts serve the mountain, comprising one aerial tramway, one 8-person gondola, two high-speed six-packs, eight high-speed quads, two fixed-grip doubles, six triple chairs, one T-bar and five surface conveyor lifts. The infrastructure delivers an uphill capacity approaching 50,000 skiers per hour across the four base areas. The system blends modern detachable technology on primary arteries with older fixed-grip installations on secondary terrain.
The Heavenly Gondola ascends 3.9 kilometres from Heavenly Village to Tamarack Lodge in 12 minutes, stopping at an observation deck at 2,786 metres elevation mid-route. Gunbarrel Express, a high-speed quad installed in 1998, parallels the 50-person Aerial Tram from California Lodge, both accessing Tamarack zone. Sky Express climbs to the resort's 3,034-metre summit, serving as the sole connector between California and Nevada sides via the flat Skyline Trail traverse.
On the Nevada side, Stagecoach Express provides primary uploading from the Kingsbury base at 2,288 metres, whilst North Bowl Express accesses advanced terrain after a 2022 upgrade from fixed triple to high-speed quad that cut ride time from 15 to 5 minutes. Dipper Express and Comet Express serve California's lower intermediate zones. Magic carpet lifts operate at Adventure Peak atop the gondola and at California Lodge for first-timers.
The 1984 Aerial Tram remains in service primarily for downloading skiers uncomfortable with steep Gunbarrel runs, though the gondola has assumed most sightseeing traffic since its 2002 installation. Bottlenecks develop at Sky Express during peak hours as the single link between mountain halves, and the two-to-four-lift journey from any base to summit creates logistical friction for guests seeking to sample the full resort footprint.
26lifts across 8 types
1
Aerial Tram
1
Gondola
2
6-Person Chairs
8
Quad Chairs
6
Triple Chairs
2
Double Chairs
1
T-Bar
5
Surface Lifts
Heavenly lift system
Heavenly is served by 26 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More Heavenly intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.