Cross-Country Skiing with Dogs in the Tahoe Region (updated 2019)

With hundreds of kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails around the Lake Tahoe region, it can come as a bit of a shock how few of those kilometers are dog friendly.  Here's a round-up of the best options I've found in the area.

Best for classic skiing and light back-country

Hope Valley Outdoors

Climbing up Water Dog at Hope Valley Outdoors

Hope valley is just barely a developed ski area.  Headquarters is a yurt just off the intersection of state routes 88 and 89 east of Carson Pass (south of Lake Tahoe).  They rent skis and snowshoes out of the yurt, and there is an outhouse for your convenience.  You will find no over-priced snack bar here.  Only some of the trails are groomed, and only for classic at that.  There aren't really any loops per se, just trails leading out into the surrounding national forest land.  Which is all just great as far as I'm concerned.  There are enough kilometers of classic track to give a novice a decent day out, and they give way to a some lightly trafficked but easy to follow back-country routes into beautiful terrain.  There is a mix of gentle climbs and flat meadows in the trail system, and since the trails link into the national forest, with several minor peaks nearby, there's something for every skill level. The whole place is completely dog-friendly, and has that old style just-what-you-need-and-nothing-else cross-country vibe.

Best for skating

1. Tahoe XC

Tahoe XC is our favorite groomed skating option of the moment.  It's situated on gently sloped land rolling up from the north shore of Lake Tahoe, with good terrain for beginning to intermediate skiers.  As per usual with groomed resorts, they only allow dogs on a few trails and as of the 2019 ski season dogs aren't even allowed on those trails on Saturdays and Holidays during peak hours from 10 am - 2 pm.  Still, you can come up on most Sundays and ski all day on 8 km of rolling terrain through the woods.  The blue trail has an appreciable enough climb to keep advanced skiers from getting bored.  This ski area is also right next to some moderately busy snowmobile trails up Mt Watson, and there might be a possibility to extend a ski from the dog trails here onto that trail network when those trails have been well packed down.  So we'll try to explore that option later in the winter.

2. Kirkwood

The Outer Meadow loop at Kirkwood

I have never actually skied with a dog at Kirkwood, but they've got both a short, easy loop around an open meadow, and a few kilometers of intermediate terrain groomed for skate and classic skiing.  I have skied the meadow sans-dog and it's quite scenic, though flat.  Some third party websites say that dogs must be on leash at Kirkwood, but that seems to come from some local ordinances that they don't necessarily enforce.  So be aware someone might ask you to leash your dog on these trails (which is pretty hard to manage unless you're full-on skijouring) but probably it won't be an issue.  There don't seem to be any blackout days/times for dogs at Kirkwood, so give them a point there.

3. Tahoe Donner XC

The overlook on Dogs In Space at Tahoe Donner XC

Tahoe Donner XC has the most advanced skiing options for dogs in the lake Tahoe Area, but with a catch.  As of 2019 they've updated their dog policy to require at least $300,000 in liability insurance, which is more than our policy covers, so I guess we don't get to go there anymore.  Also note that dogs aren't allowed on the trail during peak hours until March.  December to February dogs are banned 10-3 on weekends and holidays.  If you can meet their insurance policy and get there on a good dog-legal day, though, Tohoe Donner has the most fun and advanced dog trails in the region, with a significant climb up to the 'Dogs In Space' overlook.  The trail grooming is also the best and most consistent I've found in the region.

4. Bear Valley XC

We haven't skied Bear Valley XC but we've been by it several times to poke around Lake Alpine.  It's undergone a management change recently and the dog rules were unclear for a while, but as of January 2020 dogs are allowed at the trails starting from the secondary trailhead at Tamarack Lodge west of the main Bear Valley trailhead on highway 4.  Though we haven't tried it yet, the fact that the trails in this section are rated moderate on the ski map is a good sign that these aren't the lame meadow loops usually offered up for dog-friendly skiing.  On the negative side, now that I know to look for it they don't seem to have ever groom or open these trails in December 2019.  It's early yet and it may be that there just isn't enough snow yet this season for this section.  Be warned, though, there is a bizarre culture among CA cross country ski operations where they think its OK to advertise some idealized trail system that's basically never all groomed and open at the same time.  I haven't figured out which is the case here.

5. Royal Gorge

Snoop's Loop on Royal Gorge's Van Norden Trail System

Royal Gorge bills itself as 'the largest cross-country ski resort in North America'.  There may be some technicality on which that is true, but in any meaningful sense, it's a big fat lie.  Even if it were true it wouldn't mean much because I've never been there when more than about half the trails on the map are groomed.  They are also kind of jerks about dogs around the chalet.  They wouldn't even let us sit with our dog outside on the back deck, even though some other skiers had their dog hanging out there, I assume friends of the staff or something.  Also you need to rent skis/get trail passes at the main Chalet, but the dog trails are all out of a secondary parking lot down the hill that's poorly maintained and they won't let you ski down there with your dog.  The only positive points they get are that they don't have blackout days/times for dogs.  Even that's not very impressive when you consider they only have a few kilometers of pretty boring skiing open to dogs around a lakebed. The trails in this section seem to only exist to allow some skiable routes from the downhill ski village to the real trail network. So they only allow dogs here because no one cares. Yeah.  I kind of hate Royal Gorge.

But, if you're just learning to ski and flat open trails with easy access to I-80 are just what you want, then Royal Gorge is worth a look.

Dog Haters

Don't even try at the following ski areas, no dogs at all.

Auburn Ski Club

Squaw Valley Nordic

Camp Richardson

Marked Backcountry Ski Trails

Signs and trail markers at the Loon Lake Winter Recreation Area

If you get yourself a set of basic waxless 'fish scale' classic skis, you can pretty much just go where you want on national forest land with your pooch.  On moving to California my first instinct to backcountry touring was to wait until just after a big dump and tool around through the powder on a relatively gentle stretch of hiking trail.  You can do that, and it's beautiful, but the work of breaking trail means you won't get very far, and the lack of blazes on most hiking trails means it's hard to really get anywhere unless you know a particular spot really well.  Also for many dogs, a fresh dump of snow can be quite difficult to navigate, either because it forms an icy crust that cuts up their legs, or because huge snowballs forming on their body hair and in between their toes.  I've seen long haired dogs completely immobilized this way. 

I've found that the best way to enjoy the snow with a dog is actually to wait for a week or two after a big dump and let the snow compact a bit.   Once you've got some real 'Sierra cement' going, most dogs will be able to walk on the surface without too much postholeing and a fit dog will be able to follow you for miles and miles through the snow.  And the best way to actually make it anywhere is to hit up some of the Sierra trails specifically marked for backcountry ski and snowshoe travel, or to follow a route with moderate snowmobile traffic.

Loon Lake Winter Recreation Area

Looking northwest over the Loon Lake Winter Recreation Area from the Shadow Lake Trail

There are several marked ski trails leading out from the Loon Lake Chalet, north of Hwy 50 and just west of the Desolation Wilderness, west of Lake Tahoe.  There are a nice selection of routes to take here with a variety of length and difficulty.  Putter around the lake and gently rolling terrain, wander up some small bluffs, or climb several hundred feet up into the Desolation Wilderness on the Shadow Lake Trail to get some excellent views of Loon Lake and the surrounding area.

Carson Pass

Woods Lake, with the peak of Round Top looming behind.

There is a marked trail from the Carson Pass Sno Park that descends about 200 feet to the Woods Lake Access road. Good for intermediate to advanced skiers. Another route follows a dirt road from Meiss Meadows snow park down to the Woods Lake Access road, which is a bit more beginner friendly.  Once on the road, you can continue south to Woods Lake and a great view of Round Top Mountain looming above you.

Some Unmarked, but Easy to Follow Routes

Coldstream Creek Canyon

Peaking out into the valley formed by Coldstream Creek from the snowcat-packed road up the valley.  This ski was just after a big powdery dump of snow.  Trying to break trail up here would be hard work for us and unpleasant for our dog to wallow along behind us.

Tucked on the south side of Donner Memorial State Park (which has some of it's own ski trails), Coldstream Drive up into Colstream Creak Canyon is not plowed in winter and is often packed by a snow-cat servicing the Lost Trail Lodge deep in the valley.  This makes for an easy to follow route that is surprisingly quiet for its proximity to Truckee.  It starts with a hundred feet of steady climb in the first half mile that might tax some beginners, but then moderates for a gently rolling climb for a few miles into the heart of the valley, with some occasional vistas over the valley and a few small lakes along the way.

Highway 4 east of Lake Alpine to Cape Horn

The few from a bluff just south of Cape Horn, a local high point on Hwy 4 east of lake Alpine.

Highway 4 east of Lake Alpine is a popular snowmobiling route.  This route is probably best avoided on busy weekends in January and February because of all those snowmobiles.  But we had a great ski up this road on a quiet April Saturday to Cape Horn, with excellent views to the south, and beyond to the Mosquito Lakes.  I have also spotted diamond blazes circumnavigating Lake Alpine itself on hikes around the area, but we weren't able to find them on our last trip up there, probably because there was a record snowpack covering the blazes.