Ski resorts in California and Nevada. By car.
Usually, when planning to visit the West Coast of the United States, most tourists fly to San Francisco. Of course, there is an international airport, but not only this determines the choice. This beautiful city is located in a generous, on an amazing landscape, place. There is a lot of the same here. It also attracts me by the fact that being located in the center of California, it seems to suggest the goal of further research in the United States. Probably a lot of people go south, along the coast. They are attracted by the names of cities - Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, etc. At least that's what I did a few times. Even in San Francisco, you can choose the time of year. Yes Yes. A contrasting choice is also offered - in winter or in summer. The temperature difference in California is quite large. Typing this text, I looked at the forecast. At the moment it's plus ten in Palm Springs and minus 14 in Fort Bidwell. And these are not the most oppositely scattered cities. I remember that three hours from San Fr. , in the town of Pismo Beach, in the month of November, my two-year-old grandson and I were swimming in the ocean. What can we say about South San Diego. The water along the coast is usually cool. Affect currents from Alaska. In February - March, there is still snow in the mountains, but in the south it is already over 30 C.
So, purely instinctively, you want to head south, especially if you travel in winter. Having visited many cities in several visits, located, according to the map, below San Francisco, I wanted to go to the Northern part of California. Sequoias, waterfalls, mountains and ocean. You can take a bath at the hotel and watch the sunset. Or take a cable car to the mountains, breathe in the crystal air. While I was googling the internet, winter came, and this route had to be postponed, since the best time for it is early autumn. Agree - sleeping in a tent suspended from a tree is not reasonable in winter. But I didn’t want to retreat, and the choice fell on ski resorts. It seemed to me that the city of Reno, in Nevada, is the best starting point. Having booked a room at the Hyatt, on a sunny warm morning on January 10, we drove north by car. Tires, as it turned out, were summer.
Reno is a pretty nice town, hemmed in by mountains on three sides. Fresh frosty air and a thick layer of snow greeted us after four hours of driving. The hotel was located near the airport, it seemed you could reach the snowy peaks of the mountains with your hand. Beautiful. Having pulled things into the room and changed clothes, we decided to dedicate the remaining half day to a 3-year-old baby. By analogy with Las Vegas, we went to the Circus casino, but our expectations were not met. There were no slides, rides. I had to be content with a free show of our, perhaps already former, compatriots. And, of course, the casino, where without it. I wanted to end the day with delicious food and drinks.
If you haven't been to the US yet, you've probably heard of bad American food. This is not entirely true. Expecting $20 or more for a dish, you are sure to get something delicious. And "SoDo" did not let us down. An escalope was chosen for a snack, which turned out to be fragrant and tender. The main course is red fish for me, my daughter chose sea bass. A glass of wine came in handy, the daughter savored a non-alcoholic cocktail. Dessert was not taken, I wanted tea in the hotel lobby. $72 not including tips. Good price.
Second day. In the morning, having arrived at the "Northstar", it turned out that I needed to transfer to a bus going to the village. 5 minutes and we are at the destination - restaurants, hotels, rental, skating rink, and ski lifts. Altitude -1930 meters. The highest point of the lift is 2630 meters. It overlooks Lake Tahoe. I counted 10 tracks. 13% for beginners, 62% for intermediate difficulty, 25% for advanced skiers. The place is very beautiful: coniferous trees, mountains, snow. What else does a skier need? Oh yes, the hotel. There is a choice for every taste and budget. From 250 to 1500 dollars per night. A house with a personal access to the ski lift - from $800. Schools for children from 3 years old and for adults. The price for an elevator is $40 per day. But there is also a free, first level, to the Ritz-Carlton hotel. Ten minutes on it - and behold, you are on top of the world! The spectacle is awesome, next to the track for snowboarders. Here, again, ski schools, cafes, places to relax. Handsome hotel. Sipping a cocktail by the fireplace, you can watch the lift cabins, or bask in the outdoor pool, under the falling snow, look at the mountains, skiers rushing and feel involved in this wonderful sport. And all this for some $ 1300 per day. Haha. Not far away, in a restaurant on this level, you can have a snack with soup, baked potatoes, sandwiches. All for 10 dollars. We rode a snowmobile, sat in the cafe of the Ritz Hotel, climbed to the next level. At the very top - again a restaurant, with alcohol and typical American snacks. But the view! The wind blew through the body, but it is impossible to take your eyes off the grandeur and beauty of nature. You feel like a bird about to take off. Surprised by the abundance of children. Toddlers of four years old are already decently and fearlessly rushing down. Time flew by unnoticed. I remembered the ice rink, down there. I myself was on skis, the last time, 40 years ago. But in order to skate, I try to use the slightest opportunity. There are no longer those winters in Kyiv, those ski slopes that were in youth. The skating rink remained more accessible. I skated in New York at Rockefeller Center, in San Francisco at Union Square and in some other small towns in the USA. But disappointment awaited below. The skating rink had just begun to be cleaned, although it was already 4 p. m....
So, Northstar - a lot of lifts, there are also free ones; hotels, schools, restaurants and pubs, skating rink, rental, shopping, tubing for children. Altitude difference - 700 meters.
Back at home, I made a listing of hotels, resorts, beautiful places that I would like to visit. We went to have dinner at another resort, Squaw Valley, at the hotel "Squaw Creek at resort" According to the navigator - 30 minutes, but we drove for an hour, it was snowing, it was dark and summer tires. And it was worth it. In this village, snow was thicker than human height, elegant, in the lights, houses were buried in it. A picture from childhood itself, it seemed now Santa Claus would come out from behind the spruce and ask for a ride. A large fireplace burned in the lobby of the hotel, creating a cozy atmosphere. Here is our goal - the Six Peaks restaurant. It was very beautiful, snow was falling outside the window, bonfires were burning, children were skating under the windows. The food turned out to be very tasty: an appetizer - thin slices of duck, and a little sauce. The main dishes are grilled salmon with potatoes, and sea bass with chanterelles. The portions are dainty and very small. The taste is specific, as the unforgettable A. Raikin used to say. I drank 2 glasses of excellent wine. Dessert - cake, with some kind of crispy plate. For everything - $ 112 + tip. The food and service would have been 5 stars if not for the "French" size portions and tomorrow's dinner at another hotel. We went down to the spa, where fires were burning. If, when choosing a hotel, a pool and an outdoor hot tub open until late in the evening seem like an extra option, then you need to try this. Snow is falling quietly, already creating a layer around the pool, more than a meter high. Music plays, steam rises from the emerald water, and the cocktail in your hand seems insanely delicious. And a warm, fluffy bathrobe is already waiting for you, but you don’t want to get out, you like to talk, to carry all sorts of nonsense. Around the night, and only you in the center of the universe.
Day three. To the ski resort "Diamond Peak" on the navigator 52 minutes. It is located in the village of Inkline Village. The path lies through the capital of Nevada, to Lake Tahoe. The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino is located there, and the ski lifts are a kilometer away. The hotel is very beautiful, with a mountain on one side and a lake on the other. Around coniferous, in the snow, forest and silence. There is a casino, a buffet with delicious pastries and a cafe with a list of dishes that did not tempt us. Open pool. Nearby, a half-frozen stream gurgles. Fairy tale!... We rented skis for a toddler. Liked the lifts for the kids. Brief information: base - 6700 feet above sea level, peak -8540, length of descent - 2.5 miles. Prices - lifts for adults per day - $ 59, for boys - 49, for children - 20. An hour and a half with an instructor - $ 150.2 hours in a group - $150. Package rental - $42. Trails for skiers and snowboarders. 18% beginner, 46% intermediate, 36% advanced. The restaurant has hot dogs, coffee, eggs, salads, etc. We liked the resort. Good place for beginners, kids. Such a heavily stripped-down version of Northstar. The disadvantages include the lack of restaurants, shops, pubs. Only snow and mountains. On the way back, the sun hid behind mountains that hung over a large lake. Its rays bounced off the white peaks and colored the clouds. Amazing sunset. We drove through the pass for a long time, summer tires and the lack of chains did not allow us to increase speed.
The day ended in Reno, at the Atlantis casino. I have been to Vegas 2 times, stayed at Treasure Island and Vdara. I was afraid that Atlantis, like Circus, would disappoint me. But no, everything is on the level. Marble, some band lit in the casino, pool on the third floor, high-speed glass elevators overlooking the city, cleanliness. And a lot of funny people. Celebration! Booked a table at Bistro Napa. Specialization - seafood. We chose 3 appetizers and one course. I love raw oysters drizzled with squeezed lemon juice and seasoned with horseradish sauce. That's why I couldn't resist here. The hot, freshly baked three kinds of bread was amazing. A dozen oysters for me and a large portion of mussels for my daughter turned out to be very appetizing. In no time the waiters replaced the bread with hot, brought warm wet hand towels, replaced the dishes and wiped the tablecloth. "Prime rib" turned out to be a 3 cm thick steak, very fragrant, juicy and insanely tasty. My daughter had a duck with vegetables, wrapped in crispy thin sacks of dough. Wonderful! A glass of wine, ruby in color, intoxicated, inflaming the blood. The waiters changed the dishes again, wiped the table. For dessert, a large piece of strawberry cake. For everything - $ 114, + tips. Assessing the atmosphere, service and food, I would put all five. After losing money in the casino, we went to the hotel.
Day four. After breakfast, we packed our bags and loaded them into the car. The hotel was clean, quiet, spacious room. Good by Reno, "the largest small city in the world", the former capital of the gambling business. We decided to go to the Squaw Creek at resort hotel we liked. The morning turned out to be frosty and sunny. The highway dried up, and an hour later the valet took the car. $ 15. There is free parking about 150 meters away, but somehow I didn’t feel like stomping in the snow, and there is no security there. This time we examined the hotel better. Ski lifts are just around the corner. Price is $ 90 per day. Two slopes. you can ski straight down the hill to the hotel, where there is a huge fireplace blazing in the street, and nearby they sell booze, music plays. $ for one sled. But 45 minutes of pleasure and memories for a lifetime. There is also a free shuttle to Squaw Village. There is a lot of entertainment for children: snowmobiling - $25 for 15 minutes, tubing - $20 for an hour, children's slides, schools You can give the baby for half a day to the trainer, though with it costs $650. The grandson was content with tubing, famously racing from the mountains on a rubber circle. Lots of trails and lifts. Near restaurants, cafes, parking lots, shops, several hotels. By four o'clock we returned to the hotel and we were going to eat at the Six Peaks restaurant we liked, but it opened at 5 pm. If you are not afraid of the price for dinner, then I recommend visiting this restaurant. Before eating, you can go skating here, and ski or board too, after it, in the hall, play chess, or relax with a glass of "mojito" by the fireplace. We liked the restaurant and the hotel very much. For children there is a playroom, cafes. I did not want to leave, but I was already waiting for San Francisco.
Summing up the trip, we can say that we got a lot of impressions and pleasure. If you like gambling and skiing, then these places are for you. In Reno, you can rent a hotel for $40 - $60, and there are more than a dozen ski resorts within an hour's drive, with excellent snow. Well, if money is not a problem, Northstar is probably the best choice. Of course, there are more famous ski resorts in the USA, but it’s worth it to spend 3 hours on the road from S. F. and plunge into a winter fairy tale at least for a day. Plus, it's only 450 miles from Heavenly Resort to Las Vegas, where it's still sunny today, 01/20/2013 plus 18 S.
