Homewood, California
Homewood ski resort is on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. This is the only resort in Tahoe where the runs end up close to the lakeshore at 6,230 ft. This review is based on about 5 visits in many different conditions over a 10-year period.
Update April 2022
Since we visited last, Homewood upgraded a bit with a high speed quad replacing their most popular lift “The Quad” which has now become “Old Homewood Express”. They have plans to replace the main chair out of the base “Madden” with a new gondola eventually. Homewood is entirely on private properly and they intend to develop home sites on the mountain so the gondola supports that goal.
Homewood was on the Best 100 list at one point, but when we were refining the list in 2022 to pick the last few resorts, they announced that they were taking the resort private. We couldn’t have a private resort on the list obviously, so we took it off. This was bad timing because later they reversed course and now it is going to remain public. Homewood is now on the list of resorts that didn’t make the list but deserves special mention as a great resort worth a visit if you can.
We haven’t yet been able to get back there to take photos , but hopefully that will happen soon. Thus, this review isn’t up to our usual standards yet.
Stats and Rating
| Real Vertical ? | 1,650′ |
| Size | 1,260 Acres |
| Annual Snowfall ? | 450″ claimed / 350″ actual |
| Lift Pods ? | 5 |
| Distinct Trails ? | 49 |
| Review Date | 2001-2006 |
| Number of visits | 5 |
| Our Rating | ★★ |
| Resort website | https://www.skihomewood.com |
Homewood Trail Map 20/21
Review
Homewood is a very unique place with some compelling qualities that make it ski better than the stats suggest. The main extraordinary quality is the stunning view of Lake Tahoe from many of the runs. It’s hard to take your eyes off the lake as you make your way down the ridge. The other one is that the low elevation is great on a storm day to stay out of the wind. On days when many of the Tahoe resorts shut down due to wind, Homewood will probably be 100% open.
We started skiing there with the kids in 2001 because of the 2 for 1 lift ticket deals and discounts for kids that they offer. The drive is a bit farther from the Bay Area though, because it is about mid-way up the lake on the west shore, so it’s a long-ish drive once you get off I-80 in Truckee, and you have to drive past Squaw and Alpine to get there. Later, we skied there with my parents who really liked it. It’s a relatively quick drive from South Lake Tahoe when 89 is open.
The area has some nice groomers and black runs, but the runs are fairly short because the area is set up on a ridge and the lifts are shorter affairs falling off of that on either side. The Ellis triple and the Old Homewood Express quad chairs both access the summit and are the most popular. Both provide access to the best terrain at the top of the mountain. There are 2 other major lifts that access the two distinct base areas (these used to be 2 different ski areas), but that terrain is not as usable due to snow conditions and terrain shape.
The good
- The views of the lake cannot be beat.
- It is protected from the wind on a storm day.
- It’s generally uncrowded
The bad
- This is the lowest summit elevation of any California resort on our list, at only 7,880 feet. This is a big problem that is only becoming bigger with global warming, because in poor snow years they have really struggle to open and stay open due to lack of snow at the base. We skied there one (short) day in January where it was pouring rain all the way to the summit.
- Old lodges, mostly old lifts
- Lift ticket prices are too high for a resort of this type (2025). Regular prices are on par with much more accessible higher altitude resorts like Sierra at Tahoe and Sugar Bowl. Back before 2006 they sold cheap tickets at the window which was why it was a much more popular place back then.
The bottom line
Homewood is a fun / mellow / uncrowded place with great views that is worth doing when the snow is good and it’s cold. The low elevation is a blessing on a storm day and a curse when it’s raining, so pick your days carefully and when the conditions are good it’s a fun place for a day of chill skiing.