America's Best Small Ski Towns
After the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, the Lake Tahoe region became synonymous with the stirrup pants–and–cheese fondue après-ski high life. But the glamour—and the high prices—never quite made it to the little town of Truckee, a historic logging and railway hub just 15 miles away. A big set of railroad tracks cuts the main street off from the otherwise lovely Truckee River, and hanging wires mar the beauty of the 19th-century frontier-style façades, but there’s an undeniable rough-hewn charm to the place.
In Town: Check out the old-timey plank construction of the city’s most venerable establishment, the Truckee Hotel. The 100-year-old hotel doesn’t just evoke the Old West; it is the Old West. Rather than bunk there (rooms are small), stop in for a bite at the ground-floor restaurant, Moody’s Bistro (dinner for two $120), where the ever-changing menu emphasizes fresh, locally grown, and organic ingredients, served up in dishes with hearty names like “big ass pork platter.” Time’s not standing still in Truckee, though. Just witness the two-year-old Cedar House Sport Hotel (doubles from $150), a sleekly minimalist eco-lodge that really is made of cedar, all of it sourced in an environmentally friendly way. Proprietor Patricia Baird attributes Truckee’s growing appeal to the town’s solid fundamentals: easy access off Interstate 80 and three major ski resorts within city limits—Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, and Northstar Tahoe.
On the Slopes: While sprawling Squaw Valley (lift ticket $79), famous for its experts-only runs, has long cornered the market on celebrity-driven fabulosity, Northstar Tahoe (lift ticket $74) is making a serious play for its turf, with a Ritz-Carlton and a Hyatt Residence Club scheduled to open there in the coming year. As a small operator, Baird says she welcomes the big boys. “I don’t have the ability to market the destination the way they do,” she says. “They’re going to put Truckee on the map.”
Sponsored By