Winter Recreation Areas in California - Go to the Snow - Visit Norden/Donner Summit

California winters can be pretty chilly, but the temperatures and climates in California vary pretty substantially from one end of the state to the other. This is true of all seasons of the year. The temperatures throughout California depend on whether you are in the valley, inland in the mountains, on the coast; whether you're in Northern California, the bay area, or in the southern section of California, but the temperature does not drop below zero and compared to other parts of the United States, winters are quite mild.

In California, winters really last for only a few short months, compared to some other states where there is snow on the ground for much longer. In fact, it's probably considered rather warm by some people who deal with temperatures hovering at zero or less for most of the winter.

There are a lot of things to do in the Sierra Nevada Mountains throughout the year. During the winter, there are many places to spend time with family or friends, even alone, going skiing, snowboarding, tubing, playing in the snow, or just hanging out.

There are several nice ski areas near Donner Summit. Some are smaller, are more family-oriented, some are larger and better for skiing or for snowboarding. It just depends what you prefer. When I was younger, I used to love skiing at Squaw Valley because it has a variety of runs for skiing, snowboarding and is great for people at any experience level. But Squaw Valley is about 45 minutes or more beyond this point.

California Road Conditions at Cal-Trans

To get up-to-date road conditions, webcams and other information, go to Cal-Trans (California Department of Transportation's) website at www.dot.ca.gov. Credit goes to them for keeping the roads clear from snow and allowing people to continue to use the roads.

Always Carry Chains in the Winter if Heading for the Mountains

If you're heading up to the Donner area for a day of skiing, snowboarding or whatever, you will want to check if chains are required prior to going. If you plan on going up there regularly during the winter, purchasing a set of tire chains is a good idea. Otherwise, just observe the weather reports and road conditions and avoid going up there if chains are required. If chains are required, cars without tire chains are not permitted to pass beyond the Kingvale exit until the chains are installed. Those who have no tire chains cannot pass and are routed back in the direction they came.

Tire chains can be bought pretty inexpensively and last for a long time. You don't want to have to buy them from someone offering installation services on the side of the road because it will probably cost you an arm and a leg. It's better just to have them beforehand. Also, learn how to install them because again, you don't want to have to pay someone on the side of the freeway to install your tire chains for you. Installing tire chains is pretty simple once you know how to do it.

Not sure if the vehicle you own requires chains or how the chains fit for your particular car? Click here.

In Spanish, Sierra Nevada means snowy range and the mountains definitely can live up to their name. Although the average yearly depth of the snow can be up to 72 feet, there have been years when the snow is lighter and years when it is much heavier.

Here are some interesting facts about the mountains:

• On January 4, 1982, 67 inches (5.58) of snow fell at Echo Summit - second in US.
• Also in 1982, one single snowstorm brought over 168 inches (13.99 feet) of snow to Donner Summit - second in US.
• In January 1991, there were 390 inches (32.49 feet) recorded at Tamarack - US record.
• Again at Tamarack, the total winter snowfall reported in 1906-1907 was 884 inches (73.66 feet).
• The greatest snow depth was recorded at Tamarack on March 11, 1911, of 451 inches (37.58 feet) - US record.
• The highest average snow depth for the month of March was recorded at Echo Summit at 108 inches (8.99 feet).

Source www.sierranevadaphotos.com/geography/snow_depth.asp

f you are going to play in the snow, this can be done as soon as you see a good amount of snow and there is an exit ramp to safely pull off of the freeway. If you want to go tubing, there are a couple of places designated for tubing (snow park) along the way.  Be careful about where you stop though because there are a lot of privately owned properties in the area.

To get there leaving from Sacramento, go east on Interstate 80 toward Reno.  You will drive for about 50 minutes or so (depending on weather and road conditions) and then you will begin to see little patches of snow.  At about 4,000 feet elevation, the snow actually begins to increase. 

The first place you will see will be a play and tubing area -- a "snow park" as I mentioned earlier.  I think it's a few exits before the Kingvale exit. There is a larger one at the Kingvale exit, which is one exit before the exit to take to get to a Sugar Bowl, Donner Ski Ranch and of course Soda Springs. There are gas stations at both the Kingvale and Soda Springs exits.

Once you reach the snow level, you will be approaching the areas where you want to go. If you want to check out Sugar Bowl, Soda Springs, Donner Ski Ranch, you will want to be prepared to take the Soda Springs/Norden Exit.

You will be required to put chains on if the weather isn't clear at Kingvale, which is about three miles before the Soda Springs exit and about five or six before Boreal Ridge. So it is a good idea to travel on a clear day so you won't have to deal with chains.

Again, you can check out the Cal-Trans website for current weather and road conditions throughout California at www.dot.ca.gov.

Sugar Bowl is great for snowboarding as well as skiing www.sugarbowl.com.

Donner Ski Ranch is small, family friendly, great for kids, and an awesome place to learn or for children of all ages to learn.

www.donnerskiranch.com

The next place you will come to is Boreal. Boreal is simple, small, but good for learning, great for kids, and relatively inexpensive. Passing the Soda Springs/Norden exit, you will go another mile or two before reaching the Boreal Exit. Follow the signs to Boreal.

Click boreal for their website.

The next ski area is Squaw Valley, but it is another hour at least from this point. Squaw Valley was where the 1960 Winter Olympics was held and is approximately another hour out of Truckee.

www.squaw.com is their website. Proceed down Interstate 80 to Truckee and follow the signs to Squaw Valley/Lake Tahoe down Highway 89.

It is one of the larger areas but has a lot of amenities.  A bit more pricey than the ones I've already described.

If you have never gone skiing or snowboarding or you are taking your child who has never gone, it is always helpful to take a lesson. Quick, inexpensive courses are taught right at the ski resorts.

Taking a lunch and snacks with you will save you the expense and the hassle of buying food there.