Take to the Trails: Western States and Thunder Mountain

Whether it’s skiing from the top of KT or riding down from Siberia, we love those top-to-bottom runs. You get a whole tour of the mountain, which is awesome in the winter and even better on our hiking trails in the summer. We have two stunning hikes taking you from the base area to the upper mountain, each winding you through this incredible terrain in a whole new way. The Western States Trail boasts a long history with trail running and endurance sports. It starts at KT-22 and gradually works its way under Wa She Shu and Siberia before looping underneath the Palisades to Emigrant Peak. Thunder Mountain moves on the right side of the hill, cutting through a meadow, under Headwall and Broken Arrow up to High Camp. Both hikes are loaded with great views, beautiful wildflowers, and offer options to loop to other trails or to High Camp, where you can download on the Tram.

Western States Trail

Name | Distance (one way) | Elevation Gain | Difficulty | Highlights/Notes
Western States Trail | 5.1 Miles | 2835 Feet | Strenuous | Wildflowers, KT-22 terrain, History of the trail, Views of the Palisades and the Valley

With our legacy as the host of the 1960 Winter Olympics comes a continued history in the world of sport, where we also hold a torch for trail running. This community gathers here every year for the Western States Endurance Run – the world’s oldest 100-mile trail running race. The Western States Trail runs from Tahoe City to Auburn, California, and moves directly through our resort. The route puts hikers and trail runners to the test as it instantly begins to climb through the valley. This race is amazing for the grit of the people and the world-class dirt they travel on. The best part is you can check the trail out for yourself all summer long.

From our Base Area, hike the World Cup switchbacks to Western States, where the trail gradually gains through the gnarly slopes of our most famous lift, KT-22. You’ll spy all of your winter lines and be surrounded by granite boulders, which make up this expert terrain. The trail continues to climb in elevation and length and eventually reaches the top of Wa She Shu. It can become a little confusing as this historic trail is pieced together from singletrack to gravel road. So keep your hiking guide handy, but once you see Siberia, you’ll wind your way underneath to enjoy the view from the rock slabs of the valley below and the Palisades above. After a well-deserved rest, you can continue through the basin and loop back towards High Camp to take the Tram down or follow the Western States trail on up to the Siberia Ridge Road.

Thunder Mountain

Name | Distance (one way) | Elevation Gain | Difficulty | Highlights/Notes

Thunder Mountain Trail

3.4 Miles

2240 Feet

Moderate/
Strenuous

Wide open meadows with wildflowers, creek crossings, ski terrain

Thunder Mountain begins right next to the bottom of the Exhibition Chairlift in the Base Area of Palisades Tahoe. You quickly hike past the gravel roads, over some bridges, and land on the right side of the creek, which runs underneath the Wa She Shu chair. As you continue up, enjoy the sounds of the waterfalls in the creek on your left and the up-close sights of our classic orange granite rock on your right. Wildflowers line both sides of the trail through this open sunny meadow area all the way to the base of Headwall. Keep your eyes peeled for the trail when you get to the chairlift, as it zig-zags underneath and through this open space. Turn around and admire your effort when you get to the next gravel road; there’s a great view of the base area before you head into the trees on KT. Enjoy the shady forest with chunky rocks above and below all the way from KT up and over through the Broken Arrow side of the mountain.

Thunder Mountain guides you through multiple zones of our iconic resort. Seeing it in the summer makes it feel impossible and impressive to ski in the winter. Find a new perspective of those full mountain lines as you learn the strength it takes to go from bottom to top. No worries, though, we’ve got the downhill covered this season with downloads on the Tram daily from 10am to 4pm.

Come to Olympic Valley early on the morning of June 27th to see the Western States Endurance race firsthand. Runners begin at dawn, but you can get a Tram ride up to see them catch their breath at the top of their first big climb. Then, stay to check out the trail for yourself. From the trail history of Western States to the unique wildflower-covered terrain of Thunder Mountain, these are two incredible hikes.

Summer Mountain Operations

Palisades Tahoe Hiking Guide

Aerial Tram Operations

Lake Tahoe Packing Guide