A Guide to Busy Weekends at Palisades Tahoe: Parking, Traffic, Safety, and More.

To help you prepare for a weekend like this and have a seamless visit, we’ve compiled this guide for how to visit Palisades Tahoe on a busy weekend. By following the tips in this blog, you’ll have an easier time, and you’ll also make it easier on others who want to go skiing that day too.

Tips For Traffic

Leave for the resort before 7:30am. You don’t want to leave right around 8am, and you definitely don’t want to be trying to get into our parking lots right at 9am.

To check road conditions, including traffic incidents and webcams, use the CalTrans QuickMap app.

If you’re arriving early, you can get breakfast in The Village or in the Alpine Lodge. In The Village, try out SunBowl, Starbucks, or Coffeebar. In the Alpine Lodge, stop by Treats in the breezeway or Mogrog Cafe by the Subway chairlift.

Don’t leave right at 4pm. Stick around for apres ski fun or one of our nighttime events instead. Otherwise, you will want to leave by 2:30.

Tips For Parking

Download the Palisades Tahoe app to see our live parking lot status. Make sure you enable push notifications and turn on location services so that you get an alert when we have a parking update.

Parking updates are also shared on our Mountain Operations Twitter Account.

Carpool with 3 or more people to get access to our first-come, first-serve carpooling lots.

You can take the Base to Base Gondola between our two mountains between 9am and 4pm.

If parking fills up, please do not attempt to come to the resort.

Parking at Alpine

There are about 75 premier parking spots that can be reserved in advance online for $60 each if you would like to ensure you get a spot. Besides the 75 premier spots, all other parking at Alpine is first-come, first-serve.

Alpine has two overflow lots, Deer Park and Hidden Valley. If you have to park in these areas, a shuttle will take you from the parking lot up to the base lodge.

On mornings after a large amount of snowfall, we sometimes have to temporarily close Alpine Meadows Rd to perform avalanche control.

Parking at Palisades

All parking on the Palisades side is first-come, first-serve. Signage and parking attendants will help direct you.

Electric car parking is available on the east side of The Village near the Far East chairlift. There are 4 charging stations. These are not free stations.

Make Use of Mountaineer, the free shuttle

Mountaineer is a free public transport option that can be summoned by an app. request your ride and get picked up in a 4WD, dog-friendly van that seats up to nine passengers. Mountaineer services anywhere at Palisades, Alpine, or in between. This includes the communities, so if you have an Airbnb in the valley, there’s no need to drive to the mountain. Simply summon Mountaineer for a free ride to and from the base area. Your start/end locations do not have to be somewhere within the resort. This is a community service that can be used for any purpose.

How To Get Real-Time Lift + Trail Status

Visit our Lift + Grooming Status page. If you want to get the privilege of cutting the lift line, book a lesson with us, which is also a great way to improve your skills and discover the mountain.

Follow our Mountain Operations Twitter account. This is especially helpful on dynamic days.

Sign up for the Palisades Tahoe Ski & Ride Report (Weather Blogs + Conditions Blogs are included here)

Download the Palisades Tahoe App. Make sure you have push notifications enabled.

Bookmark our Operations Blog, or sign up for our Operations Blog email list.

On-Mountain Safety

At the end of the day, Mountain Run at Palisades can get crowded. Consider downloading on the Funitel instead of skiing down, especially if you have young children with you. If you do ski or ride on Mountain Run, take it slow. Watch out for other skiers and riders, even if they aren’t directly in front of you.

Always wear your helmet. Even if you’re an expert skier or rider, remember that not everyone else around you is.

If you’re not sure where to go (or when!) ask one of our knowledgeable Mountain Hosts.

If you’re skiing with a group, make an official group on the Palisades Tahoe app. This allows you to see each other’s locations and keep track of each other on the hill.

Lunch & Après

Eat lunch outside of the peak hours of 11:30-1pm.

Stick around after 4pm to avoid end-of-day traffic. Enjoy sunny après on one of our many outdoor decks instead! Check out our winter apres guide for further suggestions.

Please Remember:

Our staff are not here to slow you down. We want to help you get out on the hill and have your best day of the season. We’re grateful for your patience and understanding, and we’ll see you out on the mountain!