FAQ — Alta Vista: Recreation Centers - TD amenities - Activity Suggestions

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The Tahoe/Donner Association is a resort with several major recreation centers that are open to renters and owners at a nominal use charge. ID "Passes" must be shown when you want to buy a ticket. They include:
-- two swimming pool centers
-- the Marina (at Donner Lake) (open in summer only)
-- several tennis courts
Other facilities, including the downhill and cross-country skiing areas and the equestrian facility, are open to the public, but TD members and guests get a discount.

One ID card is valid for processing 4 people. We have to ID cards for our guests’ use, permitting simultaneous entry to TD amenities for up to 8 people. Please make sure to return our ID cards.

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In conjunction with re-opening the TD recreation amenities after the Covid-19 shut-down, the guest fees were sharply increased, and on-line reservations are required. Check here for more details about the amenities and here for reservations.

However, there are endless activities you can do while at Alta Vista that are beautiful and free of charge. Below we make a few suggestions:

Suggestions and Recommendations for Activities while staying at Alta Vista

This is by no means a complete list and reflects our biased opinion. Hopefully you’ll find it useful. Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Check also here for more.

Groceries:

Truckee has two large grocery stores, as well as CVS, Rite-Aid, and pretty much any other retail business you might need. Safeway is on Donner Pass Road in the center of town. It ranks high among the best stocked Safeways we’ve ever seen. We also recommend driving an extra half-mile to Save Mart (on 89 just on the other side of I-80). Good seafood is hard to come by, though. Try Morgan’s Lobster Shack & Fish Market in old town Truckee on W. River Street, or load up your cooler at home before your trip.

Restaurants: Some of our favorites (mind Covid-related changes to this list):

Tahoe Donner Lodge - bar, dining room and great outdoor deck in Summer. Closest restaurant. $$$
Zano’s - very casual but good pizza & Italian. Our kids’ favorite. $$
Moody’s Bistro Bar & Restaurant.
Pianetta.
Cottonwood. Iconic restaurant on the hill above old-town Truckee. Rustic ambiance with great historic photos. This was the original Truckee “resort” back in the day. The kitchen has varied over the years so check yelp before you book. $$$($)
Wild Cherries - great coffee, pastries, sandwiches & salads. Owned by a former Olympian. Puts Starbucks and most other coffee places to shame. $$
Tahoe Donner Cross Country & Equestrian Center. Fully renovated in 2015; Good lunch spot. Bar, Fire pit etc. Hours vary by season. $$
Siam Cuisine (Thai) – our favorite local Thai place, 10770 Donner Pass Rd. $$$

Winter Activities

Tahoe Donner Cross Country – Best nordic center in the US and probably the planet, in our opinion; 2 miles from Alta Vista, take back side of Skislope Way.
Tahoe Donner Downhill – Small, simple, inexpensive and terrific for beginners or young kids. You can check the snow, grooming, lift lines and pretty much anything else on the mountain from your drive up Skislope Way to Alta Vista.
Squaw (~30 min drive) and Alpine (~40 min drive). Two mountains w/ same owner & passes. Squaw Valley is the best hard core skier mountain in North America. Whistler/Blackcomb, Snowbird and perhaps Jackson Hole are right up there as well. Signature runs for experts: West Face (now renamed Johnny Moselly’s run), Chute-75, Nose to Fingers, and Red Dog Ridge. Alpine Meadows is smaller, a bit more family friendly and caters to those who like to hike to the good stuff a few days after it snows. The base is a bit higher, so tends to have slightly better snow. The Summit chair offers everything from advanced intermediate groomers through expert chutes and bumps. It’s one of the few places where the whole family can ride the chair together all day long and keep everyone happy. Must do runs for experts: Summit Face, Waterfall, Peter’s Peril, Scott Chute, and finish the day with Promised Land.
Sugarbowl (~25 min drive). First chairlift (Disney Chair) and ski lodge in the Sierras. This is where the movie stars came back in the 30’s and 40’s. Great restaurant and bar in the old lodge--reserve ahead. Great snow due to high base elevation. Something for everyone, but a bit small so good to mix it up with other places. Must do for experts: Silverbelt under the Mt. Lincoln chair and Disney Nose.
Note: We use “Sugarbowl Ski Resort” as weather report location most similar in altitude to the location of Alta Vista.
Northstar (~30 min drive). Groomer paradise. Also best place to go in a blizzard. Backside and Lookout Mountain have terrific powder runs on days when Squaw and Alpine are completely shut down due to wind and weather. Fun village with bars, restaurants, shops and an ice rink to hang out in. Expensive. Plan on an hour from the time you park your car to first turns (parking shuttle, walk through village, gondola to mid-station where the rest of the lifts are, ...). Consider leaving the house by 7:30 and/or paying for premium parking to avoid the shuttle. Oh, and be prepared to pay $8+ for a self-serve cup of drip coffee.
Note: You can see many of the Northstar runs from the comfort of the dining table in Alta Vista.
Royal Gorge Cross Country (~25 min drive). At Soda Springs. Largest nordic center in the country with terrific terrain, snow and trails. Trail network connects all the way to Sugar Bowl. Consider if you get bored of TD-XC.
Boreal (~20 min drive). Technically not a favorite, but we feel compelled to list it... You can see the entire resort as you drive by over Donner Summit on I-80. No, there is no massive backside or second mountain — the lodge is wider than the vertical drop ... Lift lines are long and chaotic. Exposed to full brunt of wind and weather with nowhere to hide. Boarders tend to like the halfpipe and terrain park. Must be one of the most profitable ski resorts on the planet.
You’ve been warned! 5 extra minutes driving takes you to much more exciting Donner Ski Ranch or Sugarbowl ...

Winter traffic tips:

Northwoods Blvd. down to Donner Pass Road backs up at peak times, especially right after it snows due to cars taking it easy down the steep (10%) grade to the stop sign at Donner Pass Road. To avoid this traffic snarl, take Alder Creek Road: Go down the back side of Skislope Way (turn left, uphill, when you get out of the driveway of Alta Vista): After 2.3 miles, Skislope Way ends at Alder Creek Road. Turn right and follow it all the way down the mountain, until after about 4 miles, it intersects with Hwy 89. Turn right and, after about 2 miles and 2 roundabouts, get to Interstate 80. Take 80 West (right) if you want to go to Truckee, Squaw, Alpine, or Tahoe City, following the signs once on the freeway. Take 80 East to go to Reno. Stay on 89, which at this point has become Hwy 267, to Northstar or Lake Tahoe East Shore (Nevada Side) and Heavenly Valley.
To get to the attractive Downtown Truckee shopping/restaurant neighborhood, turn right (first exit) at the second roundabout, just before 89 meets with Interstate 80. and follow the signs to Donner Pass Road.

To get to Sugarbowl, take the front side of Skislope Way down to Donner Pass Road (turning right when exiting the driveway of Alta Vista, and also at the traffic light with Donner Pass Road). Then stay on Donner Pass Rd. / old 40 if possible (may be closed due to snow). Shorter, and great views of Donner Lake along that way.

Summer Activities:

Tahoe Donner is a paradise for mountain biking.

Endless hiking trails in Tahoe Donner

Donner Lake Beach & Marina – private TD marina & beach with swimming, boat rentals, and lunch/snack food. Your Tahoe Donner Guest cards allow you to access for a fee ($16/person for 90 minutes as of 6/19/2020). Warmer water than Lake Tahoe. Extra crowded on Saturdays in Summer and holidays.
Donner Lake State Park — directly adjacent to The TD marina, much more expansive; beautiful for walking and beach access for swimming in the lake. No, or comparatively very low, fee for day-use.
Sand Harbor. Our favorite spot on Lake Tahoe. You’ll recognize it from the post cards: clear water, rocks to jump off, good casual restaurant, boat launch and rental. Crowded but terrific. Go EARLY as parking fills up on weekends.
Kings Beach. The only real broad sandy beach in Lake Tahoe. Good amenities and lots of food options nearby.
Mountain Biking: Tahoe is a mounting biking mecca, with something for everyone. Tahoe Donner has terrific trails which you can access directly from Alta Vista (e.g., Glacier Trail Head off Skislope at Glacier, 1⁄4 mi away). TD continues to expand their trail network and has everything from easy beginner cruiser fire roads to technical single-track. Bike rentals at the Bike/Equestrian Center on Alder Creek Rd. See www.tahoedonner.com for details. Suggestions for riding from the house: TD trail network single-track which offers outstanding cross-country riding for all skill levels, Donner Lake Rim Trail, Hole in the Ground (epic long ride or better to start in Boreal Ridge parking lot for the classic loop), Emigrant Trail. See www.thebackcountry.net for additional information on trails throughout the Tahoe region.
Truckee and Tahoe Bike Paths. Truckee and Tahoe City continue to expand their network of paved, separated bike paths which are terrific for casual family riding. Check with the Tahoe Donner Bike Center for details. Check out the new dedicated bike path straight from Northwoods Blvd to downtown Truckee.
Hiking. Way too much to list. We recommend walking 5 min from Alta Vista to the Glacier Trailhead. From there hike to the Negro Canyon overlook for terrific views of the Sierra Crest (about 30 min). For a longer hike, keep going along the Tahoe Donner ridges to Drifter Hut and Hawk’s peak (about another 30 min), or drop down the Donner Lake Rim Trail towards Castle Peak.
Golf. Tahoe Donner and Coyote Moon courses are just minutes away. We can only vouch for the club house bar and sundeck area, but our friends tell us the golf is terrific.

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