Skiing Tahoe on Holiday Weekends (2026-27)

Holiday weekends in Tahoe can still be good ski days if you plan ahead. Below are the 2026-27 dates, the pass blackouts and parking rules that land on them, and what to do about each.

Last reviewed Nov 8, 2026 · Independent, not affiliated with any resort

Everyone has the same days off

Holiday weekends are hard in Tahoe for a simple reason: a huge number of people get the same days off, and most of them drive up from the same places at the same time. The lifts, the parking lots, the lodging, and the highways all fill at once.

You can still have a good weekend up there. You just can't improvise it. Most of the fixes are paperwork you do ahead of time: checking your pass, booking parking, booking the room, and choosing the hours you drive.

The 2026-27 holiday calendar

The dates for the season ahead, with what changes on each. Pass and parking details come from the pass operators' and resorts' own pages, and they change every year.

Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 26, 2026. It's still opening season, so expect a small slice of each mountain, and some resorts may not be open yet. Tahoe ski resort opening dates has who's due to open by then. None of the resorts that use parking reservations start them until December, though some charge for parking, so check before you go.
Christmas to New Year's: Friday, December 25, 2026 through Friday, January 1, 2027. Parking reservations are in effect at the resorts that use them on holiday periods, and Epic Local, Tahoe Local, Tahoe Value and Ikon Base all have blackout dates inside this week.
Martin Luther King Jr. weekend: Saturday, January 16 to Monday, January 18, 2027.
Presidents' Day weekend: Saturday, February 13 to Monday, February 15, 2027.

What your pass allows on those dates

Straight from our pass data, which we check against the pass operators each fall. Confirm on the pass site before you book, because these lists change.

Ikon Pass: Unlimited at Palisades Tahoe with no blackouts, and up to 7 days at Sierra-at-Tahoe.
Ikon Base Pass: Unlimited at Palisades Tahoe and up to 5 days at Sierra-at-Tahoe. Blackout dates apply at both: Dec 26-30, Jan 16-17 and Feb 13-14 for 2026-27.
Epic Pass: Covers Northstar, Heavenly, and Kirkwood with unlimited days.
Epic Local Pass: Covers Northstar, Heavenly, and Kirkwood. Blacked out Nov 27-28, Dec 26-31, Jan 16, and Feb 13-14 for 2026-27.
Tahoe Local Pass: Covers Heavenly, Northstar, and Kirkwood. Blacked out Nov 27-28, Dec 26-31, Jan 16, and Feb 13-14 for 2026-27.
Tahoe Value Pass: Covers Heavenly, Northstar, and Kirkwood. Blacked out Nov 27-28, Dec 26-31, Jan 16, and Feb 13-14 for 2026-27, and every Saturday at Northstar and Kirkwood.
Mountain Collective: Includes 2 days at Sugar Bowl. None of the other resorts we list are Mountain Collective partners.
No Ikon or Epic: Sugar Bowl, Diamond Peak, Homewood Mountain Resort, Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe and Boreal Mountain Resort aren't on either pass, so Ikon and Epic blackouts don't apply there. You'd buy a ticket, and dynamically priced tickets tend to run highest on holidays and weekends.

Look closely at the Mondays

On the 2026-27 lists above, none of Epic Local, Tahoe Local, Tahoe Value or Ikon Base blacks out the Monday of MLK weekend or Presidents' Day weekend, and the three Epic ones black out only the Saturday of MLK weekend. If you hold one of those passes, the holiday Monday may be the most useful day of the weekend.

It's still a holiday, though. The mountain will be busy, parking reservations may still apply at resorts that require them on holiday periods, and the drive home that afternoon is the one everyone else is doing too. So it can be a better day, but it won't be an empty one.

Places to stay for each holiday

Each holiday below has its dates filled in, so you can see what's available and what it costs. Set your group size, and change the dates if yours are different.

Thanksgiving

Wed, Nov 25 to Sun, Nov 29 (4 nights)

It's early season, so some resorts may not be open yet, and the ones that are may have only part of the mountain running. Check the cancellation terms before you book.

Christmas to New Year's

Sat, Dec 26 to Fri, Jan 1 (6 nights)

MLK weekend

Fri, Jan 15 to Mon, Jan 18 (3 nights)

Presidents' Day weekend

Fri, Feb 12 to Mon, Feb 15 (3 nights)

Parking on holiday weekends

Most of the reservation systems run on weekends and holiday periods, so these are the rules that bite. Each card links to the resort's official page, which is the source of truth, and several of these changed for 2026-27.

Palisades Tahoe

Reservation required

Reservations are required on weekends from Dec 5, 2026 to Apr 11, 2027, and every day of the holiday periods: Dec 19 to Jan 3, Jan 16-18 and Feb 13-21. Most are free, including Carpool 4+, and paid spots you can book ahead are $30 a day. Free reservations for the coming weekend open Tuesdays at noon and 7pm. After 1pm on those days parking is free with no reservation, and non-holiday weekdays need none. Parking without a reservation, or not cancelling an unused one by 9am, brings a $100 violation.

Official parking page ↗

Northstar California

Reservation required

The Village View lot needs a reservation from 7am to 11:30am on weekends from Dec 12, 2026, and every day Dec 19 to Jan 3, Jan 18 and Feb 13-21: $20 for 3 or fewer people, free for 4+. After 11:30am it's free. The Preferred lot takes a $50 reservation on those days until 1pm, then you pay on arrival until 3pm, and it's free after that. On Feb 17-19 you pay peak rates on arrival there with no reservation. Other days the Preferred lot is $25 flat, with no carpool rate. Castle Peak stays free every day. Bookings are open, and a no-show costs $50 unless you cancel by 8am. Northstar still lists weekends from Apr 10 as TBD.

Official parking page ↗

Heavenly Mountain Resort

Reservation required

California Base parking needs a reservation on weekends from Dec 12, 2026 to Apr 4, 2027, plus Dec 19 to Jan 3 (not Christmas Day), Jan 18, Feb 15 and Feb 19. It's $20, free with 4+ people (still reserve) or after 11:30am. Bookings are open. Boulder and Stagecoach lots stay free.

Official parking page ↗

Kirkwood

Reservation required

Every lot needs a reservation until 11:30am on weekends from Dec 12, 2026 to Apr 4, 2027, plus Dec 19 to Jan 3 (not Christmas Day), Jan 18, Feb 15 and Feb 19. One line on the resort's page says noon instead, so check the cutoff. Orange zones are $20 for 3 or fewer people and free for 4+ (still reserve). Blue zones, like Lower 7 and Kirkwood Inn, take a free reservation. Non-peak weekdays are free with none needed. Bookings are open, and a no-show costs $50 unless you cancel by 8am.

Official parking page ↗

Sugar Bowl

Free parking

Free first-come lots, plus optional reserved Upper Lot spots ($35) on weekends and holidays. Cars with 4+ park the paid lot free. The Village Gondola lot is for season passholders, and there's no overnight parking.

Official parking page ↗

Diamond Peak

Free parking

Free parking, plus optional paid preferred spots near the slopes ($30 weekends, $35 holidays and peak days). Reserved spots are held only until noon.

Official parking page ↗

Homewood Mountain Resort

Pay on arrival

Parking has been first come, first served, paid through on-site QR codes, and it's included with every season pass. Homewood hasn't posted winter 2026-27 rates yet, and South Base is in use for gondola construction, so check before you drive.

Official parking page ↗

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe

Free parking

Parking is free and first come, first served, with no reservations. You can't hold spaces for other cars, RVs aren't allowed (Sprinter vans are), and there's no overnight parking. As Tahoe's highest base, the upper lots can be windy and cold.

Official parking page ↗

Sierra-at-Tahoe

Reservation required

New for 2026-27: you need a parking reservation until noon on weekends from Dec 19, 2026 to Apr 4, 2027, and on the holiday dates Dec 19 to Jan 1, Jan 18, Feb 15 and Feb 19. It's $25/day, free for Sierra-at-Tahoe passholders or cars with 4+. Ikon holders pay like everyone else. Arrive before noon without one and you'll be turned away. Non-holiday weekdays stay first-come.

Official parking page ↗

Boreal Mountain Resort

Ticket holders only

Winter parking is only for guests with a pre-purchased lift ticket or other Boreal or Woodward reservation, and it may cost extra without one. Buy online before you drive. Right off I-80 at Donner Summit.

Official parking page ↗

There is no live parking-availability feed for any Tahoe resort. These are policies and prices, not real-time spot counts. The official page is the source of truth and policies change yearly.

How to make a holiday weekend work

Check your pass first. If your dates land on a blackout, you're buying a ticket, and that changes the whole budget. Our guide to Tahoe lift ticket prices covers the cheaper ways to buy one.
Book parking as soon as your resort's system opens. The cards above say when each one opens and whether a free reservation is still required.
Fill the car. Several resorts park cars with four or more people free on reservation days, and four people split the gas too.
Or arrive after the cutoff. A few resorts drop the reservation requirement after late morning or early afternoon, which turns a holiday morning in traffic into a relaxed half day.
Book lodging, lessons, and rentals early. The busiest lodging areas fill first on holiday weekends, and walk-up lesson and rental slots aren't guaranteed. Check the minimum-night rule before you fall for a listing.
Drive at the edges. Leave before the rush or after it, and check Caltrans QuickMap before you commit to a summit. A storm on a holiday weekend stacks chain control on top of holiday traffic.
Consider a smaller mountain. The independents have no Ikon or Epic blackouts, and our small-hills guide covers when a little mountain is the better call anyway.

Blackout dates and parking rules are set by the pass operators and resorts, and they change every season. Sierra-at-Tahoe is a live example: it started charging $25 for weekend and holiday parking this season, and Ikon holders pay it too unless there are 4 in the car. Check the official pages for your exact dates before you book anything.

Holiday weekend questions

Is Presidents' Day weekend a good time to ski Tahoe?

For snow it's often a good bet, since February is the peak average month in our lake-level snowfall data. For crowds and cost it's one of the hardest weekends of the year. If it's the only time you can go, book parking, lodging, and lessons early, and look hard at the Monday.

Can I use my Epic Local Pass over the holidays?

Check the dates first. Our 2026-27 pass data says: Covers Northstar, Heavenly, and Kirkwood. Blacked out Nov 27-28, Dec 26-31, Jan 16, and Feb 13-14 for 2026-27. The Tahoe Local Pass has the same blackout dates. So does the Tahoe Value Pass, which is also blacked out every Saturday at Northstar and Kirkwood. On the holiday blackout dates, all three still get you half-price tickets at Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood. Confirm on the Epic site before you book.

Does the Ikon Pass have blackout dates at Palisades Tahoe?

The full Ikon Pass doesn't. Unlimited at Palisades Tahoe with no blackouts, and up to 7 days at Sierra-at-Tahoe. The Ikon Base Pass does: Unlimited at Palisades Tahoe and up to 5 days at Sierra-at-Tahoe. Blackout dates apply at both: Dec 26-30, Jan 16-17 and Feb 13-14 for 2026-27.

Do I need a parking reservation on Thanksgiving weekend?

Based on the 2026-27 start dates the resorts have published, the reservation systems don't begin until December, so no. Some resorts still charge for parking, and dates can move, so check your resort's parking page before you drive.

What's the least crowded way to ski a holiday weekend?

We don't have crowd data, and nobody publishes it in a form worth quoting. What reliably helps is arriving after the reservation cutoff, choosing a smaller independent mountain, and skiing the Monday if your pass allows it.

The numbers on this page come from the same verified data as the rest of Peak Call, so they always match our resort and parking pages.

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