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Lively & central

Where to stay in South Lake Tahoe for skiing

Skiing Heavenly? See the mountain

Places to stay in South Lake Tahoe

Places Booking.com, Expedia and Vrbo list around here. Put your dates and group in the bar at the top of the list to see what's open and what it costs.

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About South Lake Tahoe

South Lake Tahoe is the busiest base on the lake, with the most going on. A walkable strip of restaurants and bars runs right up to the Heavenly gondola and the Nevada state line, where the Stateline casinos start. If you want things to do after the lifts close, stay here. Late dinner, live music and a grocery run are all within a few blocks, and blackjack is just across the line. It's also the cheapest area overall, with everything from condo resorts to budget motels.

Most of the action is between the 'Y' and the state line. Heavenly's California gondola is walkable or a quick shuttle from most lodging, so you can ski without moving the car. Sierra-at-Tahoe (a lower-key local favorite) is about 30 minutes west over Echo Summit, and Kirkwood, the highest-base and most advanced of the three, is roughly an hour out over Luther Pass and SR-88 when the roads are clear. The catch is crowds and traffic on powder days and holiday weekends, and the strip can feel more 'resort town' than 'mountain town.' The casinos, nightlife, and cheaper midweek rooms are just across the line in Stateline, Nevada, while the California side has the lake beaches and a more residential feel.

Skiing nearby

Heavenly's gondola is walkable from town. Sierra-at-Tahoe is about 30 min away, and Kirkwood, the expert favorite with the highest base elevation, is about an hour out.

Where to stay in South Lake Tahoe

A few places to start with, bookable through our partners.

More places in South Lake Tahoe

From OpenStreetMap. Links go to Expedia or another booking site. We haven’t reviewed these ourselves.

Property names and locations in the list above are from OpenStreetMap contributors and licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL).

Vacation homes in South Lake Tahoe

Cabins, condos and private homes. Search everything Vrbo has listed in this area.

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South Lake Tahoe on the map

See the places we've linked here on a map, and filter by type of stay and distance to the resort.

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Staying in South Lake Tahoe

The busiest, most walkable base on the lake, what you can ski from it, and who it suits.

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Where to stay in Tahoe guide

Every area side by side: what it's like, what it costs and how far it is from the lifts.

Read the guide →← All Tahoe stays

Other areas around Lake Tahoe

If South Lake Tahoe isn't the right base, try one of these.