Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley
Overview
Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley opened in 1949 as Squaw Valley, the project of former ski racer Wayne Poulsen and New York lawyer Alexander Cushing, and it went on to host the 1960 Winter Olympics after Cushing reportedly won over the International Olympic Committee partly by presenting a scale model of his planned Olympic site. That Olympic history left a lasting mark on the resort’s profile and infrastructure, and during the Games the area was designated California Historical Landmark No. 724, recognizing a century of organized skiing in Sierra Nevada mining towns. In August 2020 the resort’s owner, Alterra Mountain Company, announced it would drop the word “squaw” from the name, calling it offensive, and the new name, Palisades Tahoe, was formally unveiled in September 2021, a change the Washoe tribe supported.
The terrain here has always carried a reputation for demanding, exposed alpine skiing, and the current numbers reflect a mountain built for a range of ability but weighted toward the harder half: 28.49 km of advanced terrain and 32.58 km intermediate outweigh the 8.17 km rated easy and a slim 0.22 km of novice runs, across 109 total runs and 69.45 km. Vertical drop runs 773.8 m, from a 1,889.7 m base to a 2,663.5 m summit, served by 30 lifts, easily the largest lift fleet among comparable Sierra resorts: 21 chairlifts, 2 gondolas, a cable car, and 6 magic carpets for the learning areas.
A major shift in how the resort operates came in 2012, when Squaw Valley merged with neighboring Alpine Meadows, and again in 2022, when a gondola opened physically linking the Olympic Valley base to Alpine Meadows, letting skiers move between both mountains on one ticket rather than driving the road between them. Palisades Tahoe is on the Ikon Pass roster in both forms: the top-tier pass skis here without restriction, while the Ikon Base Pass carries its own blackout dates at this specific resort.
Access is notably close for a resort of this scale: Truckee Tahoe Airport is just 16.6 km away, though it’s a small regional field without much commercial service, making Reno-Tahoe International, 53.3 km out, the realistic gateway for most visitors flying in. Reno itself, a city of over 260,000 people, sits practically next door at 52.7 km, while Sacramento International (128.9 km) and the city of Sacramento (127.7 km) serve as the longer-distance option for visitors driving up from California’s Central Valley.
Key stats
Official website — Last checked 2026-09-13
Lifts by type
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| gondola | 2 |
| cable car | 1 |
| chair lift | 21 |
| magic carpet | 6 |
Runs by difficulty
| Difficulty | Distance |
|---|---|
| easy | 8.17 km |
| novice | 0.22 km |
| advanced | 28.49 km |
| intermediate | 32.58 km |
Maps
View official Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley trail map (PDF) →
Run & lift overview
Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley: 109 runs, 30 lifts. Drawn from OpenStreetMap run and lift data — not the official Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley trail map. © OpenStreetMap contributors, OpenSkiMap (ODbL).
Typical conditions by month
Monthly conditions data for Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley is not yet available.
Lift tickets & passes
- Ikon Pass — Unlimited, no blackout
- Ikon Base Pass — Unlimited, blackout dates apply
Getting there
Nearest airports
- Truckee Tahoe Airport (TKF) — 16.6 km straight-line
- Reno Tahoe International Airport (RNO) — 53.3 km straight-line
- Sacramento International Airport (SMF) — 128.9 km straight-line
Nearest cities
- Reno, Nevada — 52.7 km straight-line
- Roseville, California — 102.6 km straight-line
- Sacramento, California — 127.7 km straight-line
Also covered by
Where to stay
A dedicated lodging guide for Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley is not yet available.
Nearby resorts
- Palisades Tahoe Alpine Meadows — 4 km straight-line, 499 m vertical
- Northstar at Tahoe Resort — 12 km straight-line, 704.4 m vertical
- Homewood Ski Area — 14 km straight-line, 499.6 m vertical
- Sugar Bowl Resort — 14 km straight-line, 442.6 m vertical
- Donner Ski Ranch — 16 km straight-line, 218.8 m vertical
FAQ
- How big is Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley?
- The Olympic Valley side of Palisades Tahoe has 109 runs totaling 69.45 km, with a vertical drop of 773.8 m from a 1,889.7 m base to a 2,663.5 m summit. It's served by 30 lifts: 21 chairlifts, 2 gondolas, a cable car, and 6 magic carpets.
- Is Palisades Tahoe good for beginners?
- There's 8.17 km of easy terrain plus a small 0.22 km of novice runs, backed by 6 magic carpets, more than most comparably sized resorts run. That said, beginner terrain is a smaller share of the mountain than the 32.58 km of intermediate and 28.49 km of advanced runs that dominate the trail count.
- Is Palisades Tahoe good for experts?
- Yes. Advanced terrain covers 28.49 km, a large share of the resort's 69.45 km total, and the area has carried a reputation for demanding, exposed alpine skiing since it opened in 1949. Six peaks worth of terrain and a mix of gondolas and chairlifts give experts several ways up to the steeper lines.
- Which pass covers Palisades Tahoe Olympic Valley?
- Palisades Tahoe carries both Ikon tiers. Full Ikon Pass holders can ski it any day with no restriction, while Ikon Base Pass holders are locked out on a specific set of blackout dates, usually clustered around holiday weeks.
- What's the nearest airport to Palisades Tahoe?
- Truckee Tahoe Airport (TKF) is closest at just 16.6 km, though it's a small regional field. Reno-Tahoe International (RNO), 53.3 km away, is the practical gateway airport with commercial service, and Sacramento International (SMF) is a further option at 128.9 km for visitors driving up from the Bay Area or Central Valley.
- How old is Palisades Tahoe?
- The resort opened in 1949 as Squaw Valley, founded by former ski racer Wayne Poulsen and New York lawyer Alexander Cushing. It hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics after Cushing won the bid partly by showing the IOC a scale model of his planned Olympic site, and it was renamed Palisades Tahoe in 2021.
- Why did Squaw Valley change its name to Palisades Tahoe?
- The resort's owner, Alterra Mountain Company, announced in August 2020 that it would drop the word "squaw," calling the term offensive, and formally unveiled the new name, Palisades Tahoe, in September 2021. The Washoe tribe, whose traditional territory includes the Tahoe basin, supported the change.
- Is Palisades Tahoe connected to Alpine Meadows?
- Yes. The two resorts merged operations in 2012, and a gondola physically connecting Palisades Tahoe's Olympic Valley base to Alpine Meadows opened in 2022, letting skiers move between both mountains on one ticket without driving.
Data sources
Last verified: 2026-09-15
Base facts from OpenSkiMap (ODbL), OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata (CC0), OurAirports (public domain) and GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). See /data-sources/.