Truckee Ski Town California

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Truckee California
Truckee California
Main Street of Truckee CA
Main Street of Truckee CA
"Trokay" was yelled out by the friendly Paiute chief
"Trokay" was yelled out by the friendly Paiute chief
Truckee has a small town charm
Truckee has a small town charm
Truckee is a great base to explore nearby ski resorts
Truckee is a great base to explore nearby ski resorts
The main street has quirky shops and cafes
The main street has quirky shops and cafes
A very inexpensive Truckee restaurant
A very inexpensive Truckee restaurant
Truckee has a train station and is serviced by buses
Truckee has a train station and is serviced by buses
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There's a good choice of Truckee restaurants
Truckee CA
Truckee CA
Alpine Meadows Ski Resort is near Truckee
Alpine Meadows Ski Resort is near Truckee
Sugar Bowl is one of the Truckee ski resorts
Sugar Bowl is one of the Truckee ski resorts
Palisades Tahoe is one of the Truckee ski resorts
Palisades Tahoe is one of the Truckee ski resorts
Family friendly Northstar is 9 miles from downtown Truckee
Family friendly Northstar is 9 miles from downtown Truckee
One of the Truckee bars
One of the Truckee bars
Truckee California
Truckee California
Truckee CA
Truckee CA
One of the great Truckee ski shops
One of the great Truckee ski shops
The Truckee ski shops cater well to powder hounds
The Truckee ski shops cater well to powder hounds
A delightfully charming town
A delightfully charming town

Truckee Ski Town California

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Truckee

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Truckee California is a historic mountain town and ski town that makes a fantastic base to visit the various nearby ski resorts. In its own right, Truckee is a very snowy place with an average of 204 inches (518cm) of snow annually!

Truckee was named after a friendly Paiute chief, who as legend has it, yelled out to the explorers “Tro-kay”, which means “hello” or “everything is all right” or something like that, and the name of the town was born!

Truckee CA has a population of approximately 16,000 and it retains a delightful small town charm even though it is bustling with tourists at times.

Where is Truckee CA?

Truckee is located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range at an elevation of 5,980 feet (1,842 metres), just 12 miles north of Lake Tahoe. Truckee is located on Interstate 80, 32 miles west of Reno and 200 miles northeast of San Francisco.

Downtown Truckee has an Amtrak station with a daily passenger train, the California Zephyr, with the westbound train from Denver and Chicago, and the very scenic eastbound train to and from Sacramento and Emeryville.

There are buses from parts of Truckee to Northstar, Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, and Palisades Tahoe, so it’s possible to do without a car. However downtown Truckee is reasonably small and much of the lodging is not centrally located, so it can be handy to have a car.

Ski Resorts Nearby

Truckee Lodging

Truckee lodging is reasonably priced relative to some of the ski resort accommodations, and consists mostly of hotels, some of which are historic. Other options include motels, bed and breakfasts, and cabins. Much of the Truckee lodging is spread around the periphery of the town.

The Hotel Truckee Tahoe is a great choice for affordable yet quality accommodations. This Truckee hotel has amenities such as an outdoor pool, hot tub, fitness center, free wifi and complimentary breakfast, and it’s conveniently located on the bus routes to Northstar and Sugar Bowl.

See more Truckee accommodations here >>

Truckee Ski Shops

There are lots of great ski shops in Truckee that sell a good range of gear and also rent out ski and snowboard equipment.

Tahoe Sports Hub in River Street (parallel to the main street) has a great range of ski gear and plenty of fat skis, and with more of an emphasis on mountaineering and backcountry type outerwear.

East of town on Donner Pass Rd are a few more Truckee ski shops. Start Haus is a big shop, as is the fantastic Granite Chief shop that has a large range of equipment and apparel for backcountry skiers as well as those who prefer to look “pretty”. Snowboard and ski rentals are very reasonably priced.

There are also ski rental delivery services in the area.

Other Shops

Downtown Truckee California has some very one-of-a-kind shops ranging from luxurious and chic to rustic and simple. There are hippy type stores, little boutiques and jewelry shops. Wandering around the art galleries also adds to the unique shopping experience of the town.

If you’re looking to go grocery shopping, head out east of town on Donner Pass Rd to the big Safeway.

Restaurants and Bars

Unlike the Donner Party, thankfully you don’t have to eat humans in this town! Quality Truckee restaurants are abundant. There are trendy restaurants such as Trokay or simple diners such as the very inexpensive art deco Jax at the Tracks. The outskirts of Truckee also have various restaurants such as those on Brockway Rd.

There are also various bars for some après-ski action, although Truckee is rather low key relative to Reno and South Lake Tahoe, and there’s not a casino in sight.
Tours In/Near Truckee

Cat Skiing Tours

Pacific Crest Day Cat Skiing
LAKE TAHOE | DAY CAT SKIING TOURS
8 - 12 Runs | Over 12,000 vert feet
Ability: Intermediate to Expert
Escape the crowds in Lake Tahoe & come and play in the 3,000 acre private powder playground with Pacific Crest Snowcats. Book a seat for yourself, a few of you or a whole cat for a private day with your ski buddies! Seats book out early so be sure to book soon.
Price p/p From price based on per person if booked 2 weeks prior to trip.
Base/invoice currency is in USD inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 499
View Details
 
See all Cat Skiing tours that visit Truckee here
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