Best Ski Resorts in California

Mammoth: rated best overall CA ski resort by Powderhounds.com

Kirkwood: best skiing in California for powder hounds

Squaw Valley has the best overall terrain

Mammoth is one of the top ski resorts in California for powder hounds

Kirkwood: one of the best CA ski resorts overall

Sugar Bowl: one of the top ski resorts in California for overall terrain

Northstar California has great intermediate terrain

Heavenly: you can ski and gamble in the one spot!

Mammoth: best ski resort in California for families

Alpine Meadows has excellent off-piste terrain

Best Ski Resorts in California

Book your trip here

Go →

California Ski Packages

North Lake Tahoe
Northstar Ski Packages
Squaw Valley Packages

South Lake Tahoe
Heavenly Ski Packages
Kirkwood Ski Package

Other
Mammoth Ski Vacation

Overview

Powderhounds Awards: Best California Ski Resorts

Where is the best skiing in California? Here are the Powderhounds.com awards for the best ski resorts in California, many of which are located around Lake Tahoe.

Top CA Ski Resorts for Powder Hounds

Based on advanced/expert terrain + snow quality & quantity + likelihood of finding freshies

1. Kirkwood
2. Homewood
3. Mammoth Ski Resort

Best Overall Ski Resorts in California
Based on all factors including infrastructure, terrain, snow & cost

1. Mammoth Mountain
2. Squaw Valley
3. Kirkwood

Other top 10 ski resorts in California are Heavenly, Northstar, Sugar Bowl, Sierra at Tahoe, Alpine Meadows, Homewood and June Mountain.

Best Skiing in California / Top Snowboarding

Best ski resorts in California - overall terrain: Squaw Valley, Kirkwood, Sugar Bowl
Beginner terrain: Sierra at Tahoe, Northstar
Best skiing in California - intermediates: Mammoth, Northstar, Heavenly Ski Resort
Advanced piste terrain: Kirkwood, Mammoth, Squaw
Off-piste terrain: Squaw Valley, Kirkwood, Alpine Meadows
Slackcountry: Squaw Valley, June Mountain, Alpine Meadows
Best California ski resorts - experts: Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, Sugar Bowl, Kirkwood
Extreme terrain: Squaw Valley, Sugar Bowl, Kirkwood
Top tree skiing CA: Sierra at Tahoe, Homewood
Uncrowded slopes: June Mountain, Homewood, Kirkwood
Best lift infrastructure: Northstar, Mammoth, Squaw Valley
Terrain parks: Mammoth, Northstar, Heavenly

Best Snow in California

Best snow in California: Kirkwood, Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley
Highest likelihood of freshies: Homewood, June Mountain, Mammoth

Other Best Ski Resorts in California Awards

Best family ski resorts in California: Mammoth Mountain, Northstar
Best shopping: Heavenly (South Lake Tahoe)
Ski-in ski-out lodging: Mammoth Mountain, Kirkwood

Nightlife & Dining

Daytime restaurants: Squaw Valley, Mammoth, Northstar
Best après: Heavenly, Squaw Valley
Best nightlife: Heavenly, Squaw Valley, Mammoth
Restaurants: Heavenly, Northstar, Mammoth

Cost & Value for Money

Best value for money CA ski resorts: Mammoth, Kirkwood, Sugar Bowl
Low cost ski resort: June Mountain, Homewood, Kirkwood

Also see our Powderhounds California ski resorts ratings for more detail.

Best California Ski Resorts - Readers' Reviews

These awards for the "best ski resorts in California" are based on the public reviews on Powderhounds.com. Come and have your say on the top California ski resorts by reviewing and rating a ski area. Navigate to the California ski resort you want to review and click on the "add review" link in the left-hand-column. Put your vote in!

Best overall California ski resort ¹: Homewood, Kirkwood, Mammoth Mountain
Best California powder skiing ²: Kirkwood, Homewood, Alpine Meadows
Best snow: Kirkwood, Homewood, Mammoth Mountain
Most uncrowded: June Mountain, Homewood, Kirkwood
Best lifts: Mammoth Mountain, Heavenly, Sugar Bowl
Piste trails: Mammoth Mountain, Kirkwood, Heavenly
Off-piste: Kirkwood, Sugar Bowl, Homewood
Child friendly: June Mountain, Homewood, Sugar Bowl
Value for money: Homewood, Kirkwood, Sugar Bowl
Nightlife: Heavenly, Mammoth Mountain, Palisades Tahoe

NB only California ski resorts with a minimum of 4 reviews were considered in the awards. Where there are equal scores, the resort with more reviews is selected as the best. 1 The top overall California ski resort is based on an average of the other above factors. 2 The best California powder skiing is the average of the scores for snow, uncrowded and off-piste.