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| The carful of kids love to sled and I have a great FREE spot to share. |
Since the carful of kids live in Central Texas and love to play in the snow, we pack in all the snow play we can over their winter break. We divide our precious time by skiing, ice skating and the family favorite, sledding.
You can sled at a ski resort, where they will rent you a saucer or tube and possibly haul you up their hill with their magic carpet lift; that's fun. Though the carful of kids really love the nostalgic charm of finding a perfect hill in a national forest for the perfect ride.
It seems finding a perfect sledding hill is part of the allure. My boys look at the terrain and go for a feature that excites them. I look for facilities that families need, namely a safe place to park and year-round bathrooms.
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| That is a year-round bathroom and it's the best family feature in a FREE sledding hill. |
My favorite place to look are in national forests. They usually have parking and sometimes you can find a year-round bathroom. I prefer areas that are near popular ski areas, like Santa Fe and Lake Tahoe.
Since Lake Tahoe has the best snow they have had in years, the carful of kids have to enjoy it. It would be great to ski every day, my body and wallet can't do it. So for the days when the carful of kids need to sleep a little later, I plan a snow play day.
Tahoe Meadows
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| The carful of kids usually bring three types of sleds or toboggans. |
The Mt. Rose Highway is a Nevada scenic byway that should not be missed for the scenic overlooks. It's the highest year-round pass across the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range with a 8,911 foot summit. Along the Mt. Rose Highway is the Mt. Rose Ski Resort that is popular with skiers from the West Coast and Reno.
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| My oldest is making a burrow in the snow because she can. |
There are several areas to use in Tahoe Meadows and the adjacent Mt. Rose Summit; some have off-highway parking like the Mt. Rose Summit area and some don't. This area can get congested during the weekend and over school breaks but there's plenty of room to explore once you park your car.
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| A snow bunny in a burrow or just relaxing in a snow chair? |
The Tahoe Rim Trail Head
The Tahoe Rim Trail Head area is the only area to offer off-highway parking and a year-round bathroom. The bathroom at Mt. Rose Summit is seasonal though it has a nice parking area.
This area gets passed up because you can't see the perfect sledding terrain or the bathroom from the highway. The hill starts near the parking area and slopes away from the highway, keeping the kids safe.
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| Every Mom needs a place to take the kids to have some FREE fun in the snow. |
Depending on what type of sled or toboggan you use and the condition of the snow, I have seen kids go forever. The carful of kids love the freedom to dig in the snow and make terrain features. In a good year, the snow is quite deep and I have sunk to my hip so you need to be a little careful with the younger kids.
The parking area is plowed fairly frequently and I prefer this area over the more popular sledding area father south. The carful of kids can spend several hours, racing each other and Mom down the hill without running into other kids.
Other Activities to do at the Tahoe Meadows
The Tahoe Meadows area is a very popular for hiking year-round. So when the snow starts to pile up, hikers grab their snowshoes to explore. The family dog is a frequent visitor as well.
If you own a snowmobile, there is designated snowmobile parking farther south along Hwy 431. Arrive early for the best parking in this area, it is limited.
Some skiers even use this area for back country skiing. Though it is more common to see cross-country skiers in Tahoe Meadows.
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| The snow is deep in the Tahoe Meadows. |
To play for hours in the snow without the carful of kids complaining, the Mom is prepared. I pack hot hands for everyone in my snack bag and take a thermos with hot water. The temperature is 10F to 15F colder in Tahoe Meadows than at Lake Tahoe, so dress accordingly.
If you are looking for a FREE place for a snow play day with your kids, be sure to check out the Tahoe Meadows in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
Know before you go:
- Bring something to sit on. I have a padded wooden toboggan that I sit on when the carful of kids are playing.
- The snow in this area can get deep, use care when walking to the bathroom.
- I use snow shoes to explore though they aren't required.
- If you didn't bring a sled with you, you can purchase sleds in Incline Village at the Raley's Grocery Store.
- The speed limit is 25 mph though motorists ignore this especially when coming off the Mt. Rose Summit driving into Incline Village.
- Be sure to check on road conditions before you head out at NVroads.com, especially the Mt. Rose Pass.
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