Lake Tahoe

The Lake Tahoe area has 15 downhill and eight Nordic resorts. These scenic resorts range from the large and immensely popular Heavenly (800-2-HEAVEN; www.skiheavenly.com) to lesser known, locals-only spots like Nevada's Mt. Rose (800-SKI-ROSE; www.mtrose.com) and Homewood (530-525-2992; www.skihomewood.com). Check out Squaw Valley USA (530-583-6985; www.squaw.com), which hosted the 1960 Olympics, and sister resorts Northstar-at-Tahoe (800-466-6784; www.skinorthstar.com) in North Lake and Sierra-at-Tahoe in South Lake (530-659-7453; www.sierratahoe.com).

For the cross-country set, many alpine areas also offer trails for kicking and gliding. But the premier Nordic resort in the region is Royal Gorge in Soda Springs (800-500-3871; www.royalgorge.com). It has the largest groomed trail system in the United States and two lodges. Other activities in the area include ice-skating, snow-park recreation areas, snowmobiling and helicopter rides. Check out www.tahoeactivities.com for more detailed information.

On the Nevada side, casinos give vacationers additional entertainment and lodging options. For details and other information on the area, call (775) 588-4591, or go to www.tahoechamber.org.

Other useful Web sites on the Tahoe area: www.virtualtahoe.com and www.nevadatourism.com/laketahoe.htm.