Tahoe's ski resorts don't shut down when the snow melts —” several keep their gondolas and aerial trams running all summer, lifting you thousands of feet to observation decks, ridge-top trails and restaurants with the whole lake at your feet.
It's the most accessible way to get a true mountaintop panorama: no switchbacks, stroller- and grandparent-friendly, and a great rainy-day-clearing or sunset plan. Most run late spring through fall —” exact dates shift with the weather each year.
Three standout rides, from the gondola that lifts straight out of town to the tram that climbs to a mountaintop pool deck.
The big one —” rising straight from Heavenly Village to a 9,100-ft observation deck with a jaw-dropping panorama of the entire lake.
A cable car climbing 2,000 feet to High Camp at Palisades Tahoe, where there's a deck, trails and an Olympic museum at 8,200 ft.
Ride up from the Northstar village to mid-mountain for lift-served biking, hiking and dining among the pines.