Kids are excited as the temperature has been dropping and the snow has been falling. It’s winter season, and it’s time for a family snow day and head to the mountains for some frozen adventure. And one of the best bets for easy, thrilling outdoor fun in the snow for kids of all ages is snow tubing. Hold hands with your kids and let gravity take you down the well-groomed snow-covered slope as you explore the best destinations for snow tubing near San Francisco and enjoy the experience of a lifetime!
To help you plan a snow-covered getaway with the whole family this winter season, we’ve uncovered a few spots where kids and parents can have a blast frolicking in the winter snow. Whether it’s a short family weekend trip or a week-long winter vacation with the kids, our list of the best snow tubing destinations near San Francisco is just waiting to be conquered. So, pack up the car and bundle up the kids for a snow-powered adventure to enjoy quality time with the family away from home!
1 Bear Valley Rd, Bear Valley, CA 95223
Phone Number: (209) 753-2834
Bear Valley Adventure Company offers both a groomed sledding and a separate tubing area during the winter season. Each sled or tube is rented for 2-hour sessions, and both activities have several fun runs, picnic tables, and benches. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and be able to ride a sled or tube by themselves (ages 3+ recommended).
Only Bear Valley Adventure Company rental tubes are allowed on their private hills. Hot food and drinks are available nearby at the Meadow Cafe. These areas are not lift-serviced and require hiking up the hills, and it’s part of the adventure.
1651 Olympic Valley Rd., Olympic Valley, CA 96146
Phone Number: (800) 403-0206
Snoventures is fabulous for families and those new to the mountain atmosphere. Snoventures offers snow tubing, beginning skiing, and a private lodge complete with a fire pit and hot chocolate in a zone specifically set up for beginners. There are two different sizes of tubes for adults and kids. A carpet-style escalator also takes people up to the top, making tubing much easier. A small chair lift in the area is perfect for those who want to learn the ropes of skiing.
Snoventures is set aside to the east of the Village at Squaw Valley. This resort makes stepping on the snow less intimidating for the first-timer than doing those first steps on frozen ground in front of the massive crowds that tend to be at the ski area. From family activities like snow tubing to luxurious spa treatments, endless activities and events await you at Palisades Tahoe throughout the year.
21200 Hwy 50, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
Phone Number: (530) 577-4352
Experience over 40 pristine acres of adventure! With breathtaking views from the top of Echo Summit, Adventure Mountain is the premier destination for tubing and more. With a base elevation of 7,400 feet, it is the highest tubing resort with the most snowfall and the largest area of tubing terrain in the entire Tahoe Basin. They offer up to 18 machine-groomed tubing lanes for every level.
Pack your shovels, buckets, and carrot nose to enjoy this winter wonderland featuring a groomed sledding hill and plenty of room for snow play. Build a snowman or rocket down one of the multiple downhill runs divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced. If you’ve forgotten something or don’t feel like packing a lunch, there’s a snack shack and store for purchasing snow play necessities.
1360 Ski Run Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
Phone Number: (530) 544-3361
Hansen’s Resort is one of the best snow tubing for kids near San Francisco and a great place to experience the snow on their seasonal tubing and saucer hill. The hill has groomed runs of about 400 feet with side walls and a braking berm at the end. Fun for the whole family, Hansen’s Resort is a secluded hideaway on 2 acres of undeveloped California pine forest. It is conveniently located minutes from Lake Tahoe’s shores, Heavenly Valley’s ski runs, and the casinos at Stateline.
You will find a convenient walkway up the side of the run that makes for an easier way back to the top, even for the little ones. It is an accessible area for parents to view their kids sliding down and turning the bend. Tubing runs are groomed daily, with high “walls” and a well-planned small hill below to stop you. There is parking and toilets for your convenience.
10244 Soda Springs Rd., Soda Springs, CA 95728
Phone Number: (530) 426-3901
Like Planet Kids, Tube Town is a hub for winter fun. With an emphasis on older kids and adults (all ages welcome), this is the place to zoom down the groomed lanes for the best snow tubing in Tahoe. With up to 10 lanes and a 400 ft surface lift, they’ve got magic carpet access, so you can spend more time sliding and less time climbing. The runs are longer, the tubes are bigger, and the laughs are endless.
Tube Town is part of Mountain Adventure, an all-inclusive ticket product accessing all of Soda’s winter activities. Bigger and better than ever, younger kids under 42” can now play in the Family Fun zone before heading to Planet Kids. This snow land is the place for big kids and kids at heart. Perfect for the non-skiers, new-to-snow families, and those seeking classic winter fun.
19749 Boreal Ridge Rd., Soda Springs, CA 95728
Phone Number: (530) 426-3666
One of the best spots to go snow tubing for kids near San Francisco and the oldest family winter tradition is easier than ever at Boreal’s Tahoe Tubing. Located at the far end of the Boreal Ski Resorts parking lot, this tubing hill provides quality equipment, and the lanes are wide, groomed, and free of obstacles. It also has a moving carpet to transport tubers back up the hill. Tahoe Tubing is the place for giggles galore and pure family fun.
Tubing occurs in scheduled sessions with limited capacity to ensure you keep your tube and get more thrilling laps with your family. This spot is better for big kids, though, since little ones are not permitted to ride on laps. There’s nothing like the thrill of zooming down a snow-covered hill. Tahoe Tubing promises pure winter fun for everyone.
34033 Leland Meadow Rd., Strawberry, CA 95375
Phone Number: (209) 965-4719
With a 4,000 sq. foot day-use lodge, Leland High Sierra Snow Play is the largest dedicated Snow Tubing and Snow Play Snow Park Facility on the West Coast. They have a lodge with a snack bar, sled and saucer rental, and 12 acres of groomed snow play, and they even have snowmobile rides for kids ages 5-12. At 6300 feet elevation, this beautiful and natural setting is another world away, and it is remarkably accessible right at the heart of Gold Country, 39 miles east of Sonora.
Leland Snow Play offers the best Kiddie Hill available for kids (and adults) that need more time to be ready or tall enough for the big hills. Its new snowmaking capabilities ensure a beautiful field of white daily, and its snowcats provide a perfectly groomed hill daily. The resort is large enough to offer a great getaway and vacation full of fun for the whole family.
5001 Northstar Dr., Truckee, CA 96160
Phone Number: (530) 562-1010
Located in the heart of The Village at Northstar, this is one of the best snow tubing spots near San Francisco, perfect to gather with family, meet new friends, or relax by a warm fire pit. Visitors to the Northstar California Tubing Hill in North Lake Tahoe can enjoy an exciting ride down a 200-yard hill. Take the tow lift to the top of the hill and do it all again, either one at a time or in daisy chains with your family.
Give the kids something fun to do while you relax at a nearby fire pit on the Overlook. This experience is the ultimate way to have fun right in The Village. Hop in a tube, slide down the hill, and repeat. Take the pleasure to the next level by racing a friend down the mountain in the neighboring lane. The fun will indeed create lasting memories.
1122 CA-41 Fish Camp, CA 93623
Phone Number: (209) 372-1000
Tenaya at Yosemite is a magnificent facility offering guests a wide range of winter activities, including ice skating at the indoor rink, sledding, tubing down the sled run, and guided and self-guided snowshoeing. Its snow tubing hill is set near the world-famous Yosemite National Park in a gorgeous forest setting.
Those staying at Tenaya Lodge have access to two sledding hills, one known as the kiddie hill and the other as the big hill—both are complimentary to guests of the resort. Tubing sessions are issued on a first come, first served basis, no reservations taken.
3021 US-50, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
Phone Number: (530) 600-2304
TubeTahoe is the home of winter fun for the whole family in South Lake Tahoe. Located near South Lake Tahoe in the small community of Meyers, Tube Tahoe transforms from a golf course in the summer into a wintry tubing hill with eight packed and groomed lanes comprising more than 500 feet of tubing space, a few whoop-de-doos, and rubber mats at the bottom of each run to slow you down gently.
Excellent attendants at the top of the hill will happily give you a push for maximum fly time. Its machine-groomed tubing lanes are some of the longest in the area. Their snowmaking facilities provide resort-quality conditions all season long. For the price of admission, you’ll enjoy unlimited belly laughs, stunning views of Echo Summit and Mt. Tallac, and memories that will last a lifetime.
Nothing beats kids’ excitement, like taking a road trip to a ski resort or snow play park and sliding down the white-capped hills for plenty of laughs and fun. Whether you’re planning the ultimate family escapade or looking for fun things to do with kids during the winter season, our list of the best snow tubing spots near San Francisco has your back. Grab your snow gear, get ready for an adrenaline rush, and have that winter wonderland experience with the whole family!
San Francisco offers so many opportunities for kids to enjoy and have fun all year round! Check out our list of resources, or browse through our things to do in San Francisco with kids.
Still looking for more winter activities for kids in San Francisco? No problem! Check out our comprehensive listing of places to go in the region and our highly recommended seasonal blog posts.
Best Snow Tubing for Kids Near San Diego
Best Snow Tubing for Kids Near Los Angeles
Best Snow Tubing for Kids Near San Jose
Best Snow Tubing for Kids Near Sacramento
Just enter your email address below and you’ll get an email every time we publish a new post!
Categories :
Tags :
