Where is Heavenly Ski Resort?
A 70 mile (about a 1hr and 15 minute drive) drive south of Reno International Airport (RNO), Heavenly ski resort sits atop the Nevada / California state line and is located in the town of South Lake Tahoe near the south eastern shore of Lake Tahoe.
At the base of the Heavenly gondola is the Heavenly Village, which has a two condo style hotels and various shops and restaurants. Heavenly Village boasts the region’s best shopping–with over 40 shops featuring local and national brands–and Lake Tahoe’s top-rated and most popular restaurants, as well as a vibrant live music scene.
Heavenly Shuttles & Driving from the Airports
The Reno Airport is 70 miles north of Heavenly (1 hour drive). From Reno airport it is easy to get to Heavenly by rental car via Highways 395 and 50. Otherwise there are inexpensive and convenient Heavenly shuttles directly from Reno Airport to the door of all of the South Lake Tahoe hotels and Stateline casinos. These can be organized as part of Heavenly ski packages.
Alternatively the San Francisco airport is another convenient arrival point, which is 200 miles to the southwest. It’s a 5 hour drive from San Fran to Heavenly. If it has been snowing, make sure to check road conditions. Even the interstates get closed regularly due to heavy snow and dangerous driving conditions.
Or if you don’t want to drive, Bay Area Ski Bus provides transport between San Francisco and the Lake Tahoe area.
Getting Around Heavenly Resort & South Lake Tahoe
There are four base areas of Heavenly Resort. The main tourist base is the Heavenly Village which is located in South Lake Tahoe and only a 5 minute walk from the state border and the Harveys and Harrah’s casinos in Stateline Nevada. To get between Heavenly Village and the slopes of the Heavenly ski area, there is the high speed Heavenly Gondola that whisks skiers up to the Tamarack Lodge area of the ski resort in 12 minutes. The views from the Heavenly Gondola are sensational!
The California Lodge base is 2.1 miles south of the Heavenly Village by road. It’s primarily a day base and it is popular with families due to the abundance of beginner terrain at the top of the tram and express chair lift that ascend from this base. There are very regular BlueGo buses that run between the Stateline Transit Center next to the Heavenly Village (California Route) and the California Lodge.
On the Nevada side is the Stagecoach Lodge base (aka Kingsbury base). It’s a 5.7 mile drive from the Heavenly Village up the steep and windy Kingsbury Grade Rd. There is no beginner terrain at this base. Nearby is the Boulder Lodge, which has a beginner run. There are 2-3 BlueGo buses per hour (Nevada route) between the Stateline Transit Center and both the Stagecoach and Boulder bases, and the Upper Nevada route connects these two areas.