Tahoe Donner Cross Country Ski Center

I've been skiing here for over a decade and love it. I always have a season pass for the best value and no wait to get on the trails. There is a wide selection of trails for every level and excellent grooming. The huts are nice and good places to stop for a break or get your bearings with trail maps. The ski instructors are excellent. I've never used the rental gear, but family and friends report it is excellent. Plenty of parking and a lovely Adventure Center.

Best XC Ski resort in all of Tahoe in my opinion. One of the largest trail systems in the area. The facilities are also top notch. They offer rentals, waxing and a variety of classes taught by excellent instructors. There is also a nice cafe, bar and shop on site.

I booked my first ever cross country skiing lesson for early morning because I wanted to avoid the crowds and I am glad that I did. Parking near the lodge is very limited. I checked in at the front and then made my way to the rental shop. I was given skis, poles, and boots. I didn't utilize the lockers, as I wore a fanny pack to carry my personal items. My instructor was a friendly elderly gentleman, but I felt like my learning style and his teaching style just didn't mesh very well. The trails were perfectly groomed, however it was the snow in between the trails that became treacherous from the beginning due to it being slick as glass- my instructor said that once the sun warmed up the snow, it wouldn't be so slick- so that was one big drawback to me arriving early in the day. About 20 minutes into my lesson while transitioning from one trail to another, I fell on the aforementioned slippery snow right on my tailbone and that pretty much ended my time there. I tried to ignore the pain, but my entire lower body began to stiffen up. * My instructor fell on the slippery snow as well. After an hour of lessons on technique and helpful hints I was left on my own. I stuck to the Meadow Loop course which just went around in a full circle so that I didn't have to venture back out onto the slippery snow. By then the courses were getting rather busy with other skiers and the pain from my fall was starting to make my movements limited and I didn't want to fall again on my tailbone so decided to be done. For my first time I had a great experience and I will definitely try XC Skiing in the future.

The members services woman was one of the rudest encounters I have ever had over the phone. I was so shocked and hurt. I didn't even know what to say so I just got off the phone. To top it off as a funny cherry they also consistently misspelled my name on the emails leading up to the Phone call...now I am thinking it was on purpose.

Came here for XC lessons over president's Day weekend in 2023. It was my first time on any type of skis and I had a great experience! Arthur and Bob were our instructors for a 10:15AM class and were very helpful, knowledgeable and patient. The equipment seemed almost new and the trails I saw (green easy trails) were nicely groomed. I'm glad we had the early class with the afternoon to go off our own, because once the Sun starts to go down, the trails start to get icy and slippery in spots. After our group class we headed out to two trails, one which passed a warming hut. The employee at the hut was very kind and offered us water, hot cocoa & a rice crispy treat. Overall the resort was laid back and family friendly; little kids out-skiing me, bad-a** moms out snow shoeing with kids on their backs and dads with sled chariots strapped to their waist. All the employees we encountered were very helpful. I would return here for any future XC adventures for sure.

well groomed trails, great for beginners and extremely friendly staff! I'm trying to learn cross country skiing and it's been great to step out and drive 15 minutes to practice here. from the front desk to the rentals to snow patrol to other skiiers, everyone has been very welcoming and supportive. things are a bit different with covid and you have to make all reservations online (and at least a day in advance). the area gets some crowd on weekends but it's usually spread out, and I've never had a problem with the parking. I've also snowshoed here a couple of times and enjoyed that as well. a few trails are dog friendly (yay) but I believe the dog passes have already sold out this year (noooooo) if you're just starting out and terrified of the snow like me (or even if you're not), I totally recommend purchasing a lesson. my instructor Herb was amazing, super patient and took extra time to make sure I was comfortable and able to ski without panicking. all lessons are private and restricted to your household members, and they get sold out fast so book early. the trails are beautiful - enjoy!!

Very friendly staff. My wife and I are on our honeymoon and decided to get a private cross country ski lesson, our ski coach is named Brad and he was super duper amazing!! My wife and I have never tried skiing so it was our first time and he was soooo helpful he could not have done a better job seriously Brad rocks!! This is a very nice place to learn how ski

Nice trails, some nice long greens. Substantially more crowded than royal gorge though.

We had such a wonderful experience here--if you've ever wanted to try cross country skiing, this is the place to try it! We are staying in Truckee in a rental house this weekend and wanted to try some cross country skiing. I had been once before but my partner had not. We went to the Tahoe Donner adventure center since it seemed like a great one-stop shop for equipment, lessons, good trails, etc. When we arrived, I was a little intimidated at first but the staff here are AMAZING! From the moment we got to the rental area, the staff were super friendly and helpful (shout out to Mary at the rental desk for helping us out!). We got a lesson in classic cross country and a day pass for around $65pp including skis which I thought was a reasonable price. The lesson was really a highlight of any ski trip I've ever taken. Only 7 of us and 3 instructors. My partner and I actually got a lot of individual attention since we were beginners and I really appreciated the time Van and Karen took with us! The instructors here are top notch and really patient so it's a great place if you're just starting out. They have lots of trails too so if you're more advanced, there's plenty to keep you busy. After our lesson (1030-noon), we headed to the lodge for a warm drink and lunch. The hot cocoa was really tasty and we had pb&j and sweet potato fries (they are perfectly crispy and the jalapeño ranch dip they come with is so so good!). Food here is really great! I wasn't expecting them to have such an extensive menu. We had lots of food envy watching the delicious salads and burgers coming out of the kitchen. Will definitely plan to eat a full lunch here next time. After lunch, we went back on the trails to try two of the beginner trails on our own--Piece of Cake and Cup of Tea. Both were just the right level for us and varied enough that we had a lot of fun! Really a great day skiing and the people who work here are awesome! Cindy, Van, Karen, Mary, and everyone else who made us feel totally welcomed--THANK YOU!

This is my favorite place for cross-country skiing in the Tahoe Area. Partly that's because it is within walking distance of my favorite cabin. But beyond that it's a really nice place. It has something for everyone, from the rank beginner, to the serious athlete. I've introduced several people to X-country skiing here and they all loved it. It's not as big as Royal Gorge, but it will easily keep me occupied all day and it's a bit cheaper (both for the pass and the rentals). The rental equipment is all first rate. One of my favorite stops is the Cookhouse warming hut in Euer Valley. On the weekends they sell hot chocolate and Vegetarian Chili and the whole thing is accessible from beginner trails, so I use this as my introductory course. It's a nice stop even on the weekdays. (It's not really a hut, more of a cabin. Be advised though, no restrooms. Just an outhouse. But when you gotta go, you gotta go.) Typically I'll do the Euer Valley roundtrip on the green trail, then send the "baggage" back to the Parking Lot while I sneak in a quick run up to Sundance hut (plenty of choices between blue and black trails). On a sunny day, the view there is gorgeous. If the weather is bad, Euer Valley is still a nice trip as it is relatively sheltered and flat. There are some blue and black trails you can connect to, but mostly it's relaxed gliding. Trails are well groomed and maintained. It gets pretty crowded on weekends, but nowhere near as bad as Royal Gorge. If you can visit on a weekday, it's very serene and relaxing.

I went cross country skiing here for the first time and found my new favorite sport after taking a lesson with Sheila. If you have never been before I would HIGHLY recommend a lesson it is so worth it. Everyone that works here is super friendly. Dave took the time to really help my mother in law who was a little slower to learn than the rest of the group. The trails are beautiful (especially after this year's snow) and very well marked.

What a fun place to learn how to cross country ski! Our instructor was great and we had a blast. They provide you with high quality rental equipment, and we were able to ski around on our own after one lesson. The location is beautiful and the trails are well-marked. Don't head out without a trail map, though!

Tahoe Donner Cross Country is the absolute best. The staff is consistently friendly, helpful, knowledgeable. The trails and grooming are great. The scenery is beautiful and varied. We are home now and already yearning to go back. Thank you, TDXC. Ann and Gerry

Olympians, look out. I've never set foot onto skis before and this was the perfect introduction. Not only did I burn probably about 500 calories in cross country, but I also snowplowed (yes new word in my vocabulary) my way through the bunniest of slopes. The trails are groomed, meaning they have tracks for the striders (as opposed to the skaters) which was at times helpful and also constricting. If you don't have your own skis, it's a bit pricey ... $40 plus. But it's a great way to bond with nature and get an amazing workout. You will sweat so be sure to bring sunblock with you if it's a clear day, because you will need to reapply a couple of times. I did not do this and now, in addition to having sore arm and leg muscles, my face also hurts. In the spirit of Vancouver games, at the end of our trek, my friend splayed out in the snow because he was so overcome with emotion that he just couldn't stand. Que crying and glittery eyeshadow.

I've never skied before. I was afraid, but this place made it an amazing experience. Previously I had family say that I would fall and break my neck skiing. Not the case, I fell ass over tea kettle several times laughing all the way and walked away with not even a bruise. I came with three of my nieces and a few of their friends. Not only did we basically get one on one lessons for the price of a group lessons, the instructor was so attentive, helpful and supportive it was great. I am glad I came here and I look forward to many happy returns!

Our favorite place to hike! Beautiful, well groomed trails. Thousands of acres to explore and we love our Cooper's Creek.

A great place for beginners to learn. SHARON was very helpful by providing me the details I needed to begin purchasing some of my own XC ski gear. I wanted to make sure I purchased boots w a binding system compatible w the center's skis. Sharon cheerfully gave me the details I needed. The Tahoe/Donner XC Ctr uses Salomon "Combi" boots; these utilize a double bar, she said. (I dunno what this means:) The bindings are "SNS Pilot." I'll save about $8 on the rental pkg by having my own boots. Most importantly, I can make sure they'll be dry & toasty when I put them on to begin New Year 2017 at Tahoe/Donner. All I have to do now is make it up Hwy 80 from Sac. through the forecasted epic storm. Sharon gave me sage advice about that, too. I luv this place.

I have not skied in years but thought cross country skiing would be fun. This place was pretty amazing and is right up there with snowboarding for me now. The rentals with day pass was only $49 when I went, which is not bad considering the price of other resorts and the fact that there are virtually no people in your way here on the trails. The trails were all amazing, some were pretty far with challenging inclines to climb and some were flat to slight downhill in certain areas. There is a trail for all skill levels. They keep this place well maintained and groom the trails constantly during the day to decrease ruts and make it more enjoyable. There is a great shack with burgers and beers in the back trail that we went to and were suprised to see a fire to sit by and a good place to relax after sweating from all the work f cross country skiing. This place was much better than I expected and I will come here again.

Do not go here if you have a dog. This is the second time I've driven out to ski here with my dog. I even called to make sure the dog trail was open and upon arrival I find out the the trail for dogs is not open till 3pm today. They could have given me that information when I called and specifically asked if the dog trail was open. This organization seems to be disorganized and has randomly decided when to open the dog trails. There lack of information and willingness to share has turned me off to ever trying to come here again If you wanna have a great time skiing with your fur baby go to tahoe cross country skiing they are wonderful Or the many other free uncrowded places

A few friends and I rented cross-country skis for ~$36 for half a day (1pm to 5pm). It was our first time so we all got slider skis, not knowing to use sliders or skaters. We were also confident in our abilities to figure it out so didn't bother paying for a lesson, which was $5 more. We skied across the easy routes for about 1 hour before we asked a ski patroler if we were skiing correctly. Apparently, we were trying to "skate" vs "slide". Oh well, we readjusted our techniques and ended up having more fun / skiing easier for the rest of the time. I enjoy myself, but I wish the views were more scenic.

Very nice trails. We enjoyed our visit here, even though my skis weren't waxed and that was a total pain. I was really impressed with the trail selection. The staff is nice and on the weekends one of the huts on the trails serves coffee and pastries.

I had never cross-country skied before, and this seemed like a good place to start. There are a variety of trails ranging in difficulty so accommodate the skilled...and me. Seriously I ate it so many times. If you head up the blue and black trails, you'll gain elevation and get some really nice views of the entire area. The place is moderately busy, just the right amount of people that still leaves enough space if you tend to fly downhill like you're using downhill skis (except you're not) and not crash into people.

Haven't skied at TDXC in about 4 years, but I'm quite happy to have made my way back here! Great snow, friendly staff. Lots of good 'easy' trails for those like myself who are just getting back into the cross-country ski activity, but it looked like there were numbers of more advanced trails waiting for when my 'game' improves! Had a beautiful day with a bit of overcast in the morning but then spectacular blue skies in the afternoon. Had about as good a day skiing as one could have! I'll be back!

Great resort. I love it here...been living in Tahoe since 2004...why am I such a moron? I should have come here 13 years ago! - EXCELLENT (did I mention EXCELLENT) grooming! - Lots of toys (great stride and freestyle rentals, fat-tire bikes, snowshoes and some dedicated trails for skiing with happy dogs). - Great instructors. - Very, very friendly people...both employees and skiers (total lack of attitude). - Very pretty topography. - Generally warm because of lack of wind, I ski in a l/s t-shirt a lot! - Great restaurant and good coffee available (I'm a complete coffee snob). - When I ski up to the lodge, step out of my bindings and can barely walk...my "cool down" is getting a nice beer or glass of red wine and sitting by one of the 2 outdoor gas fires. It's like a mini-vacation within a vacation. The zen of fire and a well-deserved IPA. - Finally...XC rocks compared to downhill because there are no meat-seeking, out-of-control Exocet Missiles to ski into you at 30mph and take out your ACL or collar-bone. Last week, I actually stopped on a trail long enough to watch a beautiful white (and very rare to Tahoe) bird of prey soar across the meadow. I am a beginning Nordic freestyle skate-skier and was casually chatting with one of the TDXC employees about some frustrations and difficulties I was having. He said, "Grab your skis...let's go outside." It was a slow weekday, so I wouldn't expect this on any other day. But Herb took me out to the trail and spent about 10 minutes helping me improve (by about 300%). It turns out Herb has been XC skiing for 28 years and is a low-key, relaxed, incredible instructor who invested 10 minutes in me to change my skiing forever (no charge...just a new friend). I think I may have actually heard him mumble, "Those aren't the droids you're looking for...". Sounds a little like I'm exaggerating? Well, in 10 minutes he took me from sweating and cursing up and down the 100 yard trail in front of the lodge to double-polling and V-1 around a 2-mile course at literally 3x the speed that I was previously skiing (with a stupid-looking grin to boot!). Herb's an awesome guy, but really...everyone I've met has just been really nice and helpful. And if grooming is what makes a XC resort, this is it. I've been to TDXC 11 times this season and ALL the trails appear to be recently groomed and in great shape, every time. Super happy with this resort and will probably be the only one I go to for XC from now on. Is this review too positive? Okay, for the "glass-half-empty" types I can come up with 1...just 1 complaint. Sometimes the parking lot fills up and you have to park down the hill and take the shuttle. It comes every 10 minutes, so no big deal...but I'm totally spoiled! Try TDXC, I'm certain you will very much enjoy it. Say hi to Herb for me if you can catch him.

I want to update my review after the experiences we've had in the past two years of limited snow. Despite rough conditions, these folks have been doing everything possible to enable a positive XC ski experience. I really appreciate it!

Crowded parking lots everywhere along the pass if you go on the weekends or during snow play time in December and January. Coming from Sacramento area I was stuck on donner pass for about 2-3 hours before I was able to drive down north towards Roseville. I imagine if it were snowing hard we may have been stuck or even doubled that time. Definetely a beautiful place to visit if your a young active adult or teenager.

Had the best noon skate lesson. The facility is friendly to new comers. No attitude at all! My instructor, Brad was friendly, professional and really cared. I plan on purchasing a season pass and making the cross country resort a regular part of my routine.

Entertainment book coupon!!!! buy-1-get-1, you can even use the mobile ap for $1 that made it way more affordable for first timers. had a fun time, turns out the further out you go the more uphill you'll need to get back!

Great time on the fat tire snow bikes and snow shoeing. Everyone was so friendly. Go to eagle peak.

The service was horrific. I wanted to use my vouchers I bought at a charity auction a couple months ago to take a friend on her first xc ski trip. The auction was not clear about the restrictions, however I was glad to support the cause and could work around the saturday and holiday black out. Even though the web page does not define any specific dates as holidays, the ladies behind the counter decided to define the day I wanted to ski as a holiday. While this might be common practice among ski resorts, it is not posted on the web, on any signs, on the passes etc... IT COSTS THEM NOTHING TO LET US SKI. It would have been easy to remedy the situation and let us ski with the two passes that day. They are going to make money from two rentals. Instead they acted like their hands were tied. I would gladly traded all 4 passes for just the 2 I needed that day. Who would want to go back to a place who donates passes for a fundraiser, then places restrictions on those passes? Please check out the other xc options in the area, find a place that encourages you to have a good time rather than leaves a very bitter taste.

Though not as big as Royal Gorge it has more spectacular, viewful ridge-top and peak trails and more vertical (1300'), which expert skiers can do in one long, hair-raising run called 'I'm OK Euer OK'. In fact, TDXC may have some of the most serious vertical of any skinny-ski area in the world. On the other hand it features two large, beginner-friendly areas, the Euer Valley and the Home Range, which are more sheltered in blustery weather than anywhere at Royal Gorge. It's also open 7 days a week.

This is a wonderful cross-country area, with a variety of well-marked and well-groomed trails. Mid-week, at least, trails are not crowded and the area is very peaceful. Its lower elevation probably means a shorter ski season, but easier elevation for acclimating, too. I've skied every resort area in California and this is my favorite.

One of the finest cross-country ski areas in the world. Huge trail system with lots of variety, including flats, thrilling descents, and awesome views. Grooming is first-rate for both classic and skating techniques. Staff has recently experienced heavy turnover, but new ones seem very friendly. Parking and lodge can be crowded on holiday weekends.

We have been here a couple of times now and really enjoy coming here! The staff is straight forward and the trails are fantastic. I had a lesson with an instructor named Megan, it vastly improved my skiing skills and made the whole experience of trail exploration even better. The trails are well maintained, cover beautiful terrain, and the skiers that frequent the place are friendly. We will definitely choose TDXC again for a great day of skiing.