Travel | Tahoe

Tahoe's largest ski resort announces it is closing early

By Lester Black, News editor
March 24, 2026


Record-breaking heat has quickly melted snow across Tahoe, including on this run at Palisades, pictured on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
Lester Black/SFGATE

It looks like the Sierra’s self-described “spring skiing capital” won’t stay open very long into spring: Palisades Tahoe announced Tuesday it plans to close at least a month earlier than expected. ... Palisades said in a Tuesday blog post that the lack of snowfall and “quickly diminishing base” will stop the resort from making it to its targeted May 25 closing date. Instead, the resort is hoping to stay open until “late April,” although that date is not guaranteed. The resort is hoping to keep Alpine Meadows open until the first week of April.

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March has also failed to deliver any snow to the mountains. OpenSnow forecaster Bryan Allegretto reported Monday that Tahoe is on track to “easily” record the driest March since 1970, the year daily measurements first started. Allegretto said heat has also been a problem for the resorts, with an average March temperature of 44 degrees so far, which is 9.3 degrees above average and much warmer than the 40.8 degree average seen in March 2015, the previous record month.

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Tahoe is in the midst of a record-breaking March for heat and lack of snowfall, which is leaving resorts low on snow, as is the case with Palisades, pictured here on March 21, 2026.
Lester Black/SFGATE

Skiers at resorts across Tahoe are already experiencing the effects of melting snow, and Palisades hasn’t been spared. Large dirt spots were widespread across the lower resort the past two weeks, including on the Mountain Run trail, which most skiers and riders need to take to get back to the base area. Lacey said the mountain may close Mountain Run and direct guests to download using the funitel or the aerial tram.

Mammoth Mountain, located further south in the Sierra, has so far fared far better this ski season. The mountain did not receive the torrential rain Tahoe was hit with in February, and it has over 90% of its terrain open, according to OpenSnow. Mammoth is still publicly planning to close on May 25.

March 24, 2026

Lester Black
News editor
Lester Black is a news editor at SFGATE. He has written for FiveThirtyEight.com, High Country News, The Guardian, The Albuquerque Journal and The Tennessean. He previously worked at The Stranger and the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle.