Welcome to Kirkwood Mountain Resort!
The Stuff Of Legend…
Magical, raw, expansive and remote, Kirkwood is the stuff of legend. With the deepest, driest snow around and some of North America's most diverse and challenging terrain, Kirkwood offers big mountain riding with small town attitude. It's about adventure and challenge. Discovery from exploration. Personal satisfaction, from personal challenge. At the end of the day, a uniquely rewarding experience that can only be had at a handful of places on Earth. Tucked away about 35 miles southwest of South Lake Tahoe, Kirkwood is out of the way but the reward is well worth the effort of finding it.
Our unique location atop the Sierra Crest combined with elevations ranging 7,800 to 9,800 feet create a little something we like to call the K-Factor – a geographical predisposition to receive the lightest, the driest, and the most plentiful snow in the Tahoe region. With 2000 feet of vertical drop, and over 2300 acres of terrain from calm groomed beginner runs to hair raising cornices, cliffs and the most high angle grooming around, there’s something for everyone at the 'Wood.
In the summertime, Kirkwood turns into a picturesque high alpine adventure playground! World class rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and fishing are all just within a stone's throw of the resort. Fields of wildflowers will take your breath away during the summer months, and the turning aspens make a beautiful backdrop during the fall months.
Read about the history of Kirkwood»
Learn about the history of the Kirkwood Inn»
Doc the Dog - A Very Special MascotDoc the Dog, a legendary Avalanche Rescue Dog, rescued an individual who was caught in an avalanche in 1993. Avalanche dogs are specially trained to track, locate and rescue people buried under large masses of fallen snow often with the many other distractions that come with a rescue scene. We have several rescue dogs on our ski patrol team that you may see riding the chairlift or out on the mountain training. Kirkwood pays tribute to all avalanche dogs that help aide in the rescue of victims, with their very own Mascot, Doc the Dog. Look out for Doc around the Village Plaza and Timber Creek on weekends. |
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The Story of Doc
Kirkwood employee Jeff Eckland was caught in an avalanche in Button Bowl smashed into a tree and broke his back and ribs. Buried for nearly 15 minutes under five feet of heavy snow, he couldn’t move. “..I was buried way down there against a tree and was close to blacking out when I felt his paw hit my back… without Doc, it probably would have been several hours before they found me. I’m pretty sure I would have died.” Doc traversed into the avalanche area and went straight to the clump of trees where he proceeded to dig out the buried skier.
Kirkwood Mountain Stats - Winter
| Hours of Operation | 9am - 4pm (subject to change due to weather and snow) |
| Annual Avg Snowfall | 600 inches |
| Trails | 81+ |
| Skiable Acres | 2,300 |
| Vertical Rise | 2,000 feet |
| Base Elevation | 7,800 feet |
| Top Elevation | 9,800 feet |
| Number of Lifts | 15 |
| Types of Lifts |
3 surface lifts, 1 double chair, 6 triple chairs, 1 fixed grip quad,
2 high speed quads, 2 magic carpets
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| Uphill Capacity | 19,905 skiers per hour |
| Longest Run | 2.5 miles |
| Terrain | 15% beginner, 50% intermediate, 20% advanced, 15% expert |
| Snowmaking | Top to bottom coverage on four runs |
| Parks & Pipes | Half pipe, 2 terrain parks. |
Kirkwood Mountain Stats - Summer
| Trails | 18 trails in the valley, 11 in lift accessed mountain bike park, 11.5 miles of single track |
| Vertical Rise | 2,000 feet |
| Base Elevation | 7,800 feet |
| Top Elevation | 9,800 feet |
| Lifts | Chairs 1 & 2 operate on weekends during the summer months |
| Mountain Bike Terrain | 10% beginner, 50% intermediate, 30% advanced, 10% expert |
| Bike Park Features | Features included log rides, pump track and other terrain park features. |
