Alpine Meadows: Lakes, Forest Trails and Winter Sports

Alpine Meadows combines impressive nature experiences with a central base area and various options for active holiday days. More than five unnamed lakes along the Five Lakes Trail invite visitors to fish and swim. At the same time, forest trails, the Pacific Crest Trail and the winter sports area offer different focal points for planning your trip. Those looking for a holiday apartment can therefore choose Alpine Meadows based on whether hiking, cycling, water activities or skiing and snowboarding days should be the main focus.

Lake Hikes and Forest Trails

The Five Lakes Trail passes more than five lakes where fishing and swimming are possible. The trail is a steep, 4-mile round-trip hike in total. It begins on private land and ends in the Granite Chief Wilderness. When planning the day, the nature and water experience therefore matter just as much as the steep route and its total length.

From Highway 89, you can reach the Five Lakes Trailhead via 2 miles along Alpine Meadows Road. Parking is available along the road at the trailhead. Those choosing accommodation in Alpine Meadows can factor this orientation into their hiking-day plans without equating the route with the distance from their accommodation.

The Bear Creek Trail offers a different kind of experience. It is rated easy, permits bicycles, and runs through the forest as a 2.5-mile round trip. One trailhead is on Alpine Meadows Road opposite the Five Lakes Trailhead; the other end begins at the Alpine Meadows Horse Stables. This allows you to distinguish between a steep hike to the lakes and a shorter forest trail where bicycle use is permitted.

Pacific Crest Trail and Winter Sports

The Pacific Crest Trail currently runs near the Alpine Bowl and Summit Six lifts. At the intersection with the Pacific Crest Trail, hikers can head south to the Five Lakes and to Alpine Meadows. Alongside the Five Lakes Trail, this gives trip planning another prominent name for hiking and orientation in the area.

Winter sports are also part of Alpine Meadows’ identity. In November 2011, Alpine Meadows joined forces with another resort; together, the two resorts offered 6,000 skiable acres on a single lift pass. Treeline Cirque is a high-speed four-person chairlift at Alpine Meadows. From the base area, it takes guests to the mid-station or the summit station, after which they ski down to the chalet. For skiers and snowboarders, Treeline Cirque provides direct access from the base area to the front and back sides of Alpine Meadows’ slopes.

The Alpine base area offers a ski-lodge atmosphere and a central area suitable for families. This may be particularly important when choosing a holiday apartment if shared days in the winter sports area and a well-oriented base are more important than an exclusively quiet stay away from the activities.

More Activities for Different Holiday Days

For a change from mountain trails and winter sports, Alpine Springs Community Park offers a swimming pond with a beach, as well as opportunities for tennis, pickleball, bocce and volleyball. This selection complements the hiking and cycling experiences with water and play areas. This makes it possible to adapt trip planning to changing interests within the family without reducing Alpine Meadows to just one season or a single activity.

Discover More Destinations

For further trip planning, you can also view Lincoln, Tahoma, Foresthill, Squaw Valley, Dollar Point, Lake Forest, Rocklin and Carnelian Bay.

For the higher-level travel overview: Placer.