Is Tahoe 'Closed'? What to Know About Winter Sports Visits in a Stay-at-Home Order

Updated Wednesday, Jan. 13: California has lifted the regional stay-at-home order for the greater Sacramento region, which includes the Lake Tahoe area.

This means hotels in the Tahoe region can once again offer accommodation to leisure travelers, which was previously reserved for essential travel only. However, the Bay Area remains under the regional stay-at-home order, which asks residents to stay at home except for essential activities.

Additionally, on Jan. 6, California issued a new travel advisory that states that residents should avoid non-essential travel to any part of California more than 120 miles from their homes.

Original story from Jan. 5:

After a skiing and snowboarding season that was cut short by COVID-19 last March just as long-awaited big snows began to arrive, scores of winter sports enthusiasts in the Bay Area and across Northern California have been itching to head up to the Lake Tahoe region for some time on the slopes.

Skip straight to:

• Can I travel to Tahoe?
• What about hotels and accommodation?
• How is this being enforced?

But with COVID-19 cases spiking and hospitals continuing to fill up, regional stay-at-home orders are once again limiting travel and businesses across most of the state. The Greater Sacramento region, which includes the Lake Tahoe area counties of El Dorado, Placer, Nevada and Amador, became subject to the stay-at-home order after ICU capacity in that region dipped below 15% on Dec. 11. Just days later, the 11 counties that make up the state-designated Bay Area region became subject to the same order, and remain under it.

On Jan. 1, the California Department of Public Health announced that the Greater Sacramento region would continue to stay under the regional stay-at-home order — because the area’s four-week projected ICU capacity did not meet the criteria to exit the order.

But despite those spiking cases, guidance from the state regarding travel for the purposes of outdoor winter recreation has been slightly uneven. Gov. Gavin Newsom specifically encouraged Californians to take part in outdoor activities like skiing and snowboarding when he announced the state's stay-at-home orders – and some hotels are being less proactive than others in canceling reservations.

So what should you do?

Can I Travel to Tahoe During Stay-at-Home Orders?

Overall, it's discouraged. But it's complicated.

According to the state's stay-at-home orders, all residents living in a region under the order "shall stay home or at their place of residence except as necessary to conduct activities associated with the operation, maintenance, or usage of critical infrastructure."

Additionally, the limited stay-at-home order, which was put in place back in November, has also been extended and will now expire only after the regional stay-at-home order has ended across California. Those restrictions say that nonessential activities — including "all activities conducted outside the residence, lodging, or temporary accommodation with members of other households" — are prohibited between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m for counties with widespread coronavirus risk (also known as Tier 1 or purple tier.) El Dorado, Placer, Amador and Nevada counties still fall under this risk category, according to the state.

But, in the same state order, it says nothing in the state guidance prevents households from leaving their residence, so long as they're not socializing with other households. It also acknowledges that outdoor exercise is essential for promoting physical and mental health.

So what should you do? County officials say, if you're going to go, make it a short trip.

"The preference is to stay in your local area. But if you come to Tahoe from the Bay Area, make it a day trip. And while you're in Tahoe, take all the precautions," said Carla Hass, communications director for El Dorado County.

"It's a long day, but it certainly is doable," Hass said. "And people have been doing it for generations."

People like Paige Hutson, a Marin County resident who's been skiing in Tahoe for 45 years. She says day trips are doable, just make sure to pack a lunch before you go.

"People just need to stop for a moment and think: Are they contributing or are they part of the solution? And take personal responsibility for the things that we are all doing on a day-to-day basis to prevent the spread of COVID-19," she said.

Jon Slaughter, director of marketing for Sugar Bowl resort in North Lake Tahoe, echoed the encouragement to make a Tahoe trip a day trip.

"You're just going to come up, you're going to enjoy the outdoors, have a blast," he said. "I mean, the snow's great. The weather's been beautiful."

"But then you're going to stay together and then you're going to head back home after that," he urged.

I Had a Hotel Reservation. What Should I Do?

While resorts are open for skiing and snowboarding, staying overnight is generally off the table while a stay-at-home order is in effect. Under the new order, hotels and short-term rentals are unable to offer lodgings to nonessential travelers, from in-state or out-of-state.

But how hotels should inform their guests of the change is less clear. At The Village at Squaw Valley Lodging, staff said they were proactively contacting guests to cancel their reservations in December. And Placer County officials said in a statement that they were working to notify short-term rental owners in the county about the order, and "educate them about the rental restriction that is now in place."

So if you have a reservation on the books in the next few weeks, and you haven't heard anything yet, you may want to check in to make sure you can get a refund or reschedule your travel.

If I Stay on the Nevada-side of Tahoe, Do I Need to Quarantine When I Come Back?

Technically, yes! According to the travel advisory issued in mid-November, anyone traveling from outside the state should self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in California.

That makes things complicated for areas like South Lake Tahoe, which sit close to or on the California/Nevada border.

Hass affirms that, yes, best practice would be to quarantine for two weeks. But she also encourages visitors to use their common sense and follow best practices, like social distancing and wearing masks.

"Nobody is going to be standing at the state line, asking you where you've come from and where you're going," she said. "The time has never been more ripe for personal responsibility than it is today."

San Francisco has also extended its mandatory 10-day quarantine for anyone coming into the city from outside nine counties in the greater Bay Area region. The order first went into effect on Dec. 18 and officials say the extension will now continue until the region is no longer subject to the state’s regional stay-at-home order.

How Will This Order Be Enforced?

According to the state, failure to comply with the stay-at-home order can result in a monetary fine, a misdemeanor, revocation of a business license or other court-imposed penalties. The state works with local officials to implement the order.

But many local sheriff's offices have been reticent when it comes to hard-line enforcement. Both Placer and El Dorado counties' sheriff's offices said they would focus mainly on providing education rather than punishment.

In El Dorado County, sheriff's officials suggested that residents who witness noncompliance with the order to report it to the county Department of Public Health. Placer County officials encourage residents to call 211.

According to Hutson, the best way to look at the regulations is as an investment in the future.

"It may be different at the end of January," she said. "If we do a good job now, maybe we'll have the ability to spend the weekend or several days skiing, which is what we all want."