LOOSE / Spot guides / lake tahoe terrain parks
snowboard guide · lake tahoe, ca
Tahoe parks: pick your flavor
Two Tahoe resorts are built around park riding: Northstar near Truckee, and Boreal, home of Woodward Tahoe, at Soda Springs. Here's what each one has, straight from their own park pages.
Both resorts open and rebuild parks as snow allows. Park layouts, lifts, hours and ticket rules change through the season (and with the snow), so check the linked official page on the day you go.
Northstar California
Northstar
5001 Northstar Dr, Truckee, CA 96161
Northstar rates its parks from extra small to large, so you can move up one step at a time:
| Park | Size (per Northstar) |
|---|---|
| Sidewinder Burton Progression Park | Extra small (beginner) |
| Moonshine | Small |
| Pinball | Medium (rails) |
| Pipeline | Large |
| Halfpipes | One 18-foot pipe and one mini-pipe |
Northstar points out its showings in terrain-park rankings over the years. Names and sizes can shift between seasons, so check the trail map before you head up.
Boreal & Woodward Tahoe
Boreal Mountain / Woodward Tahoe
9749 Boreal Ridge Rd, Soda Springs, CA 95728
Boreal lists seven snow parks plus pop-ups:
- Woodward Start Park, steps from the Boreal Base Lodge: sculpted bumps and berms for a first taste of transition.
- Progression Park: mini rails, boxes and jumps with lift access.
- Big Blue: usually the first park to open, street rails mixed with transitions, off the Accelerator or Castle Peak chairs.
- Sierra: rider's right of the Accelerator lift, starting mellow with rails and ledges and ending with three big jumps.
- Pacific Highline: a jump line from XS to L that flows into a jib garden.
- Peace Park: designed by Danny Davis for intermediate and advanced riders, with lots of flow and transition.
- Jibassic: Boreal first built it in 1992 and brought it back for the 18/19 season, all jibs.
- The halfpipe: a 16-foot mini-pipe beside the Accelerator lift.
- Pop-up parks: one-off builds that last about a week.
Woodward Tahoe also has an indoor skatepark and, in summer, concrete skateparks, BMX dirt lines and parkour, so skaters and BMX riders can keep training in the same place all year.
Which one?
- Want long laps and a classic jump line? Northstar.
- Want lots of small, creative features close together, or you're new to park? Boreal / Woodward. The Start Park and Progression Park are made for it.
- Coming from skate or BMX? Woodward Tahoe's indoor and summer facilities make it a year-round home base.
Tips
- Mountain roads. Tahoe roads can get chain controls in storms. Check road conditions before you leave.
- Helmets. Boreal's parks page lists a helmet and a valid pass as requirements.
Park etiquette (applies everywhere)
- Orange ovals mean freestyle terrain. Resorts like Mammoth and Big Bear mark terrain parks with an orange oval. Read the signs at the entrance before you drop in.
- Scope first, then hit. Ride your first lap past the features, not over them. Look at the takeoff and the landing.
- One rider per feature. Call your drop, wait your turn and clear the landing fast.
- Start small. Every resort here has a beginner or progression zone. Work up from there.
- Helmet. Some parks require one; wear one in all of them.
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Sources
Facts on this page come from these public sources (checked Oct 2026). The wording is our own.