Black Bear Lodge :: South Lake Tahoe, California

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Blame it on my half a decade of living in the snow globe that is Buffalo, NY, but my ecstatic welcome of every snow-less Bay Area winter is always periodically interrupted by wistful nostalgia for a snow day.
Wow, I chide myself at such times, do you not remember the long thaws from the slow biting cold?
But how nice would it be, my mind responds, to feel the snow for just one day?
So began my angling for a weekend getaway to Lake Tahoe, a skiers’ paradise just a few hours away from us that transforms into a snow globe every winter and spring. When my wish manifested into a partnership with South Lake Tahoe’s cozy Black Bear Lodge, I blocked the weekend on our calendar before you could say snow!

Black Bear Lodge has been recently refreshed by its new owners- Rachel and Greg- into a lovely little resort that makes for the perfect home base to explore Tahoe from. Our stay in the Lodge’s Studio Cabin was as homely as it was an escape from the mundane, and the location made all of my snowy dreams come true! Read on for all the reasons why this cozy spot should get on your wishlist. :)

  • Cabin Fever

When it comes to cold weather getaways, I’m a sucker for cozy cabins. Lake Tahoe being Lake Tahoe, my expectations involved all of the après ski vibes and our little cabin did not disappoint! The fireplace and well stocked kitchenette had us literally canceling plans to stay indoors despite the snowy slopes calling my name through the windows.
Cabin feverrrrrr. 🌡

  • The Great Room

A close second to the cabin’s comforts, the Great Room held all of the shiny objects✨for me- a bigger fireplace, a library, breakfast bagels and a café and a wine bar, rustic-y eclectic décor like I stepped into an Anthropologie.💯
It only came a close second to the cabin because there were other humans there. Don’t get me wrong, they clearly also had top-notch taste in where they liked to spend their time and probably were excellent human beings, but I can be anti-social on some Saturdays. 🤷🏽‍♀️😂

  • Location, Location, Location

If lakeside living is your thing, Black Bear Lodge is your spot.
If ski slope-ing is your thing, Black Bear Lodge is your spot then too!

Being a mere hop, skip and jump away from the lake meant that we got plenty of beach time, which is just the way I like it. I had been to Tahoe once before in the heat of summer and LOVED hanging out at the lake, so I didn’t think the cold winter version of a lake day could compete. But no! The calm lake waters against the snow-capped mountains made for such a dramatic and soothing vision, it didn’t even feel like the same place I saw last July. I highly recommend a trip to Tahoe in both seasons, each offers an equally beautiful experience!

Also a mere hop, skip and jump away is Heavenly Village. If you count yourself amongst the ski crowd, you already know that this is the South Lake Tahoe gateway to some of the best ski slopes in the country and world. Ski lifts (free for skiers) and Gondolas (ticketed ride for all) run up the mountains from the village all through the day, all through ski season. Not being of such sporty inclination ourselves, we still wanted to ride the gondola to take in the aerial views and spend some time on the mountain, where an observation deck, Heavenly Resort, a café, etc. await visitors. But alas! The gondolas run all through the day subject to weather, of course, and it so happened that high winds put our ride on hold that weekend.
*Pro tip based on first-hand experience- call the Heavenly gondola office ahead to check about the winds if you plan on going!

All this to say, Lake Tahoe during ski and snow season is wonderful.
Black Bear Lodge during snow, or any season, is wonderful.
The next weekend you’re itching for a road-trip, go here to have yourself an experience that’s wonderful! ☺️

Thank you for reading and have a great week ahead!
XO Sushmitha :)