Clair Tappaan Lodge — Hotel in Truckee

Historic Sierra Club hostel with an excellent sledding hill and friendly outdoorsy vibe.

When we went in peak season there were lots of children for my child to befriend and play with both indoors and outdoors. This is not a fancy place, but it is a true luxury nowadays to let one's child go right outside on their own to sled and play in the snow with others, safe from cars, in view through the lodge window, without having to be driven anywhere else.

This lodge is quirky, and not every room is an easy place to sleep if you are a light sleeper. You may want to bring earplugs and a nightmask. The tiny 2-bed rooms get noisy from heaters cycling on and off in the middle of the night. The top bunk of those have no railing, and children have occasionally fallen out. The women's dorm is beautiful and quiet, but bright from the red exit light and outside light -- no curtains. The large rooms can get hot in the middle of the night, you may even need to open a window in winter. No electrical outlets in many rooms.

The new management is very communicative and organized. They pick up the phone, and return calls and emails. The place is now kept very clean and tidy. Tremendous improvement there.

But I do miss the previous meals. The food used to be healthier with plenty of vegetables, but now the menu is too processed and sweetened for my taste. The manager said to next time specify our needs on the form when ordering meals. Guests can bring their own food and can store it in the fridges in the basement.

The lodge used to be maintained and staffed (and was built) by Sierra Club volunteers. It is obviously more conventional now, though still not the choice for a passive vacation. It starts with unloading by cargo sled from the parking area. The parking area is a few minutes downhill from the lodge. Important note: you can not drive right up to the lodge, folks. It's a trade-off for convenience. I do really appreciate the car free play area.

Clair Tappaan is ripe for adventures and can feel totally magical...

Lets start with the positives. Its clean, rustic 1930's vibe, and cheap for the area. Its very close to Sugarbowl ski resort (and others). But, it has serious Winter issues. To enter the Lodge, you have to unload your car in a small space on the Lodge side of the road and park about a 100 yards down the road on the other side. The major problem is that after unloading you then get to carry luggage and kids about 150 yds along an initially steep, winding and narrow 2 foot snowpack trail uphill.(You are walking on TOP of 6 feet of snow.) Its uneven, icy and rough. If you step 6 inches off the trail you can sink to your waist into the snow. I managed to slightly sprain my knee. If you arrive at dusk or after dark its even more difficult. No lights/signs along the trail. The Lodge is the THIRD structure you encounter. Once you get to the Lodge entrance you now slide down a steep snowpack entrance to ground level. The rooms are very basic bunk beds with a hard thin mattress. (Bring sleeping bags, blankets and towels.) Lodge blankets are a $5 charge. Our two rooms did not have a radiator or heat source. One radiator in the hallway was never warm during our stay. Male bathroom/shower on second floor, female on first floor. Radiator in each bathroom but never working. One female guest brought a small portable electric heater and used it in the female bathroom. We inquired twice about it (nicely) and they claimed the heat was on. (Don't believe your lying skin?)Radiator in hallways and bathrooms were stone cold the two days we were there. Dining hall was so cold in the morning it required ski coats on for everybody. We brought our own food which was a smart decision. Guests crowded around fireplace in main hall to keep warm. The 'Library' area had a wood stove which also was popular. One family with two small children slept in the Library because it was too cold in their room. So, if you like Winter camping indoors, you will...

I recently spent a week here working remotely and getting long lunch turns in at Sugar Bowl -- there was a huge storm that closed the highway a bunch so being a half mile from the resort made for pratically empty lift lines on the weekend and a foot of powder each day to ride! I was one of the only people staying at the lodge and felt like an absolute princess. I had read reviews about rooms being cold, so I was proactive and talked to the staff about my concerns being a cold sleeper and I had forgotten my 0 degree sleeping bag - they brought me five extra blankets, a sleeping bag, and put me in a warmer room that I had to myself! 10/10 can't wait to go back -- every single staff member was so kind and went out of their way for me (making sure the parking lot was plowed, lighting fires in the great room, etc.) DO NOT MISS DINNER! Because the dinner food was so amazing. My recommendation for others is to be communicative w/ the staff because it is a hostel situation so unless they're aware of something that's bothering you they can't really resolve it -- like how I approached my cold sleeping concerns. I was SO WARM each night...