Tahoe Donner Snowplay

Lovely place but super slow to ride the tubes so they did give us a refund — and the gal who helped us was very very nice.

If you want to pay a lot for so little, you have picked your spot. This place has the potential to be a great place for kids and families, but instead they have turned it into a tourist trap that overcharges for EVERYTHING. Want a $ 3 soda, this is the place. To add insult to injury, the wait for the main attraction which is the inner tube run is approximately 30 minutes on the day we went. By the time you are at the front, your kids have become cold and started complaining. We are able to get a solid 2 runs (using run loosely) for the 30 second ride. I estimate for our family a cost of $ 15 for each ride. I highly recommend somewhere else!

Tahoe Donner is a large recreational area with a downhill ski area, equestrian center, campground, and of course, snowplay. We stayed in the area with young kids, so took them to the snowplay area. It has a large hill and admission includes sleds and tubes. There is plenty of snow to build a snowman, although right now, all the snow is fresh so it is not sticking as well. There are a few camp fires to warm your hands, too.
1 star off: $ 19 for adults and $ 16 for kids is a bit much for basically rolling in their snow, which comes from the sky free!
If you are looking for a free hill for sledding, put your GPS to 10 800 Donner Pass Rd, Truckee, CA. It maps to a tobacco shop, but across the street is a nice hill for your own sleds. The hill is a bit smaller than Tahoe Donner Snowplay, but our kids had just as much fun (and their ski jackets and bibs got equally wet and gross).