Tahoe's ski resorts don't shut down when the snow melts — several keep their gondolas and aerial trams running all summer, lifting you thousands of feet to observation decks, ridge-top trails and restaurants with the whole lake at your feet.
It's the most accessible way to get a true mountaintop panorama: no switchbacks, stroller- and grandparent-friendly, and a great rainy-day-clearing or sunset plan. Most run late spring through fall — exact dates shift with the weather each year.
Three standout rides, from the gondola that lifts straight out of town to the tram that climbs to a mountaintop pool deck.
The big one — rising straight from Heavenly Village to a 9,100-ft observation deck with a jaw-dropping panorama of the entire lake.
A cable car climbing 2,000 feet to High Camp at Palisades Tahoe, where there's a deck, trails and an Olympic museum at 8,200 ft.
Ride up from the Northstar village to mid-mountain for lift-served biking, hiking and dining among the pines.