If you’re heading to the beautiful Lake Tahoe area to ski or snowboard, Heavenly Mountain Resort is a resort you should seriously consider. With massive terrain, incredible views of Lake Tahoe, and trails spread across multiple peaks, Heavenly is one of the most iconic resorts in the Tahoe region.

Today, I’m breaking down my Top 5 Intermediate Trails at Heavenly to help you build confidence, avoid stress, and have fun on the mountain.

I’m ranking each trail using four key factors:

1. Terrain: how intermediate-friendly the slope is

2. Lapability: how easy it is to repeat laps, including lift speed and crowds

3. Ease of Access: how easy it is to reach the trail

4. Distance to a Lodge: breaks are essential

Alright , let’s jump in, starting with Number 5 and building up to my favorite intermediate trails on the mountain.

#5: Galaxy

Galaxy is great for intermediate skiers because it’s rarely crowded, making it perfect for chill cruising laps. The trail is tree-lined and has a mellow pitch with playful features, making it a perfect bluebird-day cruiser. The Trail is groomed most of the time, so you don’t have to worry about moguls.

The lift is a slow, fixed-grip triple, which makes the ride time longer. I’ve timed it at just over 14 minutes. I know that it is a long lift ride, but the dense tree scenery makes for an enjoyable lift ride. 

Galaxy is close to East Peak Lodge, making it easy to take a break. You will ride Dipper Express back up from the lodge to get back to Galaxy.

#4: Big Dipper

Big Dipper is great for intermediate skiers because the trail is long, with enough turns to make it interesting. It’s a wide trail with plenty of playful features on the sides. The pitch is very intermediate so it does attract a larger crowd, especially on the weekends. I’d say Big Dipper is one of the busier trails at Heavenly. But don’t let that deter you, it’s worth making time for at least a couple of laps. 

Big Dipper is served by the Dipper Express quad. Lines for this lift tend to back up during weekends and holidays because it’s one of only two lifts that can get you back from the Nevada side of the mountain to the California side. 

The lift is located at the base of East Peak Lodge. So it is very convenient for restrooms and food breaks.

#3: Canyonland

Canyonland is great for intermediate skiers because it’s very wide with a pitch that is approachable for just about any intermediate skier. 

The trail does get busy on weekends and holidays, but during the week it’s perfect. It’s certainly not as busy as Ridge Run, so you can get more laps in but only if you ride up the Cayon Express lift. 

Canyonland is served by the Canyon Express lift, which is a high-speed quad, so you will spend more time skiing and less time on the lift. The lift is conveniently located near Sky Deck Lodge, making taking a break or grabbing food convenient.

The trail is groomed most of the time, so you don’t have to worry about moguls or chop.

#2: Olympic Downhill

Olympic Downhill is my go-to trail when I ski Heavenly and start on the Nevada side. It’s great for intermediate skiers because it’s perfect for practicing carving. It’s the longest trail at Heavenly and is a great way to build up your ski legs.

The trail is wide and has a medium pitch all the way down to the base of Stagecoach Express. One downside is that the trail is served by two lifts, so you need to ride Stagecoach Express and Olympic Express to get back to the top. The upper portion of Olympic Express does tend to get pretty busy on weekends and holidays. 

Since the trail has two sections, you can either ski just the Stagecoach section or just the Olympic section.

The closest lodge is Stagecoach Lodge, which sits near the bottom of the trail. Both lifts that serve Olympic Downhill are high-speed quads, so you can get laps in quicker. And here’s a Peter Pow secret: Stagecoach is never crowded. Even on weekends and holidays I never find myself waiting in line for Stagecoach.

#1: Ridge Run

Ridge Run is the best intermediate trail at Heavenly because of the spectacular views of Lake Tahoe. I’m telling you, it’s the most scenic trail at any Tahoe resort. Jaw-dropping views of the most beautiful lake. And because it’s so beautiful, everyone wants to ski it. It is the most crowded trail at Heavenly. But on weekdays and later in the season the crowds lighten up.

Ridge Run is long with a medium pitch. Aside from a couple of steeper sections, this trail could be skied by a beginner who is looking to progress to intermediate. 

Ridge run is always groomed, so you don’t have to worry about moguls. The trail is served by the Sky Express lift, which is a high-speed quad, making it easy to reach the top. The downside is there’s almost always a line for the lift. Of course the most scenic trail in tahoe is going to have a long lift line.

Peter Pow Tip: You can also take Canyon Express if you want to ski half of Ridge Run without waiting in the long lines for sky express. 

The lift and trail are located at the base of Sky Deck Lodge, making grabbing a bite to eat very easy.

And that’s my breakdown of the Top 5 Intermediate Trails at Heavenly; from quiet cruisers to iconic Tahoe-view laps.