Where is the closest snow to the Bay Area? (2023)

Where is the closest snow to Bay Area?

Closest to major snow: For most in the Bay Area, Dodge Ridge and Leland Snow Play are the closest destinations for major snow, skiing, boarding and tubing: 120 miles from Livermore, 163 miles from San Francisco.

Snow is more common outside the city, and every winter, small amounts dust the peaks of nearby Bay Area mountains like Mount Tamalpais, Mount Diablo, Mount Hamilton, and the Santa Cruz Mountains in the South Bay. But snow in San Francisco is rare, as the Pacific Ocean warms moisture before it makes landfall.

The closest may be Lake Tahoe. The higher elevations in Yosemite may also have snow. Sometimes we get snow in the Santa Cruz mountains or on Mount Hamilton, but that is really unpredictable and the snow accumulation is rarely more than a few inches at a time. Your best bet is to head up to the Sierras.

The snow country is this close: Dodge Ridge, 160 miles from the San Francisco Peninsula, is the closest ski area to the Bay Area. On Highway 108, Sonora is the gateway to Stanislaus National Forest, Dodge Ridge Ski Area and destinations for cross country and snow play.

Off Highway 50, at the top of Echo Summit, on the NORTH side of the highway, Echo Lake Sno-Park is a great place to snowshoe and play in the snow.

Snow Forecast for Lake Tahoe

There is no snow currently in the forecast for Lake Tahoe.

The California Sno-Parks closest to Sacramento include Donner Summit Sno-Park, Echo Lake Sno-Park, Blackwood Canyon Sno-Park, Taylor Creek Sno-Park, Iron Mountain Sno-Park and Hope Valley Sno-Park. Most allow for general snow play, tubing, sledding and cross-country skiing.

Is it possible for it to snow in San Jose?

On average, there are 257 sunny days per year in San Jose.

San Jose gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 62 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground.

Sacramento, California

Freezing temps are rare in Sacramento, and the city averages 0 inches of snow per year. Although "traces" of freezing precipitation have been recorded as recently as 2009, the last significant accumulation was 2 inches on February 5, 1976.

Located in Sonoma County's Northernmost town, Cloverdale, Pine Mountain Road usually gets quite a bit of snow.

Bear Valley sits up higher than Dodge Ridge and gets more snow. It also has some more difficult terrain. But Dodge Ridge is adding a high-speed lift this summer and has some good areas to ski as well." Like most locals, Holmquist can be choosy about what days he skis.

Snowfall. Months with snowfall in Pinecrest, California, are January through June, September through December. In Pinecrest, snow falls for 10.1 days, with typically accumulated 32.52" (826mm) of snow. Throughout the year, there are 63.7 snowfall days, and 179.69" (4564mm) of snow is accumulated.

The California Sno-Parks closest to Sacramento include Donner Summit Sno-Park, Echo Lake Sno-Park, Blackwood Canyon Sno-Park, Taylor Creek Sno-Park, Iron Mountain Sno-Park and Hope Valley Sno-Park. Most allow for general snow play, tubing, sledding and cross-country skiing.

Kirkwood - Snow Score - 82.7

For this reason, Kirkwood should be recognized as the undisputed king of snow within the state of California. Kirkwood is part of the Tahoe region, but it's well south of Lake Tahoe itself, making it a bit harder to get to compared with ski resorts closer to the Lake and I-80.

What city in California does it snow?

The most popular Californian cities that experience snow in winter are below: Big Bear Lake. Lake Arrowhead. Frazier Park.