Badger Pass Ski Area

Five lifts take skiers to the 8,000-foot summit to ten runs. The emphasis is on beginners and intermediates at the downhill, snowboard, and cross-country ski schools with 85 percent of the slopes designed for them. This is the oldest ski school in the state and still one of the best and most reasonably priced. Except on holiday weekends, you won’t wait in lift lines; the dining decks and all facilities are just steps away from the lifts. Take it easy, and take the comfortable shuttle buses from your accommodations up the (sometimes icy) hill to Badger.
Kids ages 4 to 6 like the Badger Pups program. Little kids get group lessons, equipment rental, and Turtle rope tow tickets; certified babysitters provide care and games while parents are on the slopes, too.
Within the park are 350 miles of accessible trails and roads, more than 90 miles of marked trails with 25 miles of machine-groomed trails and skating lanes; no trail fees.
You can rent “pulk” sleds, designed for pulling little kids behind you on the trail (209–372–8444). Cross-country track and skating lanes are groomed from Badger Pass to Glacier Point (a 21-mile round trip), and a 1.8 mile track runs to scenic Old Badger Summit.