Northstar California

For family-oriented skiing—plus tons of other outdoor winter activities—Northstar is a winner. The resort’s sprawling village features a 9,000-square-foot outdoor skating rink surrounded by fire pits and cabana bars; a bevy of upscale restaurants and shops; and the tony Ritz-Carlton hotel, with 170 rooms, a 17,000-square-foot spa, and its own gondola to whisk skiers up the slopes. The mountain itself is equally impressive, with 3,170 skiable acres, 100 trails, two gondolas and 20 lifts, and the largest snowmaking system in North Lake Tahoe. In summer, it transforms into a biker’s mecca—with more than 100 miles of trails, it’s the largest mountain-biking park in Northern California.