Let it snow!
Most of us in the Grass Valley and Nevada City area woke up today with a light dusting of snow outside our windows. For us, it was just enough for a snow ball fight in our downtown Grass Valley yard with my 2-year old son. But, get ready for more. The National Weather Service says Tuesday night snow levels at 2500 feet, dropping to 1900 feet on Wednesday before rising again. Friday, and possibly going into Saturday, snow levels of 2700 feet.
So, what should we do this week in Nevada County? If you like the snow, pull out your snow shoes and drive for a few minutes East on Highway 20. White Cloud is only 15 minutes or so outside Nevada City, and has a fun snow play area for sledding or snowman building, and miles of trails for snow-shoeing and cross country skiing. Of course, we’re only 45 minutes from Boreal, the closest resort for downhill skiing and snow boarding.
If you’re not so fond of the snow and rain we’re having this week, look for indoor activities. The Imaginarium is having their preschool play day on Tuesday, February 10th from 9am-12pm for preschool age, and they are having an Open to the Public day on Saturday, February 21st, from noon-5pm. Or, drop by Summer Thymes on Colfax Avenue in Grass Valley any day for a tasty hot drink to stay warm. You could always take in a movie downtown at the classic Del Oro Theater.
Tags: nevada county, outdoors, snow, things to do, weather
February 15th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
We live in Lake of the Pines and are looking for a place to take the kids snow sledding. I Googled White Cloud and saw it is a campground. Do they have free sledding, or do you pay a fee to sled? It would be great if you could send me some more info on this, or just post a comment back and I will check on here later.
February 15th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Ok, if you go to white cloud then the campground is really good for snow shoes, and nordic / cross country skiing (basically the campground loops are all snow covered, so plenty of room to roam). It has a gentle slope, but not much gradient. If you keep driving past White Cloud, almost immediately you’ll see a forest road on the left hand side that leads up from 20. Seems a good number of people go sledding there and the slope is steep enough for some speed. The other place we’ve seen a good number of sleds is opposite the Sierra Discovery Trail on Bowman Lake road. Last time we were up there there were a few different “runs” in operation.
February 16th, 2009 at 11:56 am
By the way all of these areas (white cloud, the forest road, sierra discovery trail) are free to use. The activities are not organized, compare to say the sledding runs at Kingvale just off I80.