Spicer Sno Park

My wife and I wanted to take our family on a last minute trip to the snow, but our usual spots were all dried up. We looked online and saw Spicer Sno Park was recommended by several people. We had never been here before, but decided to take our chances. We had a wonderful day in the park and our kids had a blast. There was plenty of fresh snow to play in and nice clear hills for sledding. Access to the park was easy as it is just off of HWY 4. I would definitely recommend Spicer Sno Park to anyone looking for a nice clean location to enjoy the snow.FYI: I recommend you purchase and print your parking permit in advance. If you are not able to, be sure to stop in Arnold and pick one up at either Ebbetts Pass Sporting Goods or Sierra Nevada Adventure Company. You can also purchase your permit online and have it printed for a small fee at Camp Connell General Store.

If you're looking for snow play in close proximity to the Bay Area, this is it. While there wasn't snow in Arnold proper (a 2.5 hour drive from Oakland) in late December 2024, there was plenty of snow here. There was quite a tailgating scene on New Year's Day at Spicer, with every parking space filled up and people grilling and gallivanting in the lot. Unclear if this was a holiday thing, or if it happens more regularly. You need a parking pass which you can get online (be advised: there's little to no cell reception at the sno park) or purchase at several local stores. Passes are $15.00 a day or $40.00 for a season pass. If you don't get a pass, you may get a hefty ticket like we did.We've been to Spicer three times now and it's always a lot of fun, especially for younger kids who want to sled, throw snow balls, and eat snow.

Great little snow park we went to this week. Plenty of parking and space for the kids to play. It seems like dogs are allowed as well. Park is super clean and has a nice common bathroom. Kids had a blast throwing snow balls and sledding. The park was packed with the new year's holiday but still plenty of space for our group of 10 to enjoy. The only thing I found odd was that you need to pay for parking which is ok except you can only pay online and there is no cell reception there making it impossible with ATT. I recommend paying for parking before heading out there. I believe it was $15.

We could not pass up the opportunity to come and play in the snow. We packed all these kids and the dog into the truck and headed for the mountain.My husband knew of a spot along the Highway that we could go with parking. That being Spicer Sno Park.Here are my recommendations. Look up the park on the State of California Parks Website. You buy a $15 pass on line. I highly recommend doing this before you get there. Internet can be spotty. You just show the ranger at the entrance of the park your phone and go about your way. The parking lot is small. Come in early to get a spot. Its very dog friendly. There were lots of dogs and kids around. They also have a toilet that is pretty much a hole in the ground with a shack around it. Don't drop your phone!The kids had an incredible time. Your parking pass is good all day too. So you can leave and go have lunch and come back later. Which is exactly what we did. You, your family and dog will really have fun.

This Snow Park has play areas for sledding, snowball fights and snowman building. Daily parking costs $15 and it's enforced by the rangers. Prepurchase parking online or at Ebbets Sports or Bear Valley Gas Station: https://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30735Protip: If there's not much snow here, drive up the mountain about 7 minutes to reach Bear Valley Lodge. Plenty of parking, and you can play all day in the snow!

We took a trip on a weekday in late May, since this year (2023), Tahoe got about 300% of the usual snow volume.To our surprise, we found a good amount of snow waiting for us to explore with our adventurous toddler! We had a blast sledding down the slopes, laughing like a bunch of happy penguins. Our little one's face was filled with pure joy as she experienced snow for the very first time.It was as if watching a little snow angel come alive! Glad we made this trip to Spicer which provided us with an unforgettable adventure, despite not having fresh powder now and being spring.Although we did a lot of snowball fights, I wouldn't reccomend it cos it hurt a lot, even through the snow-gear. Lots of bunny slopes and perfect height for snow sledding/tubing.

$15 to park but there is a lot of different places to play. Great place to bring the little ones. Only complaint is that there is only one bathroom so be sure everybody stops beforehand to go to the bathroom, otherwise you'll be waiting 20 minutes.

Great place to bring the family. Plenty of room for everyone to sled, hike, and play in the snow

Had such a great day in the snow with the family. We'll be back to visit again. Lots of snow and fun.

Wasn't much of a snow park, more of a frozen ice park. Went on 1/21 and while it was covered in snow, it was all frozen over and extremely dangerous, especially for young kids! And there was no warnings on the website before I paid the $15 to park. Except for a safe place to park your car, the "snow park" is just hills covered in big rocks, granite, and trees except for maybe one or two areas you could sled if it wasn't frozen but you would be sharing the hills because it's small.