Dodge Ridge Ski Area California: 67 Trails Near the Bay Area

Considered one of the only family-owned ski resorts in the country for decades, this Californian gem was founded by the Purdy family in 1950 and then owned by the Helm family from 1976. In 2021, the ownership changed when the Helm family decided to retire and sold Dodge Ridge to a private equity firm who owns Mountain High Resort (also in California).

Read on to learn how to get to the Dodge Ridge Ski Area, lift ticket options, trails, other winter activities and more.

Dodge Ridge Ski Area in the Bay Area

Where is Dodge Ridge Ski Resort? Getting There

Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort is a great option for people living in the Bay Area or Sacramento as it’s the closest mountain. From wherever you are in these areas, you’ll need to get on highway 108 and get off on Pinecrest Lake Road until you see Dodge Ridge Road which will take you to your destination.

If you’re on highway 108 and you’ve reached Strawberry, that’s a sign you’ll need to U-turn. On the GPS, simply enter Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort and it’ll take you right there. It’ll take you about 3h if you depart from the Bay Area or 2.5h from Sacramento.

If you’re one of the lucky people living anywhere between Sonora and Dodge Ridge, there is a ski bus on weekends and holidays giving you the option to ditch the car at only US$10 round trip or US$25 for a family of four which will take you right at the bottom of the ski slopes!

Dodge Ridge Mountain Stats

In addition to being recognized as having outstanding services, Dodge Ridge’s mountain stats is remarkable and versatile enough for everyone:

  • 8,200 feet summit/6,600 feet base/vertical drop of 1,900 feet
  • 862 terrain acreage
  • 67 runs with the longest at 2 miles and 4 terrain parks dependent on snow accumulation
  • 20% rated as beginner, 40% intermediate, 40% advanced
  • 12 ski lifts which includes 1 quad, 2 triples, 5 doubles, 1 T-Bar, 1 rope tow and 2 conveyor belts reserved for snow school purposes to ensure safety of children
  • Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort receives an average of 300-500 inches of snow annually

Dodge Ridge Ski Resort Lodging

There are many options when it comes to Dodge Ridge Ski Resort lodging.

For many, the most important factor in choosing lodging is the proximity and convenience of being close to the ski resort. Staying at Pinecrest Lake Resort, you couldn’t get any closer to Dodge Ridge as it’s only 2 miles away. They offer deluxe motel rooms, cabins with full kitchen or even townhomes with full kitchen and fireplace.

If you’re not into cooking after a long day of skiing, Pinecrest Lake Resort has a restaurant on site offering steaks, seafood, burgers to salads, enough to please everyone.

Another option very close to Dodge Ridge Ski Area is Pinecrest Chalet, located 3 miles away. This option is good for big groups as they offer cabins that can fit up to 14 people.

Strawberry Inn, which is 5 miles away from Dodge Ridge Ski Area offers a more traditional hotel and motel lodging experience with their 15 guest rooms. For food and drinks, they have a full service restaurant and bar. They also offer the possibility of doing cross-country skiing which is a plus!

Dodge Ridge Lift Tickets

On the Ski Lifts
On the Ski Lifts. Photo Credit Dan Harrelson (Flickr CC)

The golden rule is always to purchase in advance as the prices are usually discounted. At Dodge Ridge Ski Area, they offer a portion of their lift tickets at discount every day. Additionally, Dodge Ridge has capacity levels to maintain throughout the season so advance purchase is highly recommended in order to secure your spot to ride on the day you want.

If you’re an avid rider, the Dodge Ridge season pass would be a great option and also sold at discount preseason. It will give you access to Dodge Ridge Ski Area without any blackout dates and also include the opportunity to purchase 4 lift tickets at discount for your friends and family!

That’s not it, with a season pass, you also get to enjoy 15 other ski resorts around the globe since Dodge Ridge is part of the Powder Alliance. This means you could go skiing in the Rockies, in Canada or even in Japan!

The pass also gives you a 20% discount at the Dodge Ridge Sport Shop and finally, it can also be used to buy food and drinks or pay for lessons at Dodge Ridge as you can load money on it which means you can ditch the wallet!

Night Skiing

Unfortunately, there’s no night skiing opportunity at Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort as their opening hours are 9am-4pm daily.

Rentals at Dodge Ridge

Whether it’s rental for adults, teens or youth, Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort offers it. Purchasing equipment packages or a specific piece of equipment you need online beforehand is highly recommended to ensure availability on the day of your visit. A rental ski equipment package will include the skis, boots and poles versus a snowboard equipment package will include the snowboard and the boots.

All packages will include a helmet for safety. If you’re into Nordic skiing, you can also rent boots, poles and Nordic skis at the Dodge Ridge Sport Shop. Lastly, The Sport Shop also rents snowshoes for the non skiing and snowboarding folks!

Terrain Parks

Depending on snow conditions Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort offers accessibility to up to 4 parks!

  • Stagecoach Park: offers rails, boxes and medium to large jumps
  • T-643 Park: offers rails, boxes and has a solid line of jibs
  • Ry’s Run Park: offers a combination of small and medium jumps
  • Clementine Roller Progression Park: offers a series of banks and rollers, ideal for the beginner freestylers

Pretty impressive if you ask us!

Trails

Snowboarding summit goal

There’s no way anyone can get bored at Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort with its 4 parks and 67 runs offering a good variety of slopes for beginners to advanced.

The Dodge Ridge Ski School: What to Know

Never went skiing or snowboarding? No problem. Dodge Ridge Mountain Resorts offers lessons for children, teens and adults from beginner to advanced.

The children’s program is for kids aged between 4 to 6 years old and called “My Parent & Me” lesson which allows the parent to accompany the kid during the class.

For kids 7-12, there are group lessons or private lessons which are a little more expensive.

For anyone 13 years and older, again group lessons or private lessons are available. They also offer a progression pass for this age group which includes 5 lessons from levels 1 to 3 (level 1 being beginner level, level 2 being terrain learning and level 3 being intermediate).

It is recommended to reserve lessons at least 36 hours in advance to ensure availability as space is limited so make sure you do so before heading to the mountain!

Other Winter Activities

Since the 2021/2022 season, Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort added activities at the base such as tubing and sledding.

While you’re in the Dodge Ridge area, you can also check out Pinecrest, which is a park nearby offering numerous cross country and snowshoe trails.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Dodge Ridge Ski Area offers a great number of trails for all levels in addition to having 4 snow parks for freestyle lovers. They are part of the Powder Alliance which offers season pass holders even greater variety and let’s not forget the family-oriented culture at this resort will make you want to go back again and again.

Jessie Gonzalez writes for Proper Peaks and lives in Stockton, CA. One of her favorite things about snowboarding is seeing beginners get started and watching them enjoy the sport.

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