Best of Tahoe resorts prepare for summer: Hot Shot zip line set to debut at Heavenly

The Best of Tahoe resorts — Heavenly Mountain Resort, Northstar California Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort — are gearing up for a summer filled with mountain biking, hiking, zip lining, sightseeing, golf, dining and more. The season kicked off Friday with the opening of the Northstar Mountain Bike and Hike Park.

Season pass holders for the 2015-16 season can enjoy summer benefits, including free lift access for sightseeing and hiking. Pass holder access does not include bike haul lift ticket.

“Lake Tahoe is a beloved summer recreation destination, a place where families come to be active together, spend time outdoors and make memories in a spectacular setting,” said Beth Howard, vice president and general manager at Northstar. “The Best of Tahoe Resorts are elevating that tradition, literally, with world class mountaintop activities.

“Visitors to our resorts will experience everything from the tranquility of hiking among alpine wildflowers at Kirkwood to the exhilaration of Heavenly’s 3,300-foot Blue Streak zip line and the camaraderie of developing new skills with the Northstar Bike Academy.”

Heavenly will operate the Heavenly Gondola during Memorial Day weekend, Saturday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering sightseeing via the scenic gondola ride and the mid-station observation deck, with limited hiking trails and dining options at Tamarack Lodge, Café Blue and Heavenly Donuts.

On June 12, Heavenly will open for full seven-day-a-week summer operations with the debut of the resort’s new four-line Hot Shot zip line, along with the Discovery Forest ropes course and Boulder Cove ropes course that opened last summer. The Blue Streak zip line, Black Bear ropes course and summer tubing will open full time on Friday, June 26.

Earlier this month, Heavenly’s Epic Discovery project received final approval, with plans to break ground on select activities starting this summer. Epic Discovery is designed to engage guests with their national forests and enrich their appreciation for the natural environment. Included in the proposal are a gravity-based alpine coaster, sky cycle canopy tour, mountain excursion tour, ridge top lookout tower and observation deck, additional zip line and canopy tours, a mountain bike park and new multi-use trails that will connect to the local trail system.

The Northstar Golf Course is open full swing and offers guests Tahoe’s best resort golf value and most playable course, featuring generous fairways on the front nine playing through Martis Valley’s open meadow. The back nine offers golfers true mountain golf winding through pine and aspen trees and maneuvering the Martis Creek.

Northstar offers the ultimate daily mountain bike coaching packages through its Bike Academy, taking riders’ technique to the next level and offering packages complete with bike rental, lift ticket, protective gear and helmet as well as coaching, starting at $125. Beginning June 26, Northstar will open for full seven-day-a-week summer operations.

The weekly women’s-only mountain bike ride Pumps on Pedals will be hosted for a second season at Northstar Friday evenings from June 26 through Sept. 4. Ladies of all skill and experience levels can take to the trails alongside other women riders as they learn from the phenomenal coaches, supporting and motivating each other as they descend the mountain.

New for the 2015-16 summer season, Northstar will offer the Summer Fun Pass to families looking to enjoy all-inclusive activities in The Village at Northstar. Just $49 gets kids and kids at heart access to rollerskating, gem panning, mini golf, the bungee trampoline, the new climbing wall and spider web climber. The Lift and Lunch package allows guests to enjoy a scenic gondola ride up the mountain, where they can explore hiking trails and enjoy lunch at the Downhill Grille located on the deck of the Big Springs Lodge.

Kirkwood will be open on weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from July 3 to Sept. 6, with lift-accessed mountain biking and hiking trails and DiscWood, Kirkwood’s own disc golf course. In the Village Plaza, Kirkwood will host the Kirkwood Volunteer Fire Department BBQ on July 4 as well as the 14th-annual Thin Air Chili Cook Off on Sept. 5. Wildflower expert and author Laird Blackwell will lead guided wildflower hikes through Kirkwood Meadow on July 25 and 26.