The resort’s own pages disagree on some details. See what they say.
Do you need a reservation on your day?
On weekends and peak days from Dec 12 to Apr 4, every lot needs a reservation in the morning. Orange-zone lots cost $20 for 3 or fewer people and are free with 4 or more. Blue-zone lots, such as Lower 7, Kirkwood Inn and the Cross-Country lot, are free but still need a reservation.
Dec 12, 2026 to Apr 4, 2027 (weekends and peak periods)
Reservations for 2026–27 opened Oct 28 at 8am Pacific at parkkirkwood.com. Kirkwood releases more reservations every Sunday for the upcoming weekend and again on Friday for the following weekend, but doesn’t say at what time. Canceled reservations go back on sale, so keep checking.
- Reserve a free spot in a blue-zone lot.
- Bring 4 or more people and park free in an orange-zone lot, with a reservation.
- Come Monday to Friday outside peak periods, when every lot is free with no reservation.
- Arrive after the morning cutoff, when every lot is free with no reservation. The resort’s pages say 11:30am in some places and noon in others.
Without a reservation, Kirkwood can’t take your car before the cutoff, so plan to arrive after it. Ski buses from the Bay Area and Sacramento, such as Sports Basement’s Kirkwood Bus and North American Charter, are another way in.
- Cancel by 8am on the day for a refund. Each no-show costs $50, and the penalty grows with repeat no-shows.
- You can hold up to five reservations at a time.
- Mormon Emigrant Trail is closed in winter, even though GPS often suggests it.
Release times
- Extra parking reservations released: Every Sunday (time not stated) (Spots for the upcoming weekend. Kirkwood doesn’t say what time.). Next: see the calendar
- Extra parking reservations released: Every Friday (time not stated) (Spots for the following weekend. Kirkwood doesn’t say what time.). Next: see the calendar
Where the official pages disagree
kirkwood.com says reservations are required “until 12pm”, while parkkirkwood.com says “until 11:30 am”. parkkirkwood.com’s own reservations page also says parking is free “after 12pm” in one paragraph.
kirkwood.com lists peak periods as Dec 22–24, Dec 26, Dec 29–Jan 2, Jan 19, Feb 16 and Feb 21, which match last season’s holidays. parkkirkwood.com lists a different 2026–27 set (including MLK Day on Jan 18 and Feb 15 and 19).
The Shop Lot appears in both the paid orange zone and the free blue zone on parkkirkwood.com, and in both lists on kirkwood.com.
kirkwood.com also says parking is “first come, first serve” and “cannot be guaranteed”, which conflicts with the reservation program described on the same page.
Where this comes from
- https://www.kirkwood.com/explore-the-resort/about-the-resort/getting-here.aspx, checked Nov 11, 2026
- https://www.parkkirkwood.com/parkingreservations, checked Nov 11, 2026
- https://www.parkkirkwood.com/faq, checked Nov 11, 2026
Rules change during the season. If the resort’s page says something different from ours, go by the resort.
Other resorts in Lake Tahoe
- HeavenlyReservationCalifornia Base: reservation weekends · Nevada lots free · South Lake Tahoe, California
- NorthstarReservationWeekends: $20 reservation near Village, or free lots · Truckee, California
- Palisades TahoeReservationReservation needed: weekends and holidays before 1pm · Olympic Valley, California
- Sierra-at-TahoeReservationReservation needed: weekends and holidays until noon · Twin Bridges, California
- HomewoodPaidPaid · price not posted, free with a season pass · Homewood, California
- BorealFreeFree with a pre-bought ticket or pass · Soda Springs, California