Welcome to The Wildhaus, an alpine chalet on Bear Creek in the Alpine Meadows canyon, minutes from Palisades Tahoe. The backyard is the whole show: a creekside hot tub and Adirondack chairs at the water's edge. Four bedrooms sleep 10, with a full kitchen and proper espresso. In winter, the free Mountaineer shuttle picks up right at the house. Bring the dogs: all sizes welcome, no pet fee. Trails and the lake are minutes away in summer; the base of Alpine is minutes away in winter.
THE SPACE
Two living rooms — one with the wood stove, one with the TV, opening onto the deck. A 13-foot dining table that seats everyone at once. Four bedrooms, including a king on the main floor that requires no interior stairs. An induction range, a Breville espresso machine, and bidet seats in every bathroom but the main floor. Every bed has a heated mattress pad, which matters more than you'd think in a canyon that cools off fast.
Four parking spaces in the asphalt driveway. There is no street parking anywhere in the canyon.
The house runs partly on its own solar array.
Winter shuttle: Mountaineer is a free, app-based, on-demand shuttle serving Alpine Meadows — request a ride and it comes to the house, usually within 15 minutes. The vans are 4WD with ski and snowboard racks, and they're dog-friendly. Using it means you don't need a Palisades parking reservation. From the Alpine Meadows base, take the Base to Base Gondola over to Palisades.
GUEST ACCESS
The whole house is yours. The two lower-level rooms are locked and used for household storage.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Alpine Meadows is a quiet residential canyon rather than a resort village — a few hundred homes along the creek, surrounded by national forest. There are no shops or restaurants in the canyon itself, which is rather the point: it's genuinely dark and quiet at night, and mostly what you hear is the creek.
Olympic Valley is about ten minutes away, where the Village at Palisades Tahoe has shops, restaurants, and bars — the closest place to eat without much of a drive, and the natural stop after a ski day.
Tahoe City is also about ten minutes, in the other direction, for groceries, restaurants, and the lake — Commons Beach is the easiest place to swim. Truckee is about twenty minutes, with a walkable historic downtown and the best restaurant density in the area. The base of Alpine Meadows is a few minutes up the road.
One local thing worth knowing: Alpine Meadows Stables is a two-minute drive, with family-run trail rides through the forest. They run summers only — typically opening Memorial Day weekend. Most visitors never find it.
GETTING AROUND
You'll want a car. The canyon has no shops or services and no year-round transit.
From the house it's about ten minutes to Tahoe City, twenty to Truckee, and a bit over an hour to Reno airport. In winter, chains, snow tires, or 4WD/AWD may be required to reach the canyon, and the Mountaineer shuttle covers ski days without moving your car.
Runners and cyclists: you can head out the door and pick up the Truckee River bike trail, which follows the river all the way into Tahoe City — about 5.7 miles, mostly separated from traffic, ending at Commons Beach.
Parking is four spaces in the driveway. Street parking is not permitted anywhere in the canyon.
INTERACTION WITH GUESTS
We host remotely and are quick to respond by message — reach out anytime, day or night. A local contact is also available for anything hands-on during your stay. Otherwise the house is fully set up for you to settle in and enjoy on your own.
OTHER THINGS TO NOTE
Wood stove: The Jotul wood stove is not currently in service and isn't available for guest use.
Hot tub: The hot tub is creekside and open to the sky — wonderful in a snowstorm, but the path to it is exterior. In winter you'll want shoes and a robe.
Stairs: This is a multi-level house. Three bedrooms are on the upper floor, up one flight of interior stairs; one bedroom and a full bathroom are on the main level. The lower level is down one flight. There are a few exterior steps from the parking area up to the deck, and the walkway is gravel.
Shuttle schedule: Mountaineer runs winter only, roughly mid-December through mid-April, and service within Alpine Meadows does not run every day — last season it operated Thursday through Monday, with Tuesday and Wednesday only over selected holidays. Check the Mountaineer app for the current schedule before planning a car-free day. Rides are shared, and the shuttle connects the two valleys only in the evening.
No air conditioning: Like most homes in Alpine Meadows, the house has no AC. Mountain nights cool off fast, and screened windows and fans handle the warmest weeks.
Bears: This is bear country and the rules exist for a reason. All trash goes into the cans inside the bear boxes outside — never in the mudroom, and never left on the deck overnight. A tied bag is not a sealed bag. Please keep food on the main level and out of the bedrooms, and don't leave food or coolers in your car.
No outdoor fires: No fire pits, charcoal, or open flame outside. This is a high fire severity zone and the restriction is absolute. The gas grill is fine.
Mountain life: Dust and pollen accumulate quickly on outdoor furniture. Some outdoor pieces are stored during winter, typically October through May.
Weather and travel: Chains, snow tires, or 4WD/AWD may be required to reach the canyon in winter.
Uncontrollable events: We can't control wildfire smoke, road closures, or storms. We strongly recommend trip insurance, as our cancellation policy will be upheld.
Safety: Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms throughout, plus a first aid kit and fire extinguisher.
Permit and rules: Placer County STR Permit #STR26-9939. Maximum 10 overnight guests and 15 daytime; children under 12 don't count toward the overnight limit, per Placer County. Quiet hours 9 PM to 8 AM — no sound audible from the property line. Exterior cameras cover the driveway and bear box area; there are no cameras inside the house.
