Mention California resorts and most people picture long, slow days lounging on the beach. For those who like more activity, there are now California resorts tailored to mountain biking. 

A mountain biking resort? Could it really be? Well, yes and no. There are no resorts being built specifically for mountain biking that we know of, but there are resorts that are making major efforts to incorporate the sport into their daily activities. 

In California, the locals all know that the fun at the ski resorts does not end when the snow melts. Not a chance. Instead, the advent of the warm summer months gives rise to some seriously great mountain biking. Trails exist all of the mountains. Getting up them could make Lance Armstrong weep, so it is fortunate that the sport has become so popular that the ski resorts actually run the lifts up the mountain in the summer for the bikers. 

If the idea of mountain biking at a resort sounds like a blast, there is one area in particular area in California you want to take a look at – the Tahoe Basin. Tahoe is a large, large lake surrounded by mountains. The mountains are canvassed with ski resorts including such epic locations as Squaw Valley which has hosted a Winter Olympics in the past. Each of these ski resorts, for the most part, offers mountain biking options with bike rentals and the like. All and all, it is pretty great. 

What resorts should you take a look at in the area? You might try Northstar Resort, Kirkwood, Ritz-Carlton if you are bucks up and Lake Tahoe Lodge. If you are interested in saving a few bucks, and who isn’t these days, you can also look for individual condo and cabin rentals in the area. The prices are high in the winter, but rock bottom in the summer when demand is low and it is considered to be offseason.