By Paula Peterson
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Super Bowl Weekend is normally a very busy one in South Lake Tahoe and Stateline, with people not only heading to the mountains to ski at surrounding resorts, but to also cast a bet and enjoy a party while rooting on their favorite team.
The pandemic has changed a lot of that normalcy, but crowds are still expected to head to the Sierra to enjoy skiing and riding under sunny skies with above average temperatures (in the 50s), and perhaps the game.
The casinos have curtailed their football parties with MontBleu having a convention center party for 50 people, and the Hard Rock holding a special VIP party in their restaurant. Those parties start at $100 each. Nevada limits the number of people who can gather so, while not having a party, Harveys and Harrah’s Tahoe will have the football games on the televisions at bars, but security will be on hand to make sure people are not gathering in groups. Social distancing and mask requirements will be enforced.
South Lake Tahoe lodging properties are starting to fill up for not only this weekend, but for the next three weeks due to Valentine’s Day, President’s Day and student winter breaks around the state.
Rich Bodine, director of the Hotel Azure in South Lake Tahoe, said they are 85 percent occupied Friday night, and sold out Saturday. The property’s 99 rooms are at 50 percent occupied, so far, for the next week before filling up again on the weekend.
The hotel has a fitness and club room, but both are closed due to COVID restrictions, so there won’t be any Super Bowl parties. He said people are asking about the availability of watching the big gae in the hotel rooms though.
Over at Forest Suites, rooms are also filling up quickly for not only this weekend, but for the rest of the month.
“We’ve been seeing it very busy,” said Forest Suites General Manager Jerry Bindel. “It’s been busy since reopening.”
Forest Suites is close to 100 percent occupancy for Saturday and with the beautiful weather ahead, Bindel said they are seeing increased interest for Sunday bookings, as well as the rest of the week.
He said staffing is an issue some days, so they are careful to not book more rooms than they have staff to manage.
Bindel said they have 119 rooms which are normally full of groups and destination travelers, but with the pandemic stopping those types of travelers he said they see more California residents coming to stay.
Caltrans has issued a traffic alert for the Sierra Nevada this weekend. With anticipated warmer temperatures, roads are expected to be full of drivers being drawn to Lake Tahoe ski resorts and casinos. Motorists traveling on Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 50 from the valley or Bay Area regions should expect significant traffic and travel delays on all major and secondary highways in the region.
Ski resort parking lots are expected to fill quickly given lower capacity requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Motorists should be prepared to be turned around when lots reach capacity and not block highways and local roads.
Caltrans is also reminding motorists that snow play is not permitted in Safety Roadside Rest Areas (SRRAs) or alongside highways, on-ramps or off-ramps for the safety of the public and other drivers. Drivers parked alongside highways and in non-designated areas for snow play create hazardous driving conditions for other motorists and prevent big rigs from using rest areas for federally-mandated stops. Vehicles found parked illegally may be cited or towed for public safety.
Check out Caltrans’ “QuickMap” for current road conditions and traffic flow levels at quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ or download the free QuickMap app on the App Store or Google Play. Motorists also can call the California Highway Information Network automated phone service at 1-800-427-ROAD (7623).
Those who do make it to South Lake Tahoe will find restaurants on the California side open for takeout and outdoor dining only, with Stateline, Nevada restaurants only open for 25 percent occupancy and with a required reservation.