Olympic Valley
Olympic Valley, winter sports area in Placer county, northeastern California, U.S. It lies just northwest of Lake Tahoe. Olympic Valley, the focus of a state recreation area, was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games, under its former name, Squaw Valley. It has ice-skating and rock-climbing facilities, ski lifts, and trails and slopes to Washeshu Peak (8,885 feet [2,708 meters]). Palisades Tahoe ski resort is immediately to the south. Several state parks and lakes are in the vicinity, as are Eldorado and Tahoe national forests.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Will Gosner.
Citation Information
Article Title:
Olympic Valley
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
30 October 2025
Access Date:
November 14, 2026