Clair Tappaan Lodge is a rustic mountain lodge nestled in the Sierra Nevada of California in the Tahoe National Forest. Its location makes the lodge an excellent home base for year-round recreation and place-based education programs covering the environment, history of the Intercontinental Railway, the Donner Party and other emigrants coming over the Sierra Nevada, geology, the water cycle and many other interesting topics.

The Lodge also provides a comprehensive environmental education program and instruction in snowboarding, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

Some recent examples of educational programs offered for adults and students include:

Wilderness First Aid Training, Sierra Club Leader Certification, First Aid, Plein Air Painting, Fiddler's Camp, surveying the forests behind the lodge and calculating the amount of carbon sequestered in the forest, rock climbing on School Rock (belaying on snow), family retreats for parents recently returned from deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan enjoying time in nature with their kids and Sierra Green Job Corp.

The friendly, casual atmosphere and affordable nightly rates (including family-style meals) make the Lodge the perfect overnight rustic site for learning about the environment. There are three common rooms that can be used for assembly or class instruction with audio-visual equipment. Clair Tappaan Lodge sleeps up to 140, Hutchinson Lodge up to 25.

Log onto the Clair Tappaan Lodge website below to view the activities that are currently offered. Call or email to inquire or to register for existing activity offerings.

To create your own program, please contact lodge staff to discuss your needs and to get information about options.

Clair Tappaan Lodge and its other facilities - Hutchinson Lodge and four back country huts - Benson, Bradley, Ludlow and Peter Grubb - are open year round.

Programs are offered for different amounts of time - 3 hours, one-day, weekends, week-long for weeks and for months. The programs are tailored to the needs of the participants and organizers.

Appropriate Ages: Adults, and children from ages of 7 years and older.