When the Valley heat gets you down, there's just one place to go: up.

Figure a 10- to 20-degree temperature difference between Sacramento, elevation 25 feet, and Lake Tahoe, elevation 6,229 feet, and you begin to get the picture.

But why stop at lake level?

Four Tahoe-area ski resorts operate their lifts in summer, delivering sightseers, hikers and mountain bikers to some of the best views (and coolest temperatures) around. Each offers experiences to give the spirit - as well as the body - an unforgettable boost.

We recently drove the circuit to discover what the rides are like and what each resort - Squaw, Northstar, Heavenly and Kirkwood - serves up to its high-altitude visitors. Here's what we found.

Heavenly Mountain Resort

You wanted views of Lake Tahoe, didn't you? Well, seek no more: The best you could hope to find are right here.

Since it opened in 2001, the Heavenly gondola has been attracting increasing numbers of summertime guests who want to see the lake from an eagle's perspective.

The $25 million conveyance operates from a sleek, modern terminal on the California side of Highway 50, just a half-block from the Nevada state line. Wide windows deliver panoramic views from the eight-passenger cabins as they climb 2.4 miles of cable and ascend 2,800 feet to arrive at aptly named Adventure Peak, elevation 9,156 feet.

Sightseers, take note: The highlight in the view department isn't at the top of the line, but at a 14,000-square-foot mid-mountain observation deck that wraps around a granite outcrop to offer killer vistas in multiple directions of the azure body of water below.

Be sure to stop here on the way up, because the gondola doesn't even pause on the way down, and you don't want to miss it. Spectators on the deck can peer through telescopes at sailboats on the water, consult railside maps to identify Sierra peaks and landmarks, and enjoy drinks and snacks (bring your own or buy at Cafe Blu) in the shade of a picnic-table umbrella.

Among those enjoying a leisurely picnic on the deck when I stopped by were Laura and Paul Arroyo of Irvine, here on a family vacation with daughter Andrea Sienko, her husband Ryan and their infant daughter, Kacey,cq of San Diego.

"We've been hanging out and having fun doing things people of different ages can do together," Laura Arroyo said, describing a multi-generational array of activities that so far had included a paddlewheel cruise, a fishing expedition and "a little gambling" across the state line in Nevada(sans Kacey, of course).

The second leg of the gondola ride leads to Adventure Peak, where shaded tables at an outdoor restaurant await. Grab some soup, salad, a burger and maybe a beer, then sit back and people-watch as hikers set off on a network of trails, teens tackle a climbing wall and adventurous types of all ages board the Tamarack chairlift for a ride on the Heavenly Flyer.

The 3,300-foot-long zip line, longest on the continental United States, takes riders on an 80-second ride that can seem like eternity if your stomach is flipping out.

"Every person's ride is unique," says Heavenly spokeswoman Aimi Xistra of the hugely popular attraction, which zooms riders 525 feet down the mountain at speeds up to 50 mph. "The speed you go is determined by your body mass."

The Flyer was down for minor repairs on the day of my visit, so I didn't get to see it. But I did stop by a table where a Heavenly "eco-ranger" was introducing kids from all over the world to Tahoe flora and fauna.

All too soon, the gondola was boarding passengers for the day's last trip down.

Squaw Valley USA

Californians - and all comers to Lake Tahoe - can thank (or curse) the late Alex Cushing for crowning a mountain with as delightful a surprise as High Camp Lagoon & Spa.

The ski-area founder, who died in 2006 at age 92, envisioned building a veritable resort in the sky, complete with 500-room hotel, nine-hole golf course and tennis courts.

The hotel and golf course never came to fruition. But the old High Camp lodge was expanded in 1989, and the addition of what was long known as High Camp Bath and Tennis Club brought summer business to a resort with much to offer during the green season.