Martis Camp, Schaffer’s Mill & Lahontan Real Estate
- State
- California (Truckee area)
- On the lake?
- No, these are inland private club communities near Northstar
- Amenities
- Golf, clubhouses, ski access, large homesites
- Membership
- Separate from the home purchase, with its own application and dues
- Golf
- Martis Camp (Fazio), Lahontan (Weiskopf), Schaffer's Mill
- Best for
- Club life, families, and skiers over lake frontage
The ultimate luxury enclaves for inter-generational fun, you’ll love the secluded, woodsy vibes, stellar locations, and abundant amenities that these communities offer. These three communities are the most upscale neighborhoods in all of Truckee.
Lahontan is the most established of all three. Built around a Tom Weiskopf designed 18-hole championship golf course and a 9-hole par-3 course, Lahontan’s beautiful valley setting on over 900 acres provides an incredible sense of peace and privacy. Lot sizes range from a half-acre to just under two acres. Amenities include a clubhouse, restaurant, fitness center, pool, hot tubs, spa, tennis, basketball and bocce ball courts, along with parks, picnic areas and hiking trails throughout the property, including direct access to the Martis Creek Wildlife Area.
Martis Camp is a newer luxury community spread out over 2000 acres with a rustic modern aesthetic. Built around a Tom Fazio designed 18-hole golf course and an 18-hole putting park designed by Dick Bailey, lot sizes range from one to almost three acres.
Amenities include a 50,000+ s.f. clubhouse, with pro shop, several restaurants, fitness center, day spa, and two pools, along with The Barn that features a basketball court that opens to an outdoor amphitheater theater, bowling alley, movie theater, restaurant, and art studio for classes. Additional amenities include tennis, croquet, bocce ball, horseshoes, firepits, a ‘lost library’, treehouse, labyrinth, an aerial adventure park and a private beach with restaurant and watersports rentals on the shores of Lake Tahoe. The community also enjoys its own ski lodge and private express chairlift access to Northstar Ski Resort.
Schaffer’s Mill is an intimate, low-key luxury community with over 200 homesites on 475 acres, built around a signature, view-focused 18-hole golf course designed by Johnny Miller and John Harbottle. Committed to a philosophy of low-density, forest-friendly development, lot sizes range from one-quarter to three-quarter acres, with nearly 200 luxury condominium/townhouse units as well.
Amenities include a clubhouse, restaurants, sports shop, pool, hot tub, firepit, fitness center, tennis, pickleball, kid’s play area and an outdoor community gathering spot for summer events. The community also has an onsite outfitter for any adventure you can dream up, direct access to the Martis Valley trail system, shuttle service to Northstar Ski Resort and a private base camp for members only in The Village.
Located across the street but away from the flight path of Truckee-Tahoe Regional Airport, all three communities are supremely convenient for those arriving by private jet. Downtown Truckee and The Village at Northstar are about 10 minutes’ drive away.
What it is like to live in the Martis Valley communities
Martis Camp, Lahontan and Schaffer's Mill sit inland in the Martis Valley near Truckee and Northstar, not on the lake. Buyers who arrive expecting water frontage are in the wrong place, and buyers who want golf, space, privacy and a club community are usually in exactly the right one.
The three are similar in shape and different in character. Each is a gated private community built around a golf course with substantial homesites, a clubhouse and a full amenity program. Martis Camp is the largest and most amenity-dense, with a Tom Fazio course and its own connection to Northstar's slopes. Lahontan is built around a Tom Weiskopf course and reads as the quieter, more established of the three. Schaffer's Mill is the smallest.
Day-to-day life here is closer to a club than a neighborhood. Much of the year revolves around the facilities, and the communities are seasonal in a way Truckee proper is not. Winter populations thin out considerably.
What to confirm before you make an offer here
The single most important thing to understand in these communities is that buying the house does not buy you the club. Membership is a separate transaction with its own application, its own initiation or transfer cost, and its own annual dues, and in most cases it is not automatic on purchase.
That matters twice. It matters at purchase, because the true cost of ownership is the home plus the membership rather than the home alone, and the membership figure is not small. It matters again at resale, because membership availability and transfer terms can affect how quickly a home moves.
Membership structures, costs and waiting positions change, and they differ meaningfully between the three communities. Get the current terms in writing from the specific club before you commit, rather than relying on what a listing or a neighbor reports.
This page is general information rather than legal or financial advice. Confirm membership terms, costs and availability directly with the club in question.
Martis Camp / Schaffer’s Mill / Lahontan frequently asked questions
Compare this community in the Lake Tahoe communities guide, or read the lakefront buyer’s guide and California vs. Nevada comparison.
Weighing who to work with? How to choose a Lake Tahoe real estate agent covers the seven questions worth asking about any specific property.