is lake tahoe more of a winter destination?

i see a lot of pictures of snow. is this maybe a winter destination? are there things to do in august? i don%26#39;t want to be alone. plus it%26#39;s a long drive from san francisco isn%26#39;t it?

is lake tahoe more of a winter destination?

Oh my goodness no! I go way more often in the summer and spend longer periods of time there. I much prefer summer since I like water sports more than skiing. Not a long drive at all. Probabaly only 4 hours. The last hour or so is very pretty.

Here%26#39;s my usual list of what to do in the summer:

What to do on the East side from north to south:

Sand Harbor is a fantastic beach. You must go there for at least one day or for a visit.

Sand Harbor also has the Shakespeare festival every summer. Right on the lake.

http://www.laketahoeshakespeare.com/

Tour Thunderbird Lodge. Quite Historic and amazing:

http://www.thunderbirdlodge.org/

Better yet do the cruise and come in from the lake side. So pretty form the lake:

www.tahoeboatcruises.com/tbirdlodgetours.htm

Heading out south you’ll get to Zephyr Cove which is good for lake cruises and you can rent water craft or walk on the beach.

http://www.zephyrcove.com/

Things to do in South Lake Tahoe:

There are of course the casinos. You can shop and eat at the village area, take a scenic ride on the Heavenly gondola or visit the casinos. Here’s info on a gondola trip:

skiheavenly.com/lake_tahoe/…

Some great beaches in SLT that are worth a visit are Pope, Camp Richardson and Baldwin. All of these are past the Y (way past the casinos, past the grassy area next to the lake, past the outlet store) which is really now a 4 way light but habits are hard to break!

You should visit the Tallac site.

www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/recreation/tallac/

Also if you are interested in fish this is pretty interesting:

fs.fed.us/r5/…streampc.shtml

Hikes to take near South Lake Tahoe are the Moraine Trail which is a pretty easy hike of 1 mile (one-way) Walk a relatively flat trail through the forest and along the shore of picturesque Fallen Leaf Lake. Take Highway 89 to Fallen Leaf Road. Continue approximately 2/3 of a mile to Fallen Leaf Campground. Drive through the campground and park just before campsite #75 on the right. There is no fee for day use. Look for the trailhead sign near the parking area.

Another hike is Angora Lakes which is an easy hike and hikers are rewarded with several lakes. In the summer you can rent row boats or just swim and lay around on the sandy beach. It’s only ½ mile and the scenery when you get there is great. The lake is surrounded by cliffs and giant rocks. Take Highway 89 to Fallen Leaf Lake Road and turn left. Turn left at the first paved road. Continue to Forest Service Road 12N14 and turn right. Watch for bicyclists along this road. Continue past Angora Lookout to the road%26#39;s end at the parking lot. There is a small parking fee.

Things to do on the West Side:

Rent bikes and ride along the bike path from Tahoe City southward all the way to just south of Sugar Pine (the bath ends/begins just prior to Meeks Bay) or north to the River Ranch. Where ever you go the bike path is very nice.

River rafting out of Tahoe City. Take an ice chest full of your favorite beverage and food supplies. Rafting is completely weather dependent. Some years when there is too much or too little snow the rafting season is affected. Check to see when rafting begins. Here’s a link to one of the companies with an online coupon:

truckeeriverraft.com/tahoe/…

South of Tahoe City is:

Homewood: Chambers Landing – It has 2 beach sections. One part is roped off as private and the other part is open to the public. Not really great sand, and the shore is rocky. The best part is the dock with the historic Chambers Bar at the end. This place will be hopping on that weekend. Many people boat in and the dock is like a party at happy hour, reduced Chambers Punch prices.

Just south of Tahoma is Sugar Pine State Park with the Ehrmann Mansion. In the summer there are tours: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=510

A little further south is Meeks Bay – great beach, there is a grill shack right on the beach. Paddle boats and tricycles available for rent. Beautiful views of the lake.

Next up is DL Bliss – nice beach but very hard to get into so if you go get really early start. There is a path to the right of the parking lot as you are looking at the lake. It offers amazing views of the lake which are not available from the road.

After Bliss you come to the well known Emerald Bay. Vikingsholm, a replica of a Scandinavian castle sits on the shore. You can take the Vikingsholm Trail to see the castle. Not the Tea House which is on the island but the castle that’s on the shore of the bay. The trail starts at the parking area on the north side of Emerald Bay, on Highway 89. It%26#39;s a wide, well-maintained trail, but fairly steep, about 2½ miles round trip. At the bottom of the trail is a picnic area. http://www.vikingsholm.com/

Or you can take a short side hike to Eagle Falls or Cascade Lake %26amp; Falls

Eagle Falls / Eagle Lake Trail starts at Eagle Falls Picnic Area, highway 89 across from Emerald Bay. Permits are required on this hike and a self-registration station is at the trailhead. The hike is only about 2 miles round trip to Eagle Lake (only about 1/3 mile to the falls); the terrain varies from steep to flat and crosses beautiful Eagle Falls on a steel footbridge.

Cascade Lake %26amp; Falls – Turn into the Bayview Campground across fro Emerald Bay Inspiration Point, drive to the end and park at the trailhead. Take the trail that veers left. Spectacular views of the 200 foot high falls and Cascade Lake can be seen from this short trail.

Now if instead of heading south in Tahoe City you headed north you could visit Squaw Valley. Our kids always enjoy a day at High Camp. Take the tram up to the giant pool and Jacuzzi. They can also ice skate. There is a pool side grill and palapa bar as well.

http://www.squaw.com/summer-squaw

While you are in North Lake Tahoe:

Stop in at Carnelian Bay at Garwoods which is a great lakeside restaurant. Order up a Wet Woody – Rum drink.

You can go mountain bike riding at Northstar. northstarattahoe.com/info/summer/biking.asp

Check out the Fire Lookout for amazing views of the lake:

Near the Biltmore casino turn north on Reservoir Road. Then turn right onto Lakeview Ave. Continue on this road, if it forks stay left and do not turn onto Tuscarora. It will bend back before you reach the parking area for the short walk to the lookout. The lookout provides you with really beautiful views of the area and lake.

Hang out at the beaches in Incline.

There is still more.

You can rent a boat for a day, go sailing…

is lake tahoe more of a winter destination?

Lake Tahoe is in the mountains; therefore, you see the snow on the pictures :-) Don%26#39;t be afraid - July and August are our high peak months. Summer is more popular here than winter, great weather (not too hot and not cold), many things to do. If you drive fast you can make it in 2.5 hours from SF, but with speed limit 3.5-4 hours. And believe it - it is WORTH IT!!!! I have traveled a lot around the world and so far there is no place like Tahoe. Enjoy!!!!

thanks so much for all the info.

I can%26#39;t imagine how you could ever make it to Tahoe in 2.5 hours from SF. It%26#39;s 190 miles. What speed would you actually be going and who would you put at risk to save such a small amount of time?

agreed - my best time from the bay bridge to my house in south lake is about 3 hours...and that is with no traffic. either way it%26#39;s certainly worth the drive in august to come up here, tons to do like the first post called out and the weather is amazing! lake is warm enough to comfortably swim / snorkel in august too.

winter is why people come to tahoe, summer is why they stay!

We spent a week in Tahoe every summer when I was growing up, it%26#39;s gorgeous in the summer! Our last visit to the area was this past May and we had a wonderful time. The beaches all around the lake are very scenic, there is also the MS Dixie Cruise around Emerald Bay that is fun to do in the summer. :)

Oh my syrahgirl, I%26#39;ve written that I spent every summer growing up at Tahoe here many times, yet I%26#39;ve never seen you write that before. Recovered memory?

Alexia from Rome, you will love Lake Tahoe in summer. It%26#39;s about a 4 hour drive from San Francisco (probably depending where you start and where you end)

If you are visiting this August, you should start looking right now to make reservations. July and Aug. are very busy months at Tahoe.

The south shore, where the casino hotels are, can be very crowded that time of year. The north and west sides are other options to check into, as well.

this is why i love trip advisor. everybody helps make people%26#39;s vacations better. thanks to everyone who helped. any suggestions for a hotel that is not too expensive but respectable?

Check out the Marriot Timber Lodge in South Lake Thaoe, very nice property. We stayed here 3 nights last May and loved it! We have also enjoyed stays at the Inn by the Lake which is directly across the street from the lake, some rooms have lakeviews and they have a great bi-level spa there and outdoor pool. :)