A little guide: Lake Tahoe

Heading to Lake Tahoe? In this 3 Days in Lake Tahoe itinerary + guide we’ll cover everything you need to know before you go, plus where to eat, where to stay, and things to do in Lake Tahoe! 

About Lake Tahoe

Split between Nevada and California, Lake Tahoe is 1,644’ deep, making it the second deepest lake in the U.S. (Crater Lake is the deepest–read all of our Crater Lake tips!). The lake is so clear that in some areas you can see down 70ft! 

The lake is 22 miles long, 12 miles wide, and has 72 miles of shoreline. With the amount of water in the lake, it could cover the entire state of California (if it was flat) with 14 inches of water. Pretty crazy!

The lake’s temperature can be as warm as 60 degrees during the summer, but 600 feet below the surface it’s a pretty constant 39 degrees (brrr)! And despite being in a high elevation that receives snow, the lake never freezes over.

One thing that is good to know about Lake Tahoe, that we didn’t really know beforehand, is that dogs are not allowed on a lot of the beaches and trails (the State Park ones specifically), which made it a bit harder to enjoy Tahoe with our pup Kona. There are places to take your dog, but a lot of the popular spots are not dog friendly. 🙁

How to get to Lake Tahoe

Reno, Nevada is located about 38 miles (close to 45 minutes) from North Lake Tahoe and 61 miles (close to 1 hour, 10 minutes) from South Lake Tahoe, making Reno a great starting point to go explore the lake! We’d recommend flying into the Reno-Tahoe International Airport and then renting a car to drive to the lake. 

However, if you’re coming from California, or would rather fly into California, the closest airport and major city is Sacramento, which is 103 miles (just under 2 hours) from South Lake Tahoe and 113 miles (just under 2 hours) from North Lake Tahoe. 

The great thing about Lake Tahoe is that it is fun to visit year round! In the summer you can lounge on the beach, kayak or paddle board on the water, and hike in the mountains, while in the winter, it’s a hot spot for skiing and snowboarding. 

We went in early October, which is considered the shoulder season there, as it’s a bit too chilly for water activities, but not cold enough for snow or skiing. We personally loved visiting during this time, as it felt less busy and the temperatures were perfect during the day (the 13 degrees we woke up to at our campsite in the morning wasn’t perfect though lol!). 

For this itinerary and guide we will be focusing on the warmer months where you can enjoy more of the water activities. But if you’re headed in the winter, a lot of the “where to stay” recommendations and food recommendations are still applicable!

Where to stay in Lake Tahoe

There are many towns along Lake Tahoe, such as South Lake Tahoe, Incline Village, Kings Beach, and Tahoe City, as well as many cities close to the lake, but not on it, like Reno, Truckee, and Carson City. The lake’s proximity to many places gives you lots of options of where you can stay and things to do! Below is a map with some of Lake Tahoe with some of the major towns circled so you can see where everything is!

 

The real article and the whole story you can find here:

https://adventuresofaplusk.com/3-days-in-lake-tahoe-itinerary