Lake Tahoe

[Padle]

Has anybody been to Lake Tahoe in the summer? There seems to be very little about lake Tahoe on DDF.  We are going there soon with kids. Are there any experiences/hikes not to be missed?

[TimT]

Has anybody been to Lake Tahoe in the summer? There seems to be very little about lake Tahoe on DDF.  We are going there soon with kids. Are there any experiences/hikes not to be missed?

https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=64618.msg1524438#msg1524438

[Padle]

Thank you! Great trip report.

Has anyone else been there in the summer?

[Traveler718]

We were there 3 summers ago, as part of 2.5 weeks in NoCal. We planned our visit around July 4 fireworks, which are ranked among the top 10 in the US and were absolutely amazing! We didn't spend so much time hiking there with little kids, but hiked down to an old vacation house that someone built on the shore, which was really nice, and enjoyed the drive around the lake. Emerald Bay is particularly stunning.

[Padle]

Thanks!

Seems like from what you're saying, and everyone online that emerald bay is a must.

[chevron]

Do the whole lake, give yourself a day. Lots of great spots.

[chookshook]

I would recommend the South shore. Emerald Bay. There isn't much to do in the North during the summer. Not as pretty either.

[Padle]

Thanks. We are actually staying in South lake Tahoe near heavenly. What things would you say are not to miss at Tahoe? Also is it worth a trip up the gondala at heavenly or squaw valley?

[chookshook]

Emerald Bay is the big one. A few easy hikes around it. There's an app with all the trails with pictures and ratings. Search trails in the app store and it'll come up.

The gondola is worth it but really expensive in my opinion. I think it's $40+ a person. There are mountains and areas you can get to for free by car.

There's a tiny island in the middle of emerald Bay. You can rent a kayak and get to it. It's pretty fun but not for all ages. It's also a tough hike down and back up.

Basecamp pizza gets big reviews but it's not all that. I'd avoid it. Mediocre overpriced pizza.

If there isn't too much traffic you can drive around the lake. You'll see many spots to stop with nice views.

If you're going during a busy weekend try doing emerald Bay and other popular attractions on the off days. Saturday 10 am and after there will be a ton of traffic going there and coming back.

[Padle]

So here is what we did. Two families with 2 year olds and infanta

We stayed in SLT Using VRBO

DAY 1: Inspiration point - great views of emerald Bay
             Eagle falls hike: We didn't go all the way to the lake, just the falls, a nice short hike, on top of the falls you can go swimming
             Calawee cove: In DL Bliss state park : Beautiful section of the lake, you can go swimming in the small beach over there

Day 2: Anderson Bike rental: You can rent bikes with trailers for the kids. Pretty flat trail, so anyone can do it. Stops along the way Included - Tallac Historic site (great views of the lake, plus museum if your into that), Taylor Creek visitor center: There is the rainbiw trail, which is .5 miles and has a tank where you can see the fish In the Creek. It took about 3 hours for the biking trip. When you bike, you don't have 2 pay parking at those 2 places.

Angora Lake: .5 miles hike, a lot of uphill, but the lake is beautiful. We came towards the end of the day, but I suppose mid-day it's packed. You can go swimming or rent kayaks/sups at the lake. Be aware the drive to get there includes a bumpy 1 way road for 2.4 miles. Althogh it's a nice drive

Day 3: We drove along the Nevada side to the Stateline lookout hike: A paved uphill hike (great for stroller! .6 miles each way) Very nice views at the top, with some tables and benches, great place for lunch
Trukee River rafting: Only for ages 2+. Nice simple float along the river for 5 miles. You can get out along the way and get In the water whenever you want. There are some small rapids at the end. This activity send pretty popular.
Day 4: Back to SFO, stopped off at the jelly belly factory along the way. We wanted to stop at apple picking but it wasn't the season yet.

A few notes: Lake Tahoe is beautiful, but they don't seem to have built it with adequate parking, so some places you need to get to early in the morning or late In the afternoon, or get lucky ( we did the latter 2:)).
Also, most of the parking is self pay, meaning you have to bring exact cash.
We went only weekdays, I can't imagine what the weekend look like :0
Hopefully one day I will make a complete trip report, but this is all for now. Thanks everyone for your advice!

[dansdealsfan5]

The gondola is worth it but really expensive in my opinion. I think it's $40+ a person. There are mountains and areas you can get to for free by car.

I see that you can get an Adventure Pass - for a family of 4 there is a significant discount - which includes the gondola plus all the rides. Is that worth it?

[Zalc]

Thinking of heading to Lake Tahoe for a skiing weekend in Feb.
Has anyone been there in winter have some experience or advice?

We have an Epic pass and lodging seems very affordable vs Vail (>$650 a night to book this late).

How does the skiing compare to Colorado?