My husband and I have visited Lake Tahoe many times. It has been our mountain getaway since living in the San Francisco Bay Area, both before and after we had kids.
I must say that a lot has changed since our first visit. Back then, it was less crowded, much less expensive, and less glamorous. Today is all about big hotels and fancy entertainment. We still love it, but the feeling of nostalgia pines for the time things were more down to earth.
Nevertheless, every time we visit Tahoe, we have great memories and feel that it is always a wonderful place to enjoy the winter months, play with snow, and be delighted by its infinite natural beauty.
Last year, we revisited Tahoe. I was burned out after returning from Brazil and dealing with a heartbroken family loss. My heart was looking for something to take away the pain of losing a loved one, and Tahoe was a great idea!
Carson City is a good option for a hotel stay.
Since it was a spur-of-the-moment getaway, we decided to stay in a hotel in Carson City, Nevada, northeast of Lake Tahoe. It was a great decision. The hotel was warm, clean, and inviting, and our room had majestic views of the snowy mountains.
We planned to spend our days in South Lake and drive back to Carson in the late afternoon or evening. The plan looked good on paper: 40 minutes/28 miles of mountainous Route 50.
In reality, our entire stay experienced intermittent whiteout blizzard conditions. We kept an eye on the weather reports and made a dash for it whenever there appeared to be a break. We dashed as fast as permitted due to the road conditions and tire chains limiting our speed.
Before you go up to Tahoe, stop at Placerville.
We have always gone to Lake Tahoe by car, so we drove from Southern California to South Lake Tahoe. It is a long slog up the Californian Central Valley, but the scenery changes once we turn right at Sacramento. The valley gives way to rolling hills and small towns.
Pushing further into the foothills is the town of Placerville (Hang Town), known for being the seat of government during the gold rush. Placerville is a great place to stretch your legs, grab lunch, or explore the antique/souvenir shops. Enjoy your break from driving and coffee up; it is all mountain roads “up the hill” on Rte. 50 until past Echo Summit.
The Summit is a high mountain snow play area (parking permit required) just before the road brings you into the bowl dominated by the lake. Stop in one of the turnouts as you drop into the Tahoe Basin (if safe) to take in the views.
Some off-the-cuff items about the lake are that it is big, fed by snowmelt, very deep, and rather cold. I once heard that if you were to empty the lake, the water would cover all of California at a depth of three feet.
The days were beautiful, with fresh snow from the last dump falling from the skies. The cold temperatures were crisp and enjoyable. Our hotel was on the far side of Stateline, CA/South Lake Tahoe, NV. It was snowing, so we stopped for dinner and hoped for a break in the weather.
Stateline is a nice break before you hit Tahoe.
Now, Stateline is on the California side of the Nevada border. You will find large resorts and timeshares, smaller hotels and motels, tourist shops, and an in-town gondola station for Heavenly Valley ski resort.
The restaurants tend to be geared towards grab-and-go options or your standard franchises, with a few fine dining spots strategically situated in high-traffic areas. Further down the road, the motels get smaller (some offering cabins), and you can find many heavily used campgrounds in the summer months.
North of Stateline is South Lake Tahoe, Nevada; you will find casinos, entertainment, gambling, and large hotels and resorts designed to meet all your needs. There are discos, seasonal pools, spas, and buffets; you can have everything you desire.
We usually go to Tahoe in the winter since we prefer to stay in Orange County or go to Vegas in the summer. However, Lake Tahoe is always a clever idea at any time of the year. It’s pleasant, adventurous and with lots of entertainment for any age!
