Summer Road-Trip to Lake Tahoe

Roadtrips have a charm of their own - racing against the traffic at your own pace, deciding your own timings and taking your own time to absorb the journey. We had a weekend coming up with absolutely no plans and hence we decided to take one more of the road trips while we are here in the US. We had heard quite a lot about this hill destination in here which we decided as the destination for this trip. The destination was Lake Tahoe - a small hill town at the border of California and Nevada which is a perfect place to head to both in summers or winters. As with most of our preparations, we started checking in with our friends and networks on "how-and-what" to plan and the more we heard about it, the more we got excited about the trip.

Lake Tahoe - An Introduction

Here we bring to you our experience of the trip which was a fun sojourn to nature and back with modernity and tradition leaving mark on every step of the way.

Let's start with a quick video overview of our trip.

<Vlog from Lake Tahoe - Coming up soon>

We have broken down the trip into three components for ease of navigation and comprehension in a meaningful manner. This is also the way we thought through the planning !!

Getting there is the most exciting trip - The Road Trip

The purpose of a trip not just to explore the destination but to enjoy the journey as well. Sometimes the journey ends up being the highlight of the trip. A bit of planning can take you to the right routes and expose you to the best of views.

Ready to take the road on Toyota Camry

As we indicated earlier that the entire Lake Tahoe area can be considered as the Upper or Lower region or as it is called the North Lake Tahoe and South Lake Tahoe. There are different routes that you can take for each of these - I80 takes you directly to North Tahoe and I50 takes you to the Southern part of the town. We were traveling from the South Bay so the journey is the same until near Sacramento from where you take roads to either of these routes. We too and recommend taking both the routes - one on the journey to the lake and the other on the return journey. We were staying in North Tahoe but decided to take the I50 towards the South Lake as we had read that this is much more exciting and difficult compared to the other.

While there was one angle of taking the challenge, other was to overcome the difficult component right when we were fresh and active. So we took the "more-difficult" I50 on way up the lake.

We started early in the morning on August 24, 2019, for the two-day trip, to beat the weekend traffic moving to this popular weekend destination for the region and were soon headed on 680 towards east. After going through a bit on 680, we took CA-84 and I580 before getting on the 205 towards Sacramento, the capital city of California. It was a pretty smooth ride as on any freeway and we were definitely ahead of the traffic. As we got on 205 from 580, we were greeted with a lively view of windmills - hundreds of them generating clean power, one round at a time. We continued the drive as we enjoyed the view and soon took the turn onto I50 just before Sacramento. As we transitioned to the road, we realized that it was time for the hill journey to start. We took our first pit-stop just outside the Children's Museum in Sacramento for a coffee and light snacks. As we moved ahead the views grew better and as we ascended the scenery below became mesmerizing. The road soon became curvy and it was just the start of the fun. At this time we took another pitstop for gas and snacks and continued further.

Windmills on the way are a lovely sight

Roads are milestones in themselves

As we rose the altitude the road became more fun to drive but took more attention too with all the hairpin bends and steep rises at times, we had to be careful and avoided too much scenery seeing. After about 4 and a half hours of drive, we were there at the edge of Lake Tahoe's southern rim. We took a short pit-stop to mark our arrival and then took the counter-clockwise route around the lake to approach the northern region. The views are definitely breathtaking along the lake and sometimes the road takes a bit of challenging turn but it is all part of the excitement that this destination brings.  We will elaborate more on various sites to look for on the loop in further detail in a section below. As we reached the northern tip of the lake our hotel was off the shore by about 15 minutes and a quick drive later, we pulled into the hotel parking.

The return journey was as exciting as we took the I80 back to the South Bay through Sacramento. We took a quick detour to cover the Donner Pass. We took a pit-stop at Lake Donner to witnesses some of the activities there and have a coffee. The road across the pass is definitely worth the detour and it takes you through beautiful scenery and exciting driving. While the route overall is longer than the I50, it takes almost equal time as this is faster with more generous speed limits. We also took a short (or say decent) break at Sqwak Valley and enjoyed a gondola ride to the swimming pool at the top. We will talk about it in a separate post but definitely, recommend putting some time in reserve for this excursion.

Both I80 and I50 have their own charm - one is faster while other is "more" scenic. Drive on both is recommended. Some online reviews indicate I50 as a bit of dangerous to drive which is potentially true in winters but in summers it isn't too difficult. Take breaks on the way and be a bit attentive to the road and you should be fine - you do not want to miss a chance of having the memories captured on this beautiful drive.

Accommodation - Need a Roof on the Head

The kind of accommodation you may look for depends on the season and budget. There is no lack of options available in this town but you may want to reserve in advance to ensure you do not end up paying a pretty penny. There are many resorts along the lake which are ideal places to stay during the summer when the lake is your major attraction and you spend most of your time idling in one of the beaches. While if you there during winters, you may want to stay at one of the ski-resorts uphill which provides easy access to the upper reaches of the region which offer winter sports.

The calm of woods and luxury of a balcony

We had chosen to stay at the Northstar Resort - which is about 10 minutes away from the lake. It may not have been an ideal choice for location but given we were pretty late to make the bookings, this was a very good option. It is actually a ski-resort campus with many accommodation options. The one we had chosen in kind of a community housing where owners have given their homes for use as tourist huts by the management. Each cottage is a standard studio accommodation with a furnished kitchen and nicely set up balcony. The cottages are stocked with all the required equipment and provide ample luxury to guests. The parking is sufficient and accessible - though if you are with a kid you may have to carry the stroller through the stairs.

In terms of service, it is a limited service place with not many frills attached. They have a tie-up with one of the resort facilities which provides gym and pool access for a small fee. The resort offers a complimentary cable car ride which gives you just a taste of what it can actually be. Though the resort is away from the main town, there are adequate activities and shops to engage you during the day, if you so desire. The staff at the check-in counter is pretty courteous and helpful. They use key-codes for entry to the rooms and you are asked to input a specific key-code while checking out - that means no stopping at the reception on your way out.

Things to Do - Beaches, Vista Points and Trails 

Lake Tahoe is spread across both California and Nevada and there are beaches on both contours of the lake.  Most of these beaches involve a short or long hike to reach and that is the charm - this effort makes some of these beaches private and secluded if you are looking for some time alone. Along the lake, there are many viewpoints that have been developed to provide tourists with ample opportunities to click pictures and enjoy nature. Here are some of the places we spent time during our stay in the city.

Beaches, watersports, and relaxation by water is what you visit Tahoe for

• Stateline Fire Lookout - Located at a height in the northern part of the town, this park is a great place to catch views of sunrise or sunset in seclusion from the world. It is a beautiful location amidst nature.
• Tahoe Vista - North Tahoe Shores, Kings Beach, and Crystal Bay - Around the norther peripheral of the lake, a town kind of establishment exists which is a nice place to spend an evening. We strolled across the shops, picked some local snacks and then walked by the beach enjoying the views of the lake and caught onto the sunset. There is nice crowd on this stretch at the time and tourists and locals enjoy the views alike. 
• Vista Points - There are many views points set up along the lake's rim - some are at the lake level while others provide a view from a height. Both types of viewpoints have picturesque views to offer and enchant tourists for quite a while. All the viewpoints have adequate parking (it may be tough to get one during a rush but nothing more than a few minutes of a wait) and have basic facilities. Most such viewpoints are easily accessible and worth taking the time.
• Zephyr Cove Beach - While there is a public beach that is generally rushed, there is a resort around here with the same name which opens its beach to the public. There is a parking charge of $10 for the entire day and it allows you to spend as much time as you need in relatively private sands. The resort also has a limited set of water sports to choose from if you are tempted. The beach also invites some beach games and you could network into those games depending on how soon you can befriend other tourists.

Walk into the deep blue waters

• Chimney Beach - This is another beach that may be interesting to tourists as it has a relatively easy hike down to the waterfront. Again, nothing very different from other beaches but a clean, nice private place to enjoy some quality time.
• Heavenly Gondola - A nice ropeway ride takes you to the height which provides a mesmerizing view of the entire valley. The journey involves two different sets of gondolas that take you to grounds that transform into ski-paths once the winter sets in. People swear that this is a not-to-be-missed sight. We did give it a pass given we already had a gondola ride booked in Squaw Valley. But the surrounding grounds are definitely inviting. 

Beautiful vistas from nicely developed and strategically located points 

• Drive Around the Lake - There are multiple sites and vista points built all around, the best part of the visit to Lake Tahoe is a slow, steady and breathtaking drive around the lake. One round of the lake takes about an hour and a half to two hours depending on the rush and your temptation to stop at one of the viewpoints. The road does take some nice adventures bends where you may want to take your eyes off the scenery and focus on the road but that is part of the overall charm of this place. 

Tahoe Vista, View Points and Drive around the Lake is what we would definitely recommend to any visitor to the lake. 

Charmed by the views

Beautiful sunset by Tahoe Vista

Additional Getaway - Squaw Valley

We took the direct route from North Tahoe on the return journey which goes through I80. We had planned a half-day getaway at the Squaw Valley Resort before heading back where the agenda was limited to unwinding and relaxations amid natural beauty. It took about a 45-minutes drive to the Squaw Valley base where there is a nice Village - a shopping arcade and restaurants nicely curated. There is a nice resort down there where you may want to spend a couple of days if you have that luxury.

There is an aerial way which takes you to a hill-peak. We had our tickets reserved and headed straight to the check-in counter. There are numerous counters and you would not have to worry about long lines. The lady at the counter was very courteous and sweet and did a small plaything with our kiddo. We were issued our smart cards for accessing the ropeway. There is a ride up the hill almost every 20 minutes. It is a nice ride uphill which takes about 10 minutes straight across the valley. The views are marvelous and you would not blink once during the ride in fear of losing a view. We and especially the champ in tow loved each moment on the gondola ride. The only thing to look for luck is to get a car that is relatively less densely populated as you get some freedom to move around.

Swimming Pool at 8000 feet is a perfect treat

Posing at high-point in Squaw Valley

Once you are up at the hill at the High Camp, there is a wide and large terrace for you to relax over a lounge chair. The views across from up-top are breathtaking overlooking the Lake Tahoe region and the lake. The slow winds and slightly lesser temperatures make the atmosphere perfect for unwinding away from the world. There is a swimming pool at this scenic location, 8000 feet above sea level. The dip is obviously something to envy for. There are other sports like skating offered on the terraces. Down below the terrace, there is an Olympic Museum, enlivening the memories from the 1960 winter Olympics. There is food and drinks too - available for a reasonable price for the location. We spent about a couple of hours there before taking the aerial tram back to the base. There we explored the village for another half an hour and enjoyed a quick coffee and light snacks.

This was the end of the excursion of this two-day weekend getaway and we headed back to Sunnyvale. There was traffic on the way which slowed us but occasional views made up for that. Also as indicated earlier, drive across Donner Pass was beautiful and exciting.

Rishik wondering why all these locks hang on the wire mesh