With a short break from the mountains to spend the weekend in Truckee, CA we were determined to fit in a trip to Lake Tahoe between working, eating BBQ, playing with dogs, and snowboarding in Squaw Valley. We left on an early morning drive going counter-clockwise around the lake from Truckee, hoping for a 3 hour trip (with maybe a stop at the Carson City Trader Joe’s…).
Where to Stop Around Lake Tahoe?
It’s so beautiful, you can stop pretty much anywhere, but there are a few places you’ll probably want to make time for:
Tallac Historic Site – Beautiful homes line the street. Take a few minutes to view the summer homes of the wealthy.
Kiva Beach Campground – If you brought your dog with you on the drive (we did!) I suggest stopping off at this beautiful dog park. Your pup will get to meet new friends and you will get a great view of the mountains surrounding the lake. Even if the gate is closed, doesn’t mean you can’t park outside and walk the mile to the beach. We found it full of dogs and owners once we got there.
Emerald Bay – This bay is a must stop when you are driving around Lake Tahoe. Get your camera ready for more great views of the lake!
Inspiration Point – Along Highway 89, this is one of the many pull-offs for an unbelievable viewpoint. You might feel like you are stopping a lot, but this is one you don’t want to miss!
D.L. Bliss State Park – More hiking trails and great views at Bliss State Park. Make sure to see the highest-elevation lighthouse in the U.S. located in this state park, Rubicon Point Light.
Sugar Pine State Park – On the western shore of Lake Tahoe, Sugar Pine State Park is your chance to stretch your legs and explore the inland hiking trails. Check out some sugar pines as they are the most massive pine trees, with HUGE pine cones!
Vikingsholm at Emerald Bay – A great lookout, and if you want to see the castle, it’s a mile hike down. Just remember you have to hike your way back up.
Kings Beach – If you need a break from driving, stop over at Kings beach and you will find much more than a sandy stop. There are shops and restaurants waiting so you can refuel on anything you need, including amazing views of the lake from the beach.
Incline Village – An adventure’rs playground. You can golf, ski, snowmobile, sail, play tennis and more at Incline Village. Plan some extra time here to really enjoy all that it has to offer!
Logan Shoals – North of Cave Rock is the Logan Shoals lookout. Get your camera ready for some of the best panoramic views of the lake! This was our favorite stop, Mountains + Lake = Beauty
Cave Rock Drive – This tunnel along the Lake Tahoe drive is considered sacred by the Washoe Indian Tribe. There are restricted activities around the tunnel such as rock climbing.
Freshie’s Restaurant – We discovered this restaurant somewhere online during our Tahoe research. When you drive up it isn’t much to look at, nestled in a small strip mall, but I urge you to go inside and try their fish tacos – they are delicious! In addition to the tacos they had Nando’s Peri-Peri hot sauce – which is our favorite from South Africa!
The best part of the drive?
The photos! Check out a few of our favorites below:
It took us much longer than 3 hours, and we still had to skip a bunch of things to get home within 6 so plan for longer if you want to stop along the way. There’s a ton to do out here, stay a week and really enjoy what Tahoe has to offer!
What are your favorite lakes?
Care and Josh, great blog and pictures.Really loved the one titled “Cool road on top of a ridge.” Absolutely beautiful!!! Take care
Thanks Papa – it was really beautiful – glad the photos could capture it 🙂
These are awesome pictures. My husband is from Tahoe and I’ve had the pleasure of visiting a few times. This makes me miss it!
My crazy sister in law rode her bike around Lake Tahoe a few months ago!
I can’t imagine biking around it – the drivers go crazy fastI would imagine missing it too if I was from here – the mountains are unbelievable.
Love Tahoe!! Beautiful pics, making me really want to visit in the spring.
We hear the summers on the lake are outstanding too! We will have to come back when the weather warms up!
That’s it. I want to go!
Boyfriend’s into snowboarding, maybe I can convince him with a combination trip:)
Do it! We did one day snowboarding and one day driving around the lake – I think that’s a fair compromise!
Beautiful photos!!! We love the West!
Thanks Hannah – we are falling in love with the West too! It is my first time really exploring out here!
Couple members on my mom’s side of the family have timeshares up there, so Tahoe’s a favorite family spot. If and when you do make it back, hopefully around July when the snow finally melts, you’ll HAVE to go to Sand Harbor State Park. It’s absolutely amazing.
We are heading back up next week – not sure it is warm enough yet – I’ve heard summer’s are some of the best. I can see how it can be a family favorite!
This page was very useful – we planned with ur google map itinerary for a day around the lake
I am a 55 year old woman traveling alone and i read your blog last night and did many of the things you did. I was blown away by the lake and since I live in the Colorado mountains that is rough to do. I even managed to do the lighthouse hike even though the park was closed and I went down to the castle. Thank you so much for the suggestns. I love love this area!
Hi Caroline! I just loved your idea…. Im planing to take my husband to tahoe and want to do the same: just driving around the lake. So, my question is: could you do all this in 3 hours?? We are going for Christmas…
Beautiful photos! And Wilma is so cute too!
Hello loved this article! Just wondering what month this was that you visited? I’m planning to go at the start of May but was a bit worried about any road closures!
Thanks 🙂
Hi! Thanks for this great post. Found it when I googled about lake Tahoe and used it to guide us today! Unfortunately it got real foggy and started snowing so our visibility was nowhere as good as yours. Anyways, I have started a travel blog as well, check it out! Thanks so much!
http://Www.thetravelinglily. WordPress.com
Thank you for your post, was very helpful for a last minute traveller. Had trouble getting the itinerary to redirect on my mobile device, but was able to work around. So helpful.
Cheers!
Thanks for the suggestions! Love your pup too! 🙂
Thanks for these ideas. Going solo next week!
This has got me super excited for my trip to Tahoe next week 🙂 Thanks for all the tips! Will definitely be photographing and droning as much as I can!
Hey, just wanted to thank you. This Lake Tahoe guide is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Got tired half way, but worked!
Hi! My friend and I may have a day in Lake Tahoe, just one day, so this itinerary is perfect, thank you! But we would be going in mid April, and we’re wondering about that time of the year (if not skiing). It seems you went in April too? Cold and snow, but roads were okay for you it seems. What about hiking trails, still snow covered or really muddy? Still debating because of the season…Thanks for any input!