Lake Tahoe
The third and final stop on the trip was Lake Tahoe! This is a very special place for me and I was really looking forward to getting to spend time in such a gorgeous area. I lived in Reno, Nevada from the age of 7 to 13 and Lake Tahoe was a very popular destination for locals and tourists at all times of the year. In the winter my family would drive up to the lake to ski, in the fall and spring to hike, and in the summer to swim and tan.
The drive up from Southern California was a bit longer than anticipated (about 9 1/2 hours). We were staying in Truckee which is just slightly north of Lake Tahoe, and that added a bit of time to our drive.
We were lucky enough to stay at a family friends cabin, so we saved a bit more money for fun activities! There are many options for places to stay in Lake Tahoe year round, although prices are fairly high. South Lake Tahoe rentals have an average cost of $470 per night, but this cost can be avoided by looking for cheaper Airbnb's months in advance.
I had not been to Lake Tahoe during the summer season for about two years, so I was very excited to get outside and enjoy the hot sun and cold water. Lake Tahoe is a really unique lake, known for its location, topography, size, and more. The lake is very large, with a circumference of 72 miles, and takes about three hours to fully drive around. This means that there are plenty of places to stay, hike, camp, swim, and all around explore!
Day 1 - Sand Harbor
For our first morning in Tahoe we headed to Sand Harbor, just south of Incline Village on the North shore of the lake. I had been dreaming about coming to this spot for so long. I have many special memories at this specific spot - class field trips, birthday parties, family time.
It was a beautiful morning when we arrived, although I forgot that we would need $10 cash to park. Luckily, we only had to drive a couple minutes back to Incline Village to find the nearest ATM machine. Lots of parks at Tahoe require cash to park, so check in advance online before you arrive. The parking lot at Sand Harbor fills up quickly, so it's best to get there by 9 am or earlier. If the parking lot is full there is no additional parking anywhere close, so make sure to bring that $10 and arrive sooner rather than later!
The water in Tahoe is super cold, even in the summer, the average temperature is 65 during July. Nonetheless, I always enjoy swimming here in the summer season purely because of the beautiful blue color and serene atmosphere. One really amazing feature of Lake Tahoe is that the water is nearly as pure as drinking water, and is considered one of the purest lakes in the world.
One of my favorite activities at Lake Tahoe is rock jumping! There is a mix of sandy and rocky shores surrounding the lake, and one of the best spots to rock jump is at Sand Harbor, just make sure you're a strong swimmer! The water can be shockingly cold.
Later in the day I decided to venture down to the farther part of the next cove over to rent a kayak. During the summer season kayak and paddleboard rentals are especially expensive. We paid about $60 to rent a kayak for an hour.
This experience was perfect for the afternoon! The sun was out, skies were blue, and being out on the water in the hot weather was so serene.
For lunch we stopped at the Sand Harbor Bar and Grill, it's the only place to eat in the area without having to drive back up to Incline Village. They offer what I would describe as "ballpark" food, slightly pricey hotdogs, burgers, chicken fingers, tacos, beer, ice cream, etc.
After a little more time at the beach we decided to head back to the cabin and get ready for dinner. On the way we stopped for some delicious ice cream in Incline Village. Incline Village is the perfect Tahoe stop full of restaurants, breweries, spots to walk and sit along the water, and lots of local activity from farmers markets to holiday celebrations to parties.
We stopped by Old Town Tap in Truckee for dinner. Although the line was long we got fairly quick service and the food was delicious. The pizza here is amazing! Truckee has a number of delicious restaurants and over the past couple years the downtown area has transformed into a charming spot.
Day 2 - East Shore
Today we slept in a bit before heading over to the East Shore of Tahoe. We met my long time friend Hayden for lunch at Tunnel Creek Cafe. They have a delicious menu here and reasonable prices, and it's perfectly situated at the beginning of the East Shore trail, which we walked along after lunch, admiring the water and catching up.
There are many beautiful hiking and walking trails throughout Tahoe. The East Shore trail is perfect in any season and offers amazing views of the North part of the Lake. This trail is perfect for an aesthetic and leisurely walk, and great for families and younger kids.
The sky was getting dark so I decided to drive down to the South Shore since we were not going to be spending much time there on our trip. I enjoyed seeing where all the casinos spring up after the California/Nevada border and driving around Emerald Bay. For dinner we stopped by New Moon Natural Foods to grab sandwiches from the deli.
Day 3 - Cascade Falls
On our third and final day in Tahoe we woke up early and drove down to Emerald Bay. I took the Cascade Falls trail for the first time when I was in middle school and fell in love with the stunning views of the lake. This trail is about 1.4 miles and for the short length, it offers amazing views of Cascade Lake with Tahoe in the backdrop.
Parking for the hike is at Bayview Campground and costs $10 for an all day parking pass. Although there is ample shade at all stops on this hike, and once you reach the falls there is cold water, it still gets hot in the summer so aim for an earlier start.
After our hike we headed back North along the lake in search of some lunch. We ended up stopping at Chambers Bay Landing Bar and Grill.
Chambers Landing offers a rockier beach, a bar and grill, bathrooms, and a private beach as well as private pool. There is limited parking in the parking lot. The beach is relatively small but it is a lively spot with close amenities, and a perfect place to relax for the afternoon.
That night we grabbed pizza and enjoyed our last night at the cabin. We had a long drive ahead back to Seattle the next morning, so we made sure to catch up on sleep. One of my favorite things about Tahoe is that there is generally low light pollution, so it is easy to star gaze! We enjoyed watching the bright stars through the cabin skylights every night.
Although I was sad to be ending our trip the following day, I was so grateful to have had the two weeks we did. I sometimes struggle with justifying taking time off and spending money in the name of relaxing. That's still something I'm learning to grapple with and while it is truly a first world problem, for a college student who saves all her money to take trips, I get easily stressed about making sure all my hard work and time is going where I want it to. That being said, I was so happy that I had pulled off a three stage trip and even more pleased that I proved to myself it could be done. The older I get the more I have opportunities to prove to myself what I can handle, especially where traveling is concerned, and now I can check off combining three trips into one!
