Summer is less than three months away, and the perfect time to visit Tahoe is approaching. As someone who goes to Tahoe as often as possible, especially during the summer, I have created a list of my favorite places to visit. Including a beautiful hike, fun places to cool off, and my favorite restaurant, my list has everything you need to know for the best Tahoe trip!
In Crystal Bay, the Historic Stateline Fire Lookout hike is definitely the easiest hike for the best view. There is usually available parking and the entire main trail ascending the mountain is paved. The main trail is only about a mile long, but has other trails branching off depending on how far you want to hike. Even if the hike does happen to be busy, there are plenty of large lookouts with breathtaking views of the lake. This hike is very enjoyable and definitely worth the trip.
When going to Tahoe, I usually prefer visiting places away from the lake itself because it can be crowded, but if I had to pick a beach to go to on the shore of Lake Tahoe, I would go to Speedboat Beach. Although Speedboat Beach gets very crowded throughout the day and has limited parking, if you get there early and set up, it makes for one of the coolest places to hang out all day long. The beach itself has limited space, but if you take an inner tube, paddle board, or swim out into the crystal water, you can climb up on rocks that are great for jumping off of or lounging on. On top of being relaxing, the Historic Stateline Fire Lookout hike is less than one mile away!
Now, I’m going to share the best hidden gem Tahoe has to offer that took my family years to discover. About five miles west from Carnelian Bay is the very small and secluded Watson Lake. Off of the main roadway, Watson Lake is about a ten minute drive down a partly paved road (with incredible views along the way) that will lead you to an amazingly peaceful lake with nowhere near the crowds any other body of water near Lake Tahoe will have. Along with some hiking trails, Watson Lake has a first come first serve camping and RV area, as well as plenty of space to set up along the shore for a day. Watson Lake is so quiet, surrounded by forest on all sides, and has plenty of small creatures like dragonflies and tadpoles. In my opinion, it is the best day trip to get away from the crowds and 100% worth a visit.
Moving on, my absolute favorite thing to do while in Tahoe is float the Truckee River. When my family and I first did the float, we went in a raft rented from one of the companies at the top of the river, and it was not fun at all. We kept getting stuck on rocks, running into other rafts, and had to pass a painful section of the river that had sharp rapids to get to the return point. My family has now developed the best system, which is dropping a bike off at the point we plan to get out at and locking it, then driving up to the top of the river, parking, and floating down with our own gear. When we reach the bottom, one person bikes up and drives the car back to pick up everyone else. We like to use interlocking intertubes so that everyone stays connected and we make sure to get out before the painful rapids. There are also easy places to rent intertubes at the top of the Truckee River. Once you have your system figured out, floating down the Truckee is so much fun. Make sure to bring snacks, drinks, and take your time making your way down the river by stopping at small beaches along the way.
Last but not least, my favorite pizza place just so happens to be in North Lake Tahoe. Whitecaps Pizza is absolutely delicious and has the perfect environment. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a wide range of food and drinks. A quick one- minute walk from the restaurant is Kings Beach, which is another great beach option because it has soft sand instead of rocks like most beaches on Lake Tahoe’s shore. The pizza at Whitecaps is some of the best pizza I have ever had and the overall atmosphere makes Whitecaps a 10/10.
If this article revitalized your itching desire for summer to begin, I hope it also convinced you to plan that trip to Lake Tahoe. For anyone traveling there, I hope you take my favorite places, alongside my tips and tricks, make good use of them, and have an incredible trip!