# Things to do around Lake Tahoe ??



## fnewman (Feb 12, 2007)

It has been many years since we visited the Lake Tahoe/Reno area but are going for a week at the end of April (Sunterra L.T. Vacation Resort).  For those who have visited the area recently or live close by, what should we plan to see and do while there?  Not interested in  golf,  but will there still be skiing in the area?  Expected weather?  TIA


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## djp (Feb 12, 2007)

Other than the prettiest lake in America IMO, and beautiful mountains and gambling there is not a ton more to do at tahoe....the weather could be beautiful and sunny with hights in the 70s or it could be a snow storm, april is one of the most unpredictable times at tahoe...


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## DeniseM (Feb 12, 2007)

I have a lot of info. about things to do in Tahoe on my travel page.  Go prepared for cool weather in April and even snow.  
Tahoe Travel Tips


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## dougp26364 (Feb 12, 2007)

There's hiking and horse back riding. There are sunset dinner tours aboard a couple of different excursion cruisers or daytime boat excursions. There are fishing charters. You can drive up to Donner Lake and learn a little about the history and story of the Donner party. We always enjoy driving over to Virginia City and spending a day touring some of the museums and old houses. There's a grave yard there that was pretty interesting to walk through and look at the tombstones.


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## fnewman (Feb 12, 2007)

I like what I am seeing so far - hiking, fishing, dinner cruises, etc.  Do the options get a lot broader if I am willing to drive to Reno on some days/evenings?


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## fnewman (Feb 12, 2007)

DeniseM said:


> I have a lot of info. about things to do in Tahoe on my travel page.  Go prepared for cool weather in April and even snow.
> Tahoe Travel Tips


I've only glanced at your travel page so far, but will definitely go back for a thorough reading.  I'm planning to fly into Reno and rent a car - I am assuming that the end of April will be late enough that chains would not be required?


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## djp (Feb 12, 2007)

there is a chance that it could be so snowy as to require chains, but that time of year your chances are very good that you will be ok. I live in Reno and i love Reno, but IMO there is nothing which Tahoe lacks that I would leave tahoe to come down to Reno for. Sure there are a couple of malls-1 about 30 minutes from north shore tahoe, better movie theatres, and more restaurants and more casinos, but I woud stay in tahoe most of the time if I were you.  The best thing about living in reno is that I can be at tahoe in 30 minutes if I want to.


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## DeniseM (Feb 12, 2007)

fnewman said:


> I've only glanced at your travel page so far, but will definitely go back for a thorough reading.  I'm planning to fly into Reno and rent a car - I am assuming that the end of April will be late enough that chains would not be required?



You should be OK - but there could easily be _some_ snow then, but probably not enough for chains.  We were in Tahoe Memorial Day weekend this year and it snowed twice!  When there is a chance of snow or ice, we rent a 4WD for Tahoe.  In fact - we are going this weekend!  :whoopie:


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## gnipgnop (Feb 13, 2007)

We will be in Tahoe from Sept. 30 thru Oct. 7.  What kind of weather can we expect?  Cold and snow or fall-like days.  We were hoping to pack light since we are flying in from the East coast.  Will we need heavy, winter clothes or lighter weight things?  Help, please.


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## Blues (Feb 13, 2007)

fnewman said:


> I am assuming that the end of April will be late enough that chains would not be required?



It's quite unlikely that you will NEED chains.  But you most definitely should CARRY them.  I've encountered heavy snow conditions in late April before, once  (many years ago) while riding my motorcycle back from Tahoe.  I had my (then) girlfriend on the back.  That was quite a trip...


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## talkamotta (Feb 13, 2007)

We went to Tahoe on the Labor Day weekend.  We dragged our boat from Salt Lake; the boat was filled with snow the next morning.  It was cold for 3 days but we had jackets.  By the end of the week the short sleeve shirts were out and the jackets put away.  

April, May, September and October.  The best way to dress is in layers.  Never can tell what you will need.  We could still pack light, there were washers in our unit.  

Our boat was a 2 stroke;cant use that on California lakes even if its on the Nevada side (this was a couple of years ago and it was the first year they changed the laws)  So we went out fishing on private charters.  We have been deep sea fishing, Canada lakes fishing, pier fishing and  Utah.  Lake Tahoe is so deep that it is a different type of fishing, so it was kind of good to have someone there to teach us how to fish Lake Tahoe. 

I had a great time and will try for more trades after we get the new boat.  Fishing, gambling and going back to a hot tub and good wine.


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## DeniseM (Feb 13, 2007)

If you get to Reno and the weather looks like snow, I would switch my rental car to a 4WD.  Most of the time, the CHP doesn't require chains if you have a 4WD with snow rated tires.  Also - rental car agencies usually don't allow you to use chains on rental cars because of the likelyhood of damage to the car due to chains that are installed incorrectly by someone who is inexperienced with chains.


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## DeniseM (Feb 13, 2007)

gnipgnop said:


> We will be in Tahoe from Sept. 30 thru Oct. 7.  What kind of weather can we expect?  Cold and snow or fall-like days.  We were hoping to pack light since we are flying in from the East coast.  Will we need heavy, winter clothes or lighter weight things?  Help, please.



Here are the seasonal averages for Lake Tahoe - Tahoe Weather

As you can see, Avg. temps around Oct. 1st, can range from 40 to 70 degrees, but the record low is about 20 degrees, and some snowfall at the beginning of Oct. is normal, so you need to be prepared for cold weather.  Lake Tahoe has a very high elevation, so winter comes early.


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## DeniseM (Feb 13, 2007)

*Bill's Casino*

There is a tiny casino next to Harrah's in Tahoe called Bill's Casino.  They just announced that they are going to be totally smoke free from now on.  This is great news for nonsmokers, since other casinoes tend to be very smoky.  I hope other casinoes will follow suite.


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## Skinsfan1311 (Feb 13, 2007)

DeniseM said:


> There is a tiny casino next to Harrah's in Tahoe called Bill's Casino.  They just announced that they are going to be totally smoke free from now on.  This is great news for nonsmokers, since other casinoes tend to be very smoky.  I hope other casinoes will follow suite.



I agree, however, if our recent trip to Tahoe is any indicator, that will never happen.   We were in Tahoe, a few weeks ago, and Bill's was nearly empty, even on a Saturday night......


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## gnipgnop (Feb 14, 2007)

Denise:  Thank you very much for the information on Tahoe weather and the site to check it out myself.  Your help is so beneficial to those of us who are traveling to an area for the first time.  It always helps to know what your getting into.  After our first visit to Tahoe I'm sure I will feel a little more relaxed about traveling there next time.  My daughter is traveling with us and she has motion sickness (severe).  I hope the elevation will not affect her or the ride up the mountain.  We are driving from Sacramento to Tahoe.  

HAVE FUN IN HAWAII!:whoopie:


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## DeniseM (Feb 14, 2007)

The road is windy - she should definitely take motion sickness medication.  I like Bonine, because it doesn't make you sleepy.


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## daventrina (Feb 14, 2007)

Blues said:


> ....  I've encountered heavy snow conditions in late April before...


Like this:
Apr 15 06:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/dntanderson/album/576460762318767390/photo/294928803178037880/2

Apr 17 06 2 feet later:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/dntanderson/album/576460762318767390/photo/294928803178048365/43
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/dntanderson/album/576460762318767390/photo/294928803178049161/46
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/dntanderson/album/576460762318767390/photo/294928803178047421/39



DeniseM said:


> If you get to Reno and the weather looks like snow, I would switch my rental car to a 4WD. ....


We'd second that.... The pathfinder if the photo was purchased after our quest got stuck in ice in the parking lot at Harveys casino.


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## Carol in California (Feb 14, 2007)

*What to do in Lake Tahoe?*

DH and I were there in early October a year ago and the weather was perfect!
We went to the nature center on the road to Camp Richardson.  We saw a bear in the stream looking for kokanee trout, which were spawning. It was amazing to see the trout.....they are so colorful when they spawn.  You can also see a cross section of the stream and that is really interesting, too.
One day we drove to Virginia City and took in the sights....interesting historical area and usually they have a train ride with a docent who gives out lolots of information.
Have a great time!


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## lanalee (Feb 14, 2007)

gnipgnop said:


> We will be in Tahoe from Sept. 30 thru Oct. 7.  What kind of weather can we expect?  Cold and snow or fall-like days.  We were hoping to pack light since we are flying in from the East coast.  Will we need heavy, winter clothes or lighter weight things?  Help, please.



I was at Lake Tahoe last year from Sept 26 thru October 1st.  The weather was perfect - absolutely beautiful.  Here are some pictures I took during the week we were there:
http://www.yolanda.smugmug.com/Vacation (click Nevada to see Lake Tahoe galleries)

However, I heard the week after we left it snowed at Tahoe.


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## fnewman (Feb 15, 2007)

Skinsfan1311 said:


> I agree, however, if our recent trip to Tahoe is any indicator, that will never happen.   We were in Tahoe, a few weeks ago, and Bill's was nearly empty, even on a Saturday night......


While I am all in favor of a smoke-free environment, I agree that it is not very likely to happen unless it is universal - i.e. a law that all casinos will have to obey.


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## mapper (Feb 16, 2007)

Hi Frank,

We have been in Tahoe for the past 4 days and the weather has been very mild.  Tahoe is having their worst winter, (very little snow), that they have had in a long time.  We enjoyed skiing and snowboarding on the California side of Heavenly yesterday, temps were about 40 degrees, and many people were just in t-shirts.  It is suppose to be 50 + degrees today and it feels like it is and it is suppose to be a little warmer tomorrow.  The stations are reporting possible snow on Monday and Tuesday but who knows.

We have been told that it sometimes snows up through May so just keep checking weather reports.

For things to do when you are tired of being out and about....go bowling at Tahoe Bowl.  We also like to ice skate at Heavenly Village, (within the Marriott Timber Lodge area), or at the Tahoe Recreational Center.  We enjoy going through the smaller shops up here and found a great toy store called Toy Mania that is a child' s paradise.  (We went to purchase one of our favorite games: Uno.)

Horseback riding, Charter Fishing, the dinner cruises, etc. are all fantastic here.  We love coming to Tahoe!

Diana


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## barndweller (Feb 17, 2007)

Things to do....
Take the scenic drive over Kingsbury Grade to the little town of Genoa on the Nevada side. There's a nice local museum & a state park exhibit about the pioneer days & pony express.

Go to Emerald Bay where there is a short walk to the island with a historical mansion you can visit. Also some exhibits on the way with other historical sites & some info about the history of development of tourism in the Tahoe Basin.

If weather permits & the route is open, you can take the drive around the entire lake. It is sometimes closed at one spot during the winter because of avalance problems but there has been so little snow this year that it may be open when you are there.

If you like historical stuff, Virginia City is definitly worth an easy day trip.

For a fall trip, the weather will be great, our favorite season in the Sierras. Warm days & crisp nights. There are several nice beaches for enjoying the lake view but the water is waaayyy to cold for my taste.


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## Mimi (Feb 17, 2007)

We were in Tahoe in early October 2006. The weather was mostly in the 60s. We had about 8-9" of snow one day, keeping us stuck at the resort, but it all melted the following day.


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## Laurie (Feb 17, 2007)

djp said:


> I live in Reno and i love Reno, but IMO there is nothing which Tahoe lacks that I would leave tahoe to come down to Reno for.


The one exception IMO is the huge Sierra Trading Post outlet store - we couldn't believe the bargains on things like really fine hiking shoes ($15/pair during their Memorial Day sale), gortex jackets, etc. Their catalogs aren't so low-price anymore, and I don't usually like to do this kind of shopping on an outdoors vacation, but it was worth leaving beautiful Lake Tahoe for an afternoon of this. We bought so much, we contemplated having them ship it home - except we wanted to wear a lot of what we'd bought.


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## mapper (Feb 18, 2007)

Snowed this morning! Yay!

We signed up for a tour of the Lake Tahoe Vacation Suites by Sunterra, (formerly Embassy Suites), and received two adult tickets plus a free lunch for three of us, (we paid $9.00 for our daughter' s ticket), on the Tahoe Queen Tour of Lake Tahoe.  We took that boat ride today and had a great time!  The boat crew allowed us to trade up our free lunch tickets for their Little Italy Buffet which was so tasty.

We also received two $25.00 gift certificates and we are using them at the Chart House restaurant tonight.  Tomorrow after our tour we will receive a three day two night trip to any one of their Sunterra properties for touring the Lake Tahoe location.  We signed our daughter up for her 4th skiing lesson but if we hadn' t she would have been able to participate in their activities at the resort.

It is snowing again tonight so we plan on snowboarding tomorrow after the tour at Heavenly.  I highly recommend the boat tour as something to do no matter what the weather.  There is also a "castle" by Emerald Bay that you can hike down to.  It is a one mile hike down and it feels like five going back up but it is beautiful!  Lots to do here and time flys by very quickly.  We bowled and ice skated yesterday, coming back to our WM resort to play Uno Spin last night.

Diana


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## DeniseM (Feb 19, 2007)

Skinsfan1311 said:


> I agree, however, if our recent trip to Tahoe is any indicator, that will never happen.   We were in Tahoe, a few weeks ago, and Bill's was nearly empty, even on a Saturday night......



We were there on Sat. night and it was hopping!  We really liked it - it's pretty basic, but they're very generous with comp drinks and they also came around with free pizza all night.  It was so nice to be in a smoke free environment and I got my first Royal Flush!


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## fnewman (Feb 25, 2007)

Thanks to all for the comments.  We're looking forward to our trip.


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