Things to Do in Lake Tahoe for Families
The clear, crystal blueish colors of Lake Tahoe'south waters beckon the call of outdoor enthusiasts nationwide. The nation's second deepest lake, Lake Tahoe sits at the base of some of the almost impressive mount peaks the Sierra Nevadas has to offer. Lake Tahoe is one of California's and Nevada'southward nearly popular family unit vacation destinations with an abundance of outdoor family unit adventures, including camping, hiking, kayaking, bicycle riding, line-fishing, river rafting, paddleboarding, waterskiing and much more.
The sights, sounds and smells of Lake Tahoe brand upward a big portion of my childhood summer memories. As a California native, Lake Tahoe was my family's primary vacation destination every July when my sisters and I would spend a calendar week line-fishing for crawdads along the shores of Sand Harbor and eating ice cream runoff out of our sunburned belly buttons. As I grew into adulthood, Lake Tahoe became the identify where I beginning learned to backpack, where I was married, and at present, where my son kickoff put his toes in the sand.
If you are considering a trip to Lake Tahoe, here are some tips from a local.
Tips for visiting Lake Tahoe
- Traveling by plane, the closest major airports are Reno or Sacramento. The AMTRAK California Zephyr Train makes daily stops in nearby Truckee and runs from San Francisco to Denver if yous'd similar a different experience. If you choose to drive, Lake Tahoe is, on average, 3.five hours from the San Francisco Bay Expanse, 2 hours from Sacramento and 1 hour from Reno. And once you've made information technology to Lake Tahoe, there are many means to get around the Lake past public transportation.
- Lake Tahoe sits at an average summit of 6,200 feet. In social club to business relationship for loftier-elevation conditions, precautions should exist taken to avoid any take a chance of altitude sickness, including easing into any physical action, using aplenty sun protection and staying hydrated. Sleeping at higher altitudes can be the all-time mode to mitigate the change in elevation. The symptoms of altitude sickness include headaches, vomiting, dizziness and fatigue.
- When packing your apparel, be sure to bring warm wearing apparel for the evening as the mountains become cold quickly when the sun sets. Also, be sure to bring plenty of breathable UV-protective layers, strong sunscreen and/or a sunhat.
- The traffic around the Lake Tahoe Basin can be painstakingly slow at times with lots of construction and, therefore, visiting during the week is strongly encouraged, if possible. There can be lines of cars stacked up prior to beaches' open times on summertime weekends.
- There is a high concentration of black bears in the Tahoe Basin. Do non exit nutrient in plain sight in your auto when parked, and use proper conduct receptacles in campgrounds and rental properties.
- If you are planning a stay, be certain to reserve a campsite, motel or hotel at least six months in advance.
15 Fun things to practise with kids in Lake Tahoe in the summer
i. Visit Emerald Bay
With some of the all-time views of the Lake, Emerald Bay is a popular stop for vacationers. Park at the Eagle Falls Trailhead and yous can choose to make the quick (merely steep) 15-minute jaunt to the bridge overlooking Hawkeye Falls. Or if you are feeling fifty-fifty more adventurous (and in shape), continue walking to Eagle Lake and into Desolation Wilderness, the prime number backpacking spot in the Tahoe area. You may besides choose to park beyond the street at the Vikingsholm parking lot and hike down (another steep trail) to Emerald Bay Beach where there is shade, picnic tables and a restroom. Kayaks or paddleboards are bachelor for rental and you tin can head out to Fannette Island, the Lake'due south simply island!
Photograph courtesy of Joyce Thao.
2. Hike to Monkey Rock
Monkey Rock is a 2.6-mile out and dorsum hike on Tahoe's East Shore outside the town of Incline Village is named afterward the simian-like rock characteristic at its terminus and includes one of the best views of Lake Tahoe. There is no parking at the trailhead for this hike, so park next to the Tunnel Creek Buffet. The hike climbs 500 feet overall and can be washed gradually or by taking a lung-busting shorter road to the summit.
Photo courtesy of Shari Charron.
3. Bicycle ride along the Truckee
If you aren't rafting the Truckee, try riding a bike along its banks on the Historic Truckee River Path from Tahoe City to Squaw Valley. This piece of cake ride is great for the entire family and can be done by renting bikes on either end. Rent a bicycle at Olympic Bike Shop in Tahoe City and ride south and enjoy lunch at River Ranch or north from Squaw Valley at Sqaw Bikes to Tahoe City and cease to scout the trout run under Fanny Bridge.
4. Truckee river rafting
You lot will not exist facing any Course 3 rapids on this lazy ride down the Truckee River. Book a reservation with the two local river rafting companies in Tahoe Urban center (Truckee River Rafting or Truckee River Raft Co.) and commandeer 1 of their large rafts with shuttle service or bring your own raft and float at your own adventure! The ride down the Truckee River takes around 2-three hours and requires that yous pull out at River Ranch where you can sit down on the deck and enjoy a plate of loaded nachos after your journey. Make sure to bring sun protection!
5. Echo Lakes
West of Echo Height on US Route 50, Repeat Lakes are the gateway to Desolation Wilderness. Hiking the shores of Upper and Lower Echo Lakes is a beautiful fashion to get there, but why not skip the 2.5 miles and take a boat taxi! The boat taxi runs from Memorial Day to Labor Twenty-four hour period, barring any large snow years. If y'all have the fourth dimension and the legs, endeavor taking a boat taxi to the Lower Repeat outlet and then hiking an extra three miles to Lake Aloha, ane of Pathos Wilderness' most iconic features.
Photo courtesy of Joe Linehan.
6. Hike to Hawkeye Stone
Located on Tahoe's West Shore merely off Hwy 89, the hike to Eagle Rock is a .vii-mile moderately steep trail with a big payoff! The views from Eagle Rock span beyond the entire Lake. With its short distance, this hike is smashing if you are looking for a quick activity to kill some time.
Photo courtesy of Cindy Vue.
7. Treetop Gamble Park at Granlibakken
Treetop Take a chance Park – Tahoe City is a self-guided ropes course located just exterior of Tahoe City on the Northward Shore. This adventure park offers 97 platforms and 10 dissimilar courses varying in difficulty all within a secluded pine forest. At that place are two other Tahoe Treetop Adventure Park locations in Squaw Valley and Tahoe Vista. Safe gear is included with the $50 access fee. For more data, get to Tahoe Treetop Risk Parks. Picnic tables and hiking trails are bachelor for those who do not wish to participate.
eight. Fishing for crawdads
There are over 300 one thousand thousand crawdads in Lake Tahoe. That's near 1 for each U.Southward. denizen! So why not endeavor your luck at ane of my favorite childhood Tahoe pastimes. No need for a fishing pole here. To grab a crawdad, all y'all need is cord, bacon/hot domestic dog/chicken livers, and a bucket. Necktie your bait onto the end of the string and throw it off your nearest dock or identify it under whatsoever large submerged rock until you lot become a seize with teeth!
9. Kayaking and paddleboarding
Lake Tahoe's clear and deep azure blue waters make stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking the perfect activity for the entire family. Numerous beachside rentals dot the entire Lake. Some of the best places to put in include Sand Harbor, Zephyr Cove, D.L. Bliss State Park, Emerald Bay and Cave Rock. Take note of the weather, especially the wind on the day you plan to embark, equally the Lake can sometimes seem like an ocean in the afternoon.
Photo courtesy of Nick Her.
10. Hike Taylor Creek
Located 3 miles northwest of South Lake Tahoe, Taylor Creek provides four outstanding, like shooting fish in a barrel nature trails for families with children. Walk the boardwalks over marshes with views of the nearby Mt. Tallac, listen to an educational talk by a ranger at the amphitheater, or look through the Stream Profile Window which provides an underwater window of Taylor Creek and its inhabitants. If you are visiting in the autumn, salmon run the creek and so continue a sentinel for bears!
Photo courtesy of Steven Yang.
11. Hike Rubicon Trail / D.L. Elation Land Park
The Rubicon hiking trail (not to be dislocated with the ORV Rubicon rails) is past in large i of my family's favorite hikes around the Lake and for proficient reason. This trail connects two of the most beautiful country parks in the area: D.50. Bliss and Emerald Bay. The trail is 5 miles i-style and for that reason, it is my recommendation to kickoff at D.L. Bliss and finish at Emerald Bay and so you can savor a swim, a popsicle at the visitor's eye, and relax on the beach when you lot are washed. This trail skirts above the shoreline with amazing views of the articulate blue water along the way. In that location are a few sections where the trail hugs cliff lines but there are runway for your safe. Notwithstanding, you will want to continue your kiddos close on these sections. If y'all practice not want to shuttle cars, yous can ever hike upwardly to the highway in one case at Emerald Bay and accept the Emerald Bay Trolley back to D.L. Elation.
Photograph courtesy of Joe Linehan.
12. Go to the movies on the beach in Tahoe Urban center
Savor a picture show while sitting on the beach on the North Shore at Tahoe City'due south Common's Beach. Movies are family unit-friendly and a great way to spend the evening exterior. There is a playground right next to the beach, too! Just remember to bring your warm apparel as it can become chilly at dark! Come early for seats, nutrient and prizes!
13. Accept the Gondolas at Squaw Valley or Heavenly
Many of Tahoe's winter ski resorts have summertime activities besides. Two of which, Squaw Valley and Heavenly, make use of their gondolas to bring families higher into the mountains and requite them admission to some pristine hiking trails and mountainside retail and restaurants.The Heavenly Mount Gondola is a 2.4-mile ride with panoramic views of Lake Tahoe. If you desire to access a series of hiking trails, take the Tamarack Express chairlift. Squaw Valley's Aerial Tram climbs over 2,000 feet to High Camp where you lot can dine and enjoy many different trails.
xiv. Visit Fallen Leaf Lake
Located merely one mile south of Lake Tahoe, Fallen Leaf Lake is a hidden gem behind the shadow of Lake Tahoe. Fall Leaf Lake is a smashing location for camping, mean solar day hikes and access to Pathos Wilderness, and water activities like water skiing, sailing. kayaking, wakeboarding, rowing, stand-up paddleboarding and even pedal canoeing.
Photo courtesy of Shari Charron.
xv.Go geocaching at Squaw Valley
What better place to do a real outdoor treasure chase than in the Sierra Nevadas. For those interested in geocaching, take the Aeriform Tram at Squaw Valley to the High Camp, download the Geocaching App, and await for x different caches hidden in the mountains. Each enshroud contains a prize and a log canvas for you to sign. The treasure hunting is free, but y'all will have to buy a $ten ticket to accept the tram. Record each cache'due south box number and code on a "passport" from Guest Services at High Camp to receive discounts at the High Camp retail shop or other participating Squaw Valley stores. Trails to geocaches are rated moderate to above-moderate level.
Kid-Friendly Beaches
Lake Tahoe has over lxx miles of beaches, only for a listing of those beaches which are child-friendly, start with the five beaches below. Call back to get to these beaches EARLY as the parking lots fill upward fast, especially on the weekends.
- Sand Harbor (East Shore)
- King's Embankment (Northward Shore)
- Camp Richardson / Pope Beach (South Shore)
- Meek'due south Bay (West Shore)
- Common's Embankment (North Shore)
Sand Harbor Beach. Photograph courtesy of Nick Her.
Accept you been to Lake Tahoe with your family and want to share some of your favorite kid-friendly activities? We'd honey to hear them! Delight share with u.s. in the comments beneath.
Planning Resources
- Lake Tahoe Bowl Management Unit
- Hike It Baby Family Trail Guide
- Lake Tahoe Visitor'southward Bureaus
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Source: https://hikeitbaby.com/blog/15-fun-things-with-kids-lake-tahoe-summer/
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