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How to Drive Around Lake Tahoe in a Day

April 10, 2013 by Caroline Eaton 26 Comments

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…).

driving lake tahoe
Our Google Map Itinerary

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:

lake tahoe

lake tahoe
Nothing better than snow-capped peaks over the blue lake
lake tahoe drive
Snow!

lake tahoe drive

wilma on lake tahoe drive
The adventure puppy, Wilma

lake tahoe drive in california

lake tahoe view
View of Emerald Bay

lake tahoe drive

lake tahoe drive
Cool road on the top of a ridge
kiva beach on lake tahoe
Kiva Beach
wilma and josh at lake tahoe
Josh climbing with the adventure puppy
care and wilma on lake tahoe
Care and Wilma checking out Mt. Tallac, and other peaks
lake tahoe drive
Cave Rock Tunnel
lake tahoe drive
Logan Shoals Lookout

lake tahoe drive

lake tahoe california pine

lake tahoe drive

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?

Filed Under: California, North America

Comments

  1. earl says

    April 10, 2013 at 8:21 am

    Care and Josh, great blog and pictures.Really loved the one titled “Cool road on top of a ridge.” Absolutely beautiful!!! Take care

    Reply
    • Caroline Eaton says

      April 12, 2013 at 10:32 pm

      Thanks Papa – it was really beautiful – glad the photos could capture it 🙂

      Reply
  2. Shana says

    April 10, 2013 at 6:15 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Caroline Eaton says

      April 12, 2013 at 10:35 pm

      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.

      Reply
  3. Maddie says

    April 12, 2013 at 5:06 am

    Love Tahoe!! Beautiful pics, making me really want to visit in the spring.

    Reply
    • Caroline Eaton says

      April 12, 2013 at 10:34 pm

      We hear the summers on the lake are outstanding too! We will have to come back when the weather warms up!

      Reply
  4. Sofie says

    April 12, 2013 at 8:25 am

    That’s it. I want to go!
    Boyfriend’s into snowboarding, maybe I can convince him with a combination trip:)

    Reply
    • Caroline Eaton says

      April 12, 2013 at 10:33 pm

      Do it! We did one day snowboarding and one day driving around the lake – I think that’s a fair compromise!

      Reply
  5. Hannah says

    April 12, 2013 at 4:18 pm

    Beautiful photos!!! We love the West!

    Reply
    • Caroline Eaton says

      April 12, 2013 at 10:33 pm

      Thanks Hannah – we are falling in love with the West too! It is my first time really exploring out here!

      Reply
  6. Scott says

    April 18, 2013 at 3:31 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Caroline Eaton says

      April 19, 2013 at 10:49 am

      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!

      Reply
  7. Gayathri says

    May 29, 2014 at 4:48 pm

    This page was very useful – we planned with ur google map itinerary for a day around the lake

    Reply
  8. Katherine Marrone says

    September 29, 2014 at 11:41 pm

    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!

    Reply
  9. liah prabhu says

    December 5, 2014 at 11:10 pm

    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…

    Reply
  10. Paula's Travels says

    April 16, 2015 at 8:31 pm

    Beautiful photos! And Wilma is so cute too!

    Reply
  11. Rhyll says

    August 26, 2015 at 8:02 am

    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 🙂

    Reply
  12. Lily says

    December 3, 2015 at 6:49 pm

    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

    Reply
  13. Selvi McKay says

    May 29, 2016 at 8:36 am

    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!

    Reply
  14. Lauren says

    July 13, 2016 at 12:42 am

    Thanks for the suggestions! Love your pup too! 🙂

    Reply
  15. Andrea says

    September 15, 2016 at 10:38 pm

    Thanks for these ideas. Going solo next week!

    Reply
  16. Jones Around The World says

    November 17, 2017 at 5:34 pm

    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!

    Reply
  17. Kenjiro Yagi says

    May 8, 2019 at 3:40 pm

    Hey, just wanted to thank you. This Lake Tahoe guide is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Got tired half way, but worked!

    Reply
  18. Kimberly says

    February 16, 2021 at 10:37 pm

    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!

    Reply

Trackbacks

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