Lake Tahoe, CA: Adventure Guide
Deep blue lake + white fluffy clouds. that feeling of being on top of the world. That Is lake tahoe.
“Promise me you won’t die having never skinny-dipped in the moonlight of a summer’s night.” – Atticus
Lake Tahoe: the ultimate adventure town and a place that holds precious memories of my late teenage years and early 20’s. It’s where I’ve spent countless nights sleeping under the stars in the mountains and skinny-dipping under the moonlight. It’s where I have shared deep and special moments with my best friends; hiking in the snow and watching the sunset over the lake, holding each other, crying, and laughing until our stomachs hurt. It is home to the most epic outdoor activities year round.
Adventure Guide:
Adventure #1: Skiing and Snowboarding Squaw Valley Ski Resort
Season: Winter/ Spring
Squaw Valley is known for its skiing. It is one of the largest ski areas in the United States and also hosted the 1960 Winter Olympic Games making it an iconic mountain for skiers.
Squaw is a very steep mountain and has a lot of fun features throughout. It also has a wide variety of terrain including a mountaintop beginner area and perfectly groomed runs to the bottom. Some of my favorite runs are: KT22, Siberia, Solitude, and Granite Chief. Although Squaw is known as a technical mountain with pro's fully sending it, it is also the mountain that I learned to ski on thanks to Christopher and his mom, Suzy. Two years ago, I decided to switch over to the dark side, from snowboarding to skiing, and Squaw was the perfect mountain to progress and challenge my skiing.
Adventure #2: Spring Skiing + Après Ski at Squaw
Season: Spring
If Tahoe has a long winter season, the fun extends into spring and even summer time. In 2017, they kept Squaw open until the 4th of July! I must say, out of all the spring and après skiing I’ve done, Squaw has THE BEST spring and après party! During the spring and summer months, Squaw opens their hot tub up at High Camp… needless to say, it is legendary. When you are done skiing for the day, you can throw on your bikini and hit the hot tub, or if you are me, you will ditch your ski outerwear at home and head to the slopes in your bikini! Check Squaw's website in March/ April to check if the hot tub is open. Once you've confirmed, you can get to the hot tub via the Tram or if you are coming from skiing take Big Blue Express and head skiers left (you may have to hike a little bit to get to High Camp depending on snow cover!
When you are done at High Camp, you can either ski down (if its early Spring) or take the tram down to the lodge and head over to the local bar, Chammy. By 3:30/4pm, it will be cracking with the best 80’s music, alcoholic beverages, and good vibes. Not to mention you are guaranteed to find some hot ski bunnies dancing in their ski gear on top of the tables (which may or may not be me).
Adventure #3: Snow Shoe Hike
Season: Winter/ Spring
The mountains and the area surrounding Lake Tahoe are absolutely breathtaking due to being surrounded by 21.75 miles of the clearest and bluest lake in California creating beautiful views while you are skiing as well as hiking. I’ll never forget the views from our snow shoe hike out in Carnelian Bay.. There are hundreds of places to go snowshoeing in Lake Tahoe (I’ve listed a few places below). My favorite place that we’ve snowshoed is behind Chris' cousins house in Carnelian Bay. Snowshoeing on a sunny day when it has recently snowed is the best! Try to go for a sunrise or sunset hike. The sunlight shining on the snow is very magical and quite peaceful.
Where to rent snowshoe's in Tahoe: Tahoe Dave's: Ski and Snowboard
What to wear on a snowshoe hike:
- Waterproof shoes (Like Sorels or hiking boots)
- Snow pants
- Breathable layers on the top (it starts cold but can get very hot!)
- Beanie
- Sunglasses
- Gloves
- Camelback
Some of my favorite snowshoe hikes areas in Tahoe:
- North Shore, Lake Tahoe -
- Brockway Summit:
- Brockway Summit is on Hwy. 267. There are turn-outs on both sides of the road south of the summit for the Tahoe Rim Trail, which offer miles of ski/snowshoeing east or west of the highway. A second area is at the summit on the west side of the road. There are miles of fireroads to explore. There is a third parking area on Martis Peak Road, which is 1 mile north of the summit. This area offers several miles of exploration on skis or snowshoes. Martis peak offers magnificent views of Lake Tahoe.
- Page Meadows:
- Page Meadows is a popular destination for hikers and bikers year round. Take Hwy. 89 south from Tahoe City. Turn east on Pine Avenue and right on Tahoe Park Heights Road. At the crest of the hill, take the middle fork, which becomes Big Pine Road, then turn left on Silver Tip. Park at the end of the road and begin. The starting elevation is 7,000 feet. Page Meadows is a series of small meadows.
- Go and explore on your own! That is what I mostly do and I find myself on top of a snowy mountain looking down at beautiful, Lake Tahoe!
- Brockway Summit:
Adventure #4: Wake boarding and Wake Surfing
Season: Summer
I grew up wake boarding in Parker, Arizona so anytime there is a chance to get behind a boat I take it! In the summertime, the lake can be quite cold (65-75 degrees Fahrenheit), however, on a hot summer day it is very refreshing. If you don’t like cold water, I recommend bringing a spring wetsuit (3/2 mm).
Head to Sunnyside to rent a wake board boat for the day. They have the best wake boarding boats in Tahoe and their drivers are a ton of fun to go out on the boat with. They are extremely responsible and charge an hourly rate. For my 24th birthday, fifteen of my friends rented a boat for 3 hours and it was a BLAST. I definitely recommend it!
WHERE TO EAT:
- Fireside Pizza - Squaw Valley Village - The "Pear & Gorgonzola" + "Thai Curry Chicken" Pizzas are the best!
- Taco's Jalisco - Truckee - Has thee BEST Mexican Food (get the Armadillo bowl)
- Suko Yama Sushi - Squaw Valley Village - A bit expensive but really good sushi
Tahoe is a blast! I'd love to hear about your favorite adventures in Tahoe in the comments below!
Xx, Erin