Like many people who came to Tahoe for a seasonal job, I worked one winter at a ski resort and stayed for the next 20 years. After the snow melted at Diamond Peak, I discovered an entirely new slate of outdoor activities, including hiking, mountain biking and water sports.
Over the years, it’s been fun to see people’s reactions when they first lay eyes on Lake Tahoe. They’re blown away by its natural beauty and Big Blue’s clarity, with visibility sometimes reaching around 70 feet below the surface. But I’ve also seen visitors get caught off guard when the Tahoe trip they pictured doesn’t quite match what happens when they get here. Here’s what first-time visitors sometimes get wrong.
Expecting Tahoe weather to cooperate
Yes, Tahoe gets plenty of sunshine, and ski season typically begins by late November. However, that doesn’t mean a freak snowstorm can’t arrive in the middle of summer or that it may not snow at all for a month during winter. On a lot of summer afternoons, it’s too windy on the lake to wakeboard, and parking around Emerald Bay can be difficult to find if you arrive after 9 a.m.
People plan weddings near the lake only to have wildfire smoke move into the basin and interfere with their photos. People travel to Tahoe for a winter ski trip only to find that a fraction of the mountain is open.
While events like these are uncommon, remember that Tahoe tourism is at the whim of Mother Nature. Stay flexible, be smart and pivot your plans when you need to.
Underestimating how long it takes to drive around the lake
Lake Tahoe has 72 miles of shoreline, but driving around it can take longer than you might think. I live in the middle of the North Shore, and whether I go east or west, it takes me at least an hour to reach the middle of the South Shore. In summer, construction, road cyclists, traffic in towns like Kings Beach and Tahoe City and looky-loos gazing at the lake instead of the road can all add time to the drive.
In winter, Highway 89 around Emerald Bay can close after major snowstorms for snow removal and avalanche-related hazards. A powerful storm can also close Interstate 80, one of the primary routes into the Tahoe region, bringing travel to a standstill.
That said, driving around Lake Tahoe is the No. 1 thing I recommend first-time visitors do. You get to see the different sides of the lake and get the lay of the land, so you know where to spend more time when you come back. There are lots of pullouts, restaurants and things to stop and see along the way. Just bring your bag of patience.
And I know this drive particularly well: I wrote a full driving-around-the-lake itinerary for Moon Northern California Road Trips.
Assuming North and South Lake Tahoe are basically the same
The North Shore is more spread out and known for its outdoor activities, while many first-time visitors head to the South Shore for nightlife, casinos, concerts and special events. Hotels are more concentrated around South Lake Tahoe and Stateline, while the North Shore has smaller towns, quiet neighborhoods and, in my opinion, more trees.
When I was younger, my family visited South Shore in the summers. We stayed at a condo next to a sandy beach where we could watch the Fourth of July fireworks, take a family cruise on the Tahoe Queen (since replaced by the M.S. Dixie II) and wander through the casinos where my dad could try his luck on the slot machines.
As an adult, I love being close to so many mountain biking and hiking trails and a variety of ski resorts where I can snowboard in winter. I’m also a bike ride away from the shores of Lake Tahoe, with nine California state parks within 20 miles of where I live. The Lake Tahoe basin has it all, but there are distinctions between the shores.
Underestimating how cold the water is
When you grow up around the snowmelt-fed lakes and tributaries of Northern California, you learn to brace yourself before getting in. You know the water is going to be cold. But I noticed a funny thing when my Florida friends came to visit—they jumped into Lake Tahoe without even thinking about the water temperature and promptly screamed.
Depending on the previous winter and conditions that year, the water temperature can reach the upper 60s in the middle of summer. At other times, I’ve seen it as low as 42 to 44 degrees. Even on a warm day, don’t assume the lake will be warm. Check the conditions and ease into the water rather than jumping straight in.
Expecting to see a bear
When people visit Lake Tahoe, the animal they seem to talk about—and expect to see—most is the black bear. While I’ve been lucky enough to see them once or twice a year, those encounters have always been random and unexpected.
My neighborhood butts up to the Tahoe National Forest, and the post office is a mile from my house, so I usually walk through the woods to retrieve my mail a couple of times a week. I’ve encountered bears along that route and passed them peacefully at a safe distance.
I remember one summer day when I was in the woods at dusk and instead of seeing a bear, I ran into two tipsy women in their 50s with wine glasses in their hands trying to find one. I wished them luck in spotting one and asked them to kindly keep their distance if they succeeded in their mission.
Tahoe locals have a complicated relationship with bears because we love them, but bears have also learned to seek out human food and trash, sometimes breaking into homes and vehicles to get it. So while it’s exciting to see one, keep your distance and properly secure food and trash. Doing so helps protect both people and bears.