Accommodations

Lake Tahoe offers a nature oriented outdoors getaway with a variety of cabins, vacation homes, hotels, and resorts. Choose an accommodation near any of Lake Tahoe's local attractions that offers comfort while making the most of the beautiful mountains and attractions at affordably priced rates.

View our Lake Tahoe Vacation Rentals or Lake Tahoe Resorts

Activities

You can better appreciate the views offered by Lake Tahoe from the cable car ride to Squaw Valley, site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, but the tram is closed from late September until mid-October. Feed the giant rainbow trout at Fanny Bridge and check out the Lake Tahoe dam outlet gates that control the level of the lake. If you have time, you can rent a raft and take a leisurely self-guided five-mile float from Fanny Bridge. The Ponderosa Ranch at Lake Tahoe was selected as the setting for the NBC television series Bonanza because of its spectacular scenery. Step back in time as you wander around the authentic 12-acre downtown streets or visit the popular Cartwright family home. The Emerald Bay is perhaps the most photographed area of Lake Tahoe, due mainly to the contrasting colors of the emerald green water, deep blue skies and sheer granite cliffs. The Vikingsholm Castle, a replica of an 11th-century Viking castle is a one mile hike from Emerald Bay.

Events

The annual Tahoe Arts Festival in early July celebrates the best in visual and performing arts in Crystal Bay. The festival features street painting and other special events including an Artists Marketplace and an amateur artist area for children and adults to create their own works of art. Nearby Reno is the home of the Annual National Championship Air Races & Air Show, featuring the world’s only air racing, an air show & static displays. The only place in the world where you can see five days of Air Racing by aircraft up close and personal. Labor Day weekend brings the end of the summer and the Annual Best Of The West Rib Cook-off to Sparks, Nevada.

Mountain Activities

The Sierra-Nevada and the Carson Mountains are known for the world class ski resorts, but they do not have to be covered in snow to enjoy. While well known for the skiing and snowboarding, in the summer and fall they offer spectacular backgrounds for hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, camping, and fishing.

Water Sports

Boating, the primary activity in Tahoe in the summer, is known worldwide. There are lakefront restaurants all over the lake, most equipped with docks and buoys. There are all sorts of boating events, such as sailboat racing, firework shows over the lake, guided cruises, and more. Lake Tahoe also has its own Coast Guard.

Golfing

In Reno and Lake Tahoe you could very possibly play the best game of your life! At this altitude, golf balls automatically fly 10 percent farther. Your drive will amaze you and with over 50 courses within 90 minutes of Reno, there's a course for every level of play

History

The first recorded sighting of Lake Tahoe by a non-Indian was by John C. Fremont in February of 1844. Guided by the legendary scout Christopher "Kit" Carson, the party first viewed part of Lake Tahoe when they arrived at the top of Red Lake Peak, at what is now Carson Pass. This area is located 20 miles southwest of South Lake Tahoe. In 1848 Kit Carson carved a trail over what is now called the Carson Pass, which became the main east/west route from Utah to California. For many years thereafter, Lake Tahoe was virtually ignored until the Comstock Lode was discovered in Virginia City, Nevada in 1859. During the 1860s Tahoe became the center of commerce for the silver mines in Virginia City and the Central Pacific Railroad, which was pushing over the Sierra-Nevada Mountains toward the town of Truckee.

Word of Lake Tahoe's beauty soon reached the wealthy families of San Francisco and by the turn of the century, Lake Tahoe had become a haven for the wealthy. Popular hotels of the time included the Tallac House, Tahoe Tavern and the Glenbrook Inn. This period also featured the use of steamship transportation around the lake, with mail and supply delivery around the lake, and lavish transport for visitors. During the '20s and '30s, the roads through the mountains were paved, bringing in greater numbers of people. Development at Lake Tahoe began in earnest in the 1950's when roads to Lake Tahoe began to be plowed year-round, enabling permanent residence. The 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley established Lake Tahoe as a skiing center for the western United States.