Exploring Beautiful Lake Tahoe
and its surroundings
This was my first time in Lake Tahoe and I absolutely loved it!
Nature is diverse, beautiful, serene and healing. Depending where you stay – south or north Lake Tahoe, you will either have more city development or less.
I stayed in South Lake Tahoe, because I was planning to attend a live concert of one of my favorite country music band Dan + Shay at the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena. This was the main reason I chose this destination for training in high altitudes.
Accommodation
Finding an accommodation in Lake Tahoe can be expensive and overwhelming. Since I mostly book my accommodations on Booking.com and always find good deals, this time wasn’t an exception either.
I booked a room at the Lake Ridge hotel. It was right at the center of the town, walking distance from the concert venue and close to the beach. It exceeded my expectations and I was very happy with my choice. They also provide vouchers for a private beach access which is 10 min walking distance. The voucher drops the entry price from $30 to $5 per person. You can also rent paddleboards, jetskis, and other water activities at the beach.
Daggett Loop and Castle Rock Trail
Since my goal was hiking with a decent elevation gain, I focused on that. There are a lot of hikes around the area, so I used the AllTrails app to narrow down the search.
For Day 1, I picked the Daggett Loop and Castle Rock trail which I highly recommend! It is located about 15 min away from South Lake Tahoe and is easy to get to overall. There is plenty of parking and restroom available at the trailhead.
The views are stunning and the trail itself is a good workout with plenty of shade. You will get to see the lake from a really nice view point that was so worth it!
I did the trail counter clockwise and the Castle Rock point was less than 2 mi into the hike. It provides the unique views of the Lake. In case you don’t want to do the full loop, consider just hiking to the Castle Rock and back. That hike should be less than a 4 mi long.
The entire loop is about 8 mi and took me slightly less than 3 hours to complete. The cell service is good on this trail. Although downloading maps is always recommended!
This hike is absolutely worth the time and effort!
Round Top and Winnemucca Hike
For Day 2, I chose a hike that provided a higher elevation gain compared to the first one. It was further away from South Lake Tahoe; however, the drive alone was absolutely worth it!
Note: both the trail and the ride to the trailhead do not have any cell service. Downloading maps is required!
I didn’t expect the weather to be significantly colder than in South Lake Tahoe, although I should have anticipated that, knowing the hike is at a higher altitude.
At first I thought having a thin fleece layer under the windbreaker would have been nice. As I started the hike, I quickly realized my windbreaker was all I needed.
If you’re searching for a windbreaker and feeling overwhelmed by the options, check out the North Face Antora Triclimate Jacket. I absolutely love mine!
My jacket came handy on so many occasions both in the city and on trails. It is easy to pack and versatile all-weather jacket with an inner fleece layer that zips on and off the jacket. It is a rain jacket that I use as a windbreaker as well. I travel everywhere with it!
The wind picked up as I hiked higher. I anticipated the wind since other hikers mentioned it. The views are stunning, and there are not a lot of hikers on this trail. When I reached the top by Round Top Lake, I encountered a few other hikers. The lake is at the base of the hike up to the Round Top where you can see Lake Tahoe from afar.
However, I didn’t attempt to summit the Round Top. I didn’t have my trekking poles and the wind was fierce. Additionally, my legs felt exhausted from two days of uphill hiking. The hike up to the Round Top summit is a steep elevation hike and would have taken another 2-3 hours round trip. I did see a few hikers going up the mountain. You should assess your training level and the weather before attempting.
From the Round Top lake, the hike is all downhill to the parking lot. Since I started the hike counter clockwise, I felt it was more difficult than going clockwise. However, it may have only been an illusion since I was going downhill on my way back.
I do want to note that most of the hikers hiked clockwise. I was the only one coming from another side, which suggested that the clockwise route might be slightly easier. You will pass by the 4th of July lake on the way down if you are doing the hike counterclockwise like me.
Overall, I enjoyed the hike, but the wind was a bit annoying, adding another element to navigate on the hike. I was pretty happy with my Salomon Speedcross 5 trail running shoes that I got for the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim hike and have been breaking them before attempting it in October. I got them on a discount at the Sierra Trading Post online. These shoes have been working great for me so far.
There is plenty of parking at this trailhead and restrooms are available. However, I didn’t notice when I parked that there was a $10 fee for parking. Look for instructions at the main entrance to the parking lot. Each driver needed to fill out a form, put the cash in the provided envelope, and drop it into the box. However, I didn’t get a ticket and saw that other cars also were missing parking slips on their dashboards. It made me wonder whether the parking fee was suggested or required.
Things to do in South Lake Tahoe
South Lake Tahoe is well developed compared to other areas around the lake. It has a variety of restaurants, shops, bars and cafes with live music and entertainment. It has the big grocery chains including Whole Foods where I typically get my lunch and dinner at their hot bar (mac and cheese is my favorite!).
Renting a boat, jetski, kayak or a paddleboard is another way to stay active while visiting the area. If you’re planning a winter trip to the area, you’ll find that the snow slopes are quite popular. The Heavenly Mountain Resort is the main attraction for snow adventures.
Getting to South Lake Tahoe
There are a few options on how to get to South Lake Tahoe. The closest airport is in Reno, NV that is roughly 1 hour and 10 min drive. However, the flights to Sacramento Airport (roughly 2 hours away) were less expensive for me. Hence, I opted for that option. If you’re traveling to South Lake Tahoe in winter, prepare to put chains on your tires as you drive into town.
Make sure to check the concert schedule at the Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena and catch a concert while you are there. It is a different experience and a nice way to spend the evening there.
There are so many other things that I haven’t covered here, but hopefully this was helpful to you, a fellow traveler!
If you have questions, I’m happy to help! Just ping me at theaisleseatlife@gmail.com