I have many wonderful memories of childhood, but none that quite compare with my family's summer visits to Lake Tahoe. I believe that the family tradition began not with my parents but with my grandparents. They used to take my mother and her sisters to Lake Tahoe for one month in the summer and for two weeks at Christmastime.
My first memories of summers at Lake Tahoe are refreshed by the albums of photos my mother made for each of us kids. In the albums, I am wandering around by the shore of Lake Tahoe in cute little bathing suits. My siblings and I are busy making sand castles and trying to skip rocks. I have nothing but fondness for those summers at Lake Tahoe. It was the only time of the year that my dad took off from work just to be with the family. All day he played anything we wanted to play. When the sun was going down he would grill any kind of meat that we wanted. We would eat out by the edge of the water as the sun set over Lake Tahoe.
We continued to go to Lake Tahoe all the way through my high school years. Two years I was convincing enough that my parents allowed me to bring a friend on our family vacation. I loved it at the time, but looking back I regret having brought a friend into our special family time. I realize now, after the death of both of my parents, how sacred and special family time really is. Our Lake Tahoe vacations should have been kept just for us. So now, when one of my own four children beg us to allow a friend to come on our summer vacations to Lake Tahoe, we quickly say no. We try to teach our own children the sacred value of family time.
We have begun family traditions that our children have started looking forward to. They know that at Lake Tahoe they will get to play outside as long as they want each day, and they know at the end of the day we will enjoy a bonfire as the sun sets over the water. They know we will watch great movies and play great family games. We sometimes even allow our kids to stay up way past their bed times at Lake Tahoe.
There is something magical for children about family vacations. If you haven't taken your children on a vacation recently, it is time to plan a trip. It doesn't have to be to Europe or even to Lake Tahoe. Taking your kids on a camping trip or even to a cabin and begin establishing great family memories.
Lake Tahoe is found straddling the border between California and Nevada. From Tahoe it's 200 miles west to San Francisco and 30 miles north to Reno. People often refer to the North or South shore of Tahoe. Things of interest on the North shore, primarily ski resorts, are mostly in California, whereas most of the activity, including hotels and casinos, of the South shore are in Nevada.
Driving to Lake Tahoe by Car
The easiest access to the North shore is via I-80 from Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay area or Reno. At Truckee take CA 89 south into Tahoe City or Squaw Valley, or take US 50 to South Lake Tahoe from Sacramento or the Bay Area. To get to the South Shore from Reno take US395 south through Carson City, then follow US 50 West to the Lake.
In the winter huge snowfalls can make tire chains a requirement for driving to or around Lake Tahoe. Current driving conditions can be found at the bottom of this page, or check with CalTrans (www.dot.ca.gov). Also look over the following winter driving checklist because an ounce of prevention can save a lot of problems.
Winter driving checklist
- Check that your brakes, windshield wiper, defroster and heater are working properly.
- Make sure your antifreeze is fresh and the radiator is full. It's a good idea to add special solvents to your windshield washer tank to keep it from freezing.
- Check your tires and carry the proper chains for your vehicle. A flashlight and chain repair kit can be vital. Have an accurate road map, a cell phone and emergency numbers and keep an extra key in your wallet or with another person in the vehicle.
- Additionally carry an ice scraper or de-icer, a broom, a shovel and towels. In case you really get stuck bring food, water, warm clothing and blankets.
- Allow extra time for the trip since winter conditions will show you down.
- Keep your tank full of gas.
- Most importantly, slow down. Ice and fog can put you out of control in seconds. Keep a much greater distance between you and other cars and stay extra alert for sudden changes in conditions. Maximum speed limit with chains is 25-30 mph.
- You must stop and put on chains if told to do so by an officer or posted signs.
There are several all-weather highways around Lake Tahoe except during the most severe weather. These include US 50 east over Echo Summit, CA 88 North from Stockton, CA 207 over the Kingsbury Grade, US 395 to US 50 West at Carson City and finally Highway 431 over Mount Rose going from Reno.
Getting to Tahoe by Bus
Because getting to Tahoe is always a nasty slog during the winter skiing months why not take a bus? A bus lets you relax and know that an experienced driver will be dealing with the problems.
Bay Area Ski Bus (www.bayareaskibus.com) will pick you up in Belmont, Corte Madera, Novato, Oakland, Pleasanton, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Walnut Creek at about 4am and return the same evening. They go to Northstar, at Tahoe, Kirkwood, Alpine and Squaw Valley but the destinations vary each week. Check the website for details.
NAC Ski (www.nacski.com) will pick you up in Berkeley, Concord, Dublin, Milpitas, Pleasanton, Redwood City, San Francisco, San Jose, San Mateo and sometimes in Sacramento and go to different destinations each week.
Fly to Lake Tahoe
You can get to Lake Tahoe by airplane. The closest commercial airports are Sacramento and Reno. Big Foot Air (www.bigfootair.com) offers charter flights to Lake Tahoe from San Francisco and Gary Air (www.infomart.com/GaryAir) offers an air taxi service from a number of California airports.
Private pilots can fly into the Truckee-Tahoe Airport or the South Lake Tahoe Airport. You can get transportation from several of the ski resorts to and from the Reno airport. Check with Squaw Creek and Northstar.
Take the train to Lake Tahoe
The Amtrack (www.amtrak.com) California Zephyr runs through Truckee from the Bay Area.
Both Analeese Burnabaker & Tahoe Sam Sam are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Analeese Burnabaker has sinced written about articles on various topics from Destinations, Kids and Teens and Travel and Leisure. Author Analeese Burnabaker believes that every family needs to have sacred family time on trips. She takes her family to each year. See more about Lake Tahoe. Analeese Burnabaker's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.
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