Know Before You Go Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is an amazing – and expansive – Shaka Guide tour. Although this road trip is a clockwise ‘loop’ around the 72-mile lake, there are numerous stops within two states, and four places to begin the tour, depending on where you’re coming from. The tour takes you to:

• Towns that surround the lake in both Nevada and California
• Shorelines/beaches
• Parks
• Historic mansions/castles
• National forests
• Hiking paths
• Waterfalls

Although you could theoretically drive around Lake Tahoe in under four hours (if there’s no traffic and if you don’t make any stops), you’d need two or three days to enjoy everything that Shaka Guide wants to show you in Tahoe!

So if you only have one day for this tour, you’ll have to choose your stops wisely.

Start Planning!

• This tour travels in a clockwise loop around the lake so that it’s easier to pull off at all of the stops on the lake. (Shaka Guide does not currently offer a counterclockwise tour route.) 
• This tour has four starting points:
  1. Mount Rose Highway 431
  2. Carson City Highway 50
  3. Hwy 50 South Lake Tahoe
  4. Hwy 267 Truckee
• Many stops on the tour require entry fees during peak times in the summer. These vary, but fees for parks and beaches are generally within the $10 to $15 range per car. For a complete budget breakdown, check out “Budgeting” below. 
• The stops on the tour have varying hours of operation — check out “Hours of Operation” below to plan accordingly. 
• We recommend starting the tour early — by daybreak or at least by 7 a.m. — to avoid crowds and fit in as much as you can, and because in the summertime, parking lots fill up early.

This tour is a spring, summer, and fall tour – not a winter tour due to road closures around the lake once the snow hits. And Lake Tahoe gets a lot of snow.

Nevada Side’s Most Popular Lake Tahoe Tour Stop

SAND HARBOR STATE PARK

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Nevada has begun implementing a reservation system at Sand Harbor State Park, which is a high-priority stop on our tour. So check before you go to see if you’ll need a reservation, depending on when you’re going. Here’s how it works:

Sand Harbor requires vehicle reservations between 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. daily between April 15th and October 15th. After 10:30 a.m, any unclaimed spots become available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservation holders must enter by 10:30 a.m. or their spot is forfeited and released to the public. 

Reservations must be made online through the official state portal. They cannot be purchased at the entrance booth. Go to ReserveNevada.com and type in Sand Harbor State Park.

 There is a $5 processing fee for advanced reservations. Same-day bookings are free. 

Parking spaces are released in three tiers to provide flexibility:

• Tier 1: 200 spots are available 90 days in advance
• Tier 2: 100 spots are available 30 days in advance
• Tier 3: 50 spots are available 7 days in advance
• Same Day: any unbooked spots are available until 10:15 a.m. or until 10:29 a.m. on the day of arrival. Which means that if you know you can get to Sand Harbor very early, you can try to make a same-day reservation, or you can drive over there and wait in line at 6 a.m. to try and enter the park when it opens at 8 a.m., and if there’s an open spot that hasn’t been reserved, you’re in!

In addition to the reservation fee, there’s a vehicle entrance fee of $10 for Nevada residents and $15 for those coming from out-of-state.

Another thing to note is that if you’re taking our tour and coming up to Sand Harbor later in the day, some folks may have begun leaving the park by then, so if a space is available, you can enter without a reservation! 

Here’s Our Favorite Shaka Guide Hack for Getting Into Sand Harbor: 

Since Sand Harbor and the Tahoe East Shore Trail are two of the best places to visit in all of Tahoe, here’s our suggestion.

Park at the Tahoe East Shore Trail trailhead in Incline Village, then walk or rent a bike and take this glorious trail all the way into Sand Harbor.

This way, you won’t even need a vehicle parking reservation.

On a nice-weather day, the views of the lake and mountains along this trail will leave you, quite literally, in tears of joy!

This is one of the many reasons that allowing yourself more than one day in Lake Tahoe is the way to go! 

So, let’s learn more about this spectacular trail and how to access it:

The Tahoe East Shore Trail to Sand Harbor:

The Tahoe East Shore Trail is a three-mile paved, relatively easy path connecting Incline Village to Sand Harbor State Park.

It’s even ADA-compliant, making it accessible for wheelchairs, strollers, and all ages. The trail is open to pedestrians, cyclists, and e-bikers.

Dogs are allowed on the trail but not in Sand Harbor.

The trail starts at the public lots and runs parallel to the lake, beginning on the opposite side of the lake.

Then, a short tunnel takes you under the road, and you come out on the lakeside, then walk or ride right alongside Lake Tahoe for the rest of the way into Sand Harbor.

I can’t stress enough how beautiful this trail is, and it’s even been named as one of the most beautiful in all of the U.S.!

Parking for the Tahoe East Shore Trail

The public parking for the Tahoe East Shore Trail is near the intersection of Route 28 and Ponderosa Ranch Road in Incline Village, Nevada.

There you’ll find three primary lots:

• The Tunnel Creek Parking Lot
• The Bullwheel Parking Lot
• The Bonanza Parking Lot

People come and go from these lots all day long, but you should arrive super early if you want the best chance at a spot.

Parking fees are subject to change at any time and on any day to manage crowds in peak season, but if you arrive between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., you may be able to score the early bird rate of $1 per hour.

And parking is often free starting at 7 p.m. and from November through March. 

You must pay at digital kiosks or via a mobile app/text by entering your license plate number at these lots.

And just fyi, although you may see other folks around Tahoe parking on the shoulders of the roadways around the lake, that’s actually prohibited, and could subject you to a $300 fine or more.

And finally, if the trailhead lots are full, you can park at the former Incline Elementary School site and take the East Shore Express shuttle for a small fee ($3, usually).

By the way, there’s a super cool restaurant next to this trail’s parking lots where you can grab a meal before or after you take the trail.

There’s also a wonderful waterside cafe at Sand Harbor State Park if you’re hungry once you get there.

Budgeting

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There are several different agencies — each with its own rules, regulations, and hours — that operate the parks and attractions along the Shaka Guide tour route of Lake Tahoe. 

Some Nevada State Parks have also begun implementing a reservation system, so check the parks before you go to see if you’ll need a reservation, depending on when you’re going.

Sand Harbor is most likely to require day-use reservations during certain hours in the summer.

Summer Season Hours & Admission Fees

Here are some of the tour stops that may require parking or admission fees (subject to change):

• Sand Harbor State Park
  • Open 8 am to 1 hour after sunset.
  • Parking is $10 per vehicle for NV residents, $15 for non-NV residents.
  • DAY USE RESERVATIONS: From April 15 to October 15, between 8 am and 10:30 am, reservations are required for entry.
  • But entry is first-come, first-served before 8 am or after 10:30 am. 
• Cave Rock State Park
  • Open Sunrise to sunset.
  • $10 per vehicle for NV residents, $15 for non-NV residents 
• Nevada Beach State Park
  • Open 8 am - 8 pm.
  • $10 per vehicle for NV residents, $15 for non-NV residents 
• Heavenly Gondola
  • Runs 10 am - 5 pm.
  • Rides up the mountain can cost $75 for adults (or higher), children’s prices vary, and kids under 5 are typically free
• Camp Richardson General Store and Beach Resort
  • General Store & Café
    • Open year-round
    • Wednesday–Sunday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
    • During high season, it may:
      • Stay open longer hours
      • Open on additional days
  • Beach Access
    • No fixed hours
    • Hours vary depending on the season
  • Beacon Bar and Grill (Restaurant & Beach Bar on the sand)
    • Friday–Saturday: 11:30 AM – 7:00 PM
    • Sunday, Monday, Thursday: 11:30 AM – 6:00 PM
    • Closed: Tuesday & Wednesday
  • Parking
    • Parking fee varies if you park on Jameson Beach Road
• Tallac Historic Site/Baldwin & Pope Museums
  • The grounds are open daily so you can walk around and see the historic homes from the outside
  • The museum tours inside some of the homes are only open from Thursday through Sunday, 10 am - 4 pm.
  • It’s free to enter, and parking is usually free.
• Taylor Creek
  • The trails are usually open Wednesday - Sunday,  9 am - 4 pm
  • The visitor center is open daily, 8 am - 5:30 pm.
  • There’s no entrance fee to walk the trails, but parking usually runs $5 - $15 per vehicle for multi-day parking.
• Eagle Falls
  • The trail is open from sunrise to sunset.
  • $10 per vehicle for the day, or $3 per vehicle for one hour
• Emerald Bay/Vikingsholm Castle Parking
  • Open sunrise to sunset to hike down to the beach and walk around the outside of the castle.
  • The Vikingsholm visitor center is typically open 10 am - 4:30 pm. $10 per vehicle per day or $3 per hour
• Vikingsholm Castle Guided Tour
  • The tours run every half hour, 10:30 am - 4 pm.
  • Get your tickets at the visitor center. $18 for adults, $15 for students and senior citizens
• D.L. Bliss State Park
  • Open sunrise to sunset.
  • $10 per vehicle to park, but weekends and holidays cost $20
• Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park
  • Open 7 am - 8 pm for the park.
  • The visitor center hours are typically 10 am - 4 pm. $10 per vehicle to park
• Hellman Ehrman Mansion Tours (at Sugar Pine Point State Park)
  • Open daily, 10:30 am - 3:30 pm.
  • $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens, students, and military.
  • Purchase tickets at the visitor center.
• Gatekeeper’s Museum/Indian Basket Museum/Watson Cabin
  • Open Wed-Sun 11 am - 4 pm.
  • $10 per person, kids 12 and under are free. Seniors $9,
  • Students and the military are free.
• Commons Beach
  • Sunrise to sunset.
  • Parking is free, and the beach is free!
• Kings Beach
  • The parking lot is open 6 am - 9 pm. $10 per vehicle

On the California side of the lake, if you pay an entrance fee to park at any state park tour stop, that ticket is good for any additional state park tour stops that you make on the same day. So hang onto your receipt/ticket!

Parking Note for California State Parks at Lake Tahoe

If you pay to park at one California state park on our tour, you can use the same ticket to park at other California state parks on the same day. Just keep your ticket or receipt.

Parking Note for Vikingsholm Castle and Eagle Falls

These are two very popular places on the California side of Lake Tahoe. The parking lots can fill up quickly during busy seasons, so try to arrive early.

The two stops are very close to each other, almost across the street. If you find parking at one, leave your car there and walk to the other. It’s better than moving your car and risking not finding another spot.

Be careful when crossing the road. The road is curvy and has a steep drop toward the lake. Use the dirt path on the Vikingsholm side instead of walking on the edge of the road.

Summer Packing List

• Cell phone car mount
• Cell phone car charger
• Hiking boots or sneakers
• Jacket/rain jacket
• T-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, and sweatshirts for layering
• Swimsuit 
• Sunscreen
• Hat and layers for early mornings and chilly evenings

Seasons of Tahoe

Spring

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Temperatures steadily rise from early to late spring, from the high 40s in March to the low 60s by May.

During this transition time from ski season to beach season, crowds are lower than in peak winter and peak summer.

(Although if there’s still good snow through April and even May, you’ll sometimes have a ski crowd nearly right up until summer hits!)

Summer: June - August

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Summertime is the most popular time to visit Lake Tahoe.

Temperatures can reach the high 70s or low 80s, the trails are free of snow and not muddy, the beaches are ready to lie out on, and the lake is ready to be paddled.

But just for the record … the water never really warms up. Lake Tahoe is an alpine (aka cold) body of water that never really gets above 68 degrees Fahrenheit!

Still, the shoreline gets crowded in the summer – especially on weekends in the heart of the day. 

Hotels are liable to be sold out or quite expensive if you don’t book months in advance!

Fall: September - November

Temperatures start to drop, going from the low 70s in September to the high 40s by the beginning of November.

And with colder winds blowing and kids back in school, tourism is lower.

Late September is the last of the really good hiking weather. By late November, it’s liable to be more about snowshoeing than hiking.  

Summer Crowds and Parking Tips

The summer season in Tahoe is the most crowded season around the lake.

So if you’re taking this Shaka Guide tour between Memorial Day and Labor Day, you’ll need to get an early start in the morning in order to find parking at some of the most popular spots along the tour route.

And when a park gets full, the gates close – at least for a while until guests begin to leave.

That’s why Shaka Guide provides several options for beach and shoreline visits.

The upside of coming in the summer is that you have lots of extra daylight hours.

If you can’t get into a park in the morning, you can try again later in the day or in the evening before dusk—and catch a spectacular lake sunset!

When is the best month to visit Lake Tahoe?

September is an ideal month to visit. Most of the tourists have gone home, but ski season hasn’t yet begun.

So you have less traffic, plus a good shot at finding parking all day long in any place you visit, with most (but not all) attractions still operating!

Plus, the weather’s still warm enough to hang out on a beach if you want to! 

Additional Things to Note!

There are a few places around Lake Tahoe (not on the actual tour but additionally recommended for those with extra time in Tahoe) where reservations or advanced online ticket purchases may be necessary.

But one thing to consider is that if you’re not sure where along the lake you’ll be at a particular time, you might want to hold off trying to score a reservation for an experience until you are sure you’ll be within proximity of that location.

Some of those additional activities include:

1. Thunderbird Lodge

Lizzie Gerecitano

To reserve a tour of this gorgeous “Castle in the Sky,” you usually have to book in advance. This jaw-dropping estate is on a private road, run by a non-profit, and is not accessible any other way than by a reservation with shuttle service. It’s well worth the price of admission if you have a few hours to spare (not for young children, though).

Reservations & Schedule

Reservations can be made online via the Thunderbird Tahoe website or by calling 1-800-GO TAHOE (1-800-468-2463).

• Season: Tours usually run from mid-May through mid-October.
• Cost: Usually $75 per person.
• Classic Tour Times: Generally Tuesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12:30 p.m. (Saturday tours are often added in July and August).
• Age Restriction: Children under 6 are not permitted.

Logistics & Arrival

Since you’re not allowed to drive to the castle on your own, once you make a reservation, you’ll meet at the North Tahoe, Nevada, Welcome Center in Incline Village.

The Guided Tour

The guided walking tour lasts about an hour and a half and includes:

• The stone mansion and the 600-foot underground tunnel.
• The card house and the elephant house.
• The famous Thunderbird Yacht (when it’s in the boathouse).

Specialty Tour Options

There are also specialty tour options for Thunderbird Lodge, including wine and cheese tours and kayak tours.

You may even consider water tours such as Cruise Tahoe, which offers a guided boat tour that departs from South Lake Tahoe or Zephyr Cove and includes a tour of

Thunderbird Lodge.

2. M.S. Dixie Paddleboat/Steamboat Cruises from Zephyr Cove

Gary Lerude

This is an incredible dinner cruise experience to Emerald Bay (and a wonderful opportunity to sail right past Fannette Island!).

The M.S. Dixie II departs from Zephyr Cove Marina; it’s an authentic 500-passenger paddlewheeler that takes you on a 3-hour cruise, featuring local cuisine and wine, live music, and panoramic sunset views of Lake Tahoe.

Reservations & Logistics

• Booking: Online reservations can be made directly through the Zephyr Cove Resort website or by calling 800-238-2463 or 775-589-4922.
• Cost: Typical rates are about $150 per adult, which includes the cruise, dinner, and soft drinks.
• Timing: Dinner cruises usually depart around 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., depending on the season.

Transportation Tip

Skip the Parking Fees. Be sure to make arrangements for the free shuttle to pick you up in South Lake Tahoe so that you don’t have to fight for expensive parking at Zephyr Cove resort!

If you are driving and paying for parking yourself instead of taking the shuttle, you must arrive 30 minutes before departure.

Other Popular Summertime Activities

• Rum Runner Boat Cruises: Trips to Emerald Bay departing from Camp Richardson.
• Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival: Outdoor summer performances at Sand Harbor in Incline Village.

Travel Tip: Planning Your Stay

If you’re planning a two or three-day vacation in Lake Tahoe for this tour, it would be best to book lodging for at least one night on the north side of the lake and lodging for one or two nights on the south side of the lake.

This ensures you don't have to backtrack and do all that extra driving to get back to one particular town and hotel.

Three-Day Lake Tahoe Tour Itinerary

Here’s how to do the Lake Tahoe tour in three days and two nights: 

If you’re starting in Reno via Mount Rose, for example, you could do the first leg of the drive from Incline Village down to South Lake Tahoe on Day 1, then stay overnight in South Lake Tahoe.

On Day 2, you could cover the section of the tour from South Lake Tahoe through Tahoe City, and stay overnight in Tahoe City.

Then on the final leg on Day 3, you’d finish seeing everything in and around Tahoe City and finish the lake loop past Kings Beach, then wrap up the tour route all the way back to Incline Village and onto Reno. 

Visiting Lake Tahoe should be on everyone’s bucket list. And with Shaka Guide, it’s that much better! So get out there and explore Tahoe!

About the Writer: Lizzie Gerecitano

Lizzie lives on the northeast coast but is an explorer at heart whose biggest challenge is staying in one place. She finds fulfillment in discovering the beauty that lives in every nook and cranny throughout the world, and often captures those images in photos.

She's continuously in search of new paths to walk, hidden adventures to uncover, local flavors to taste...and she wants to share it all with you.

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