Lake Tahoe is a perfect location for adventure travelers, photographers, and winter sports enthusiasts.
Lake Tahoe sits on the border of California and Nevada, and offers beautiful scenery, hiking, beaches and winter sports. It is a perfect location for adventure travelers, photographers, and winter sports enthusiasts. Here is our guide to getting the best deals at Lake Tahoe.
Getting There
Lake Tahoe has its own airport, which can easily be accessed by flying through Denver. For the cheapest rates, look to Southwest Airlines, Frontier Airlines, or Alaska Airlines. The nearest major city is Reno, Nevada.
Where to Stay
Accommodations are one of the areas where you can save while visiting Lake Tahoe. By choosing your hotel wisely you can make room in your budget for more days on the slopes. Given that there are majestic views around every bend in the road in Lake Tahoe, your hotel room will simply be a comfortable place to lay your head at night. Worth considering, is the Postmarc Hotel Spa and Resort boasts recently renovated rooms and the majority of them feature a spa tub. Listed on their website is a special for 20% off their published rates which makes this place even more endearing. Rates vary from $90-$100 without the applicable discount.
If snowboarding is your sport of choice then staying at the Forest Suites Resort at Heavenly Village is convenient. The resort is right by the ski gondolas which take you to the top of the Heavenly ski slopes. The hotel is advertising a holiday sale with 30% off and a winter sale with 40%, these are some serious savings. Rates are currently $100 a night before applicable discounts.
The Northern shore of Lake Tahoe is much quieter and made up of residential neighborhoods. The Tahoe Vistana Inn located North offers many amenities that make the stay even sweeter. The facilities offer a grill as well as firepits for guests to use on those cooler nights. The Inn offers its guests free usage of their bikes, paddleboards and kayaks which is a huge perk. Rates are currently $95 a night.
What to Do
When you arrive at Lake Tahoe head to one of the multiple Visitor Centers to look for brochures that may contain coupons for kayaking, boating and the countless number of water activities available at the lake. Lake Tahoe is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Every single viewpoint in Lake Tahoe is scenic. During the summer, you’ll gravitate to the lake and all of the water activities you can take advantage of. Kayaks and paddleboards can be rented right next to the lake, right on any beach. One of the most beautiful beaches to kayak is Sand Harbor.
Hiking the Lake Tahoe area is another beautiful way to spend your day. There are multiple hikes to waterfalls in the area. Some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the area are Cascade Creek Falls, Eagle Falls and Horse Tail Falls. It’s essential to pack a lunch on your hike to one of these impressive waterfalls. Sprouts Natural Foods Café has sandwiches packed chock full of the vegetables you need to nourish you as you hike.
Driving out of Lake Tahoe heading South you can take a quick hike before heading home. You can hike a small part of the Pacific Crest Trail (which extends from Canada to Mexico) by hiking the Frog Lake trail. This dog-friendly trail takes you through lightly wooded forests as well as through rocky terrain. Your ultimate reward is the small lake when you reach the top and the beautiful views you get from there. Hiking frog lake is the perfect way to end your exploration of the Lake Tahoe area.
Winter Sports
The extraordinary views as you are skiing or snowboarding down the slopes are what makes Lake Tahoe such a unique place to ski. Unfortunately, affordability is not what Lake Tahoe is known for. Lift tickets can cost upwards of $130 during peak seasons. Luckily, Lake Tahoe has fifteen ski resorts which allow the budget-conscious skier to compare prices as well as the types of terrain and runs they wish to ski.
When it comes to skiing, going during the week is your best bet for finding a deal. If avoiding the crowds sounds like a good idea then resorts like Homewood and Diamond Peak are under $100 during the week. Both of these resorts are family-friendly with Diamond Peak being the friendliest. At Diamond Peak children under six are free and they also offer an interchangeable ski ticket that can be used amongst the two parents.
If your heart is set on the Heavenly Resort, which is the top-rated resort in Lake Tahoe, then you need to be prepared to spend a bit more. Currently, a one-day ski pass is $133 a day at Heavenly, with an Epic Day Pass. This includes 20% discounts at select quick-service restaurants at the ski resort as well as discounts on lodging.