Day Trips to Lake Tahoe from San Francisco

Nestled high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, this place stretches across the tip of California and is one of the ideal places to spend time with the family and take the kids on some truly amazing adventures.

If you're passing through California, this is one of the must-do excursions on your list of things to see and do in San Francisco and beyond. One of the best things about Lake Tahoe is that its activities vary according to the season. Here are some of the activities you can experience.

It's very easy to book a trip to Lake Tahoe. The first thing you need to do is to find out what kind of tour you want to do and for how long. Once you know what type of tour you want to do, it's time to make a reservation.

As a general rule these types of reservations for these tours offer free cancellation, which means that in case you have a problem and can't go on the tour, you can cancel without paying anything extra.

You have to make sure of all the regulations of the tour and the booking before you pay anything. Once you are sure that you will get everything you expect, it is time to pay. The confirmation of the trip, the day and the conditions of the trip is almost always made on the day of the excursion.

Be sure to pay attention to the characteristics of the trip, whether it is a private or a regular tour, and it is also very important to know if you will have access to drinks, meals, snacks or any other service during the trip. If they don't offer such services, you will already know that you will have to pay for them.

Excursions to Lake Tahoe are usually a really fun trip for the whole family. But generally to get the most out of a visit to this natural paradise, tours and excursions offered that depart from San Francisco are completed in anywhere from one to three days, depending on the type of excursion and what it has to offer.

There are other excursions that last a little less, between six and twelve hours, however, you will always need a little more time to see all the attractions that the lake and its surroundings have to offer.

In addition, the duration of excursions of this type will also depend on the season in which you do them because, as you know, in summer and winter the activities in and around the lake can vary considerably. You can also spend more or less time if you go on a guided tour or on your own.

But in most cases, if you are travelling from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe, my recommendation is that you use at least a full day to take in as many experiences and attractions as the scenery has to offer.

And if you go in summer, a good way to get the most out of the lake's attractions is to camp for two or three days instead of just one.

While there are activities and landscapes that are only available seasonally, it is also true that many others can be done at any time of the year.

One of the most interesting and beautiful things to do if you're hiking to Yosemite from San Francisco to see the lake is to stop at the lookout points throughout the park.

Overlooks in the park

From these viewpoints you can appreciate the beauty of the lake, the snow-capped Sierra and the surrounding pine forest. A real spectacle both in winter and summer.

If you go in winter, you will see the snow covering everything. But if you go in summer, one of the things that stands out the most are the turquoise waters of the lake contrasting with the green of the pines and the snow-capped peaks of the sierra, a spectacle to appreciate.

View of the sunrise

I recommend that you visit Lake Tahoe at sunrise, or camp by the lake so you can appreciate the first rays of the sun. Of course, if you want to enjoy this moment of total calm and natural beauty, you should bring plenty of warm clothes because the temperatures at that time of the morning are usually quite low, regardless of the season.

But far from that, it is an excellent experience to see the lake at this time of the morning because it gives you the opportunity to see how the mist takes over the whole place and as the hours go by, it fades away to reveal the colourful landscape that the lake offers you. This is definitely on my list of best views of San Francisco because it shows me the scenery from a different perspective.

Bears in the pine forest

While it's not entirely common to see bears appearing in the vicinity of the lake, it is a possibility, so I recommend you be aware that these majestic animals may appear on your radar.

Bear sightings occur mostly in the warmer season, so it's an activity you could include among the things to see and do in San Francisco in the summer, or at least close to the city.

Bears can appear anywhere on the lake, either in the lower or higher elevations, sometimes because they come down looking for food or sometimes because it's simply where they live and they wander around the area.

• Before heading out on a trip to Lake Tahoe first check the weather page so that you can find out if it will be hot or cold. Remember that just because it's summer doesn't mean it's hot and just because it's winter doesn't mean it's cold.
• According to the weather condition, and according to the type of visit you are making, dress in layers.
• Be prepared to see bears and when you do see them, stay calm and don't panic. Preferably ask your tour guide what to do when you see one.
• If you go in winter make sure you bring skiing clothes, as this is one of the most common activities to do here during the winter season.
• Whether you go in winter or summer, always make sure you bring your sunglasses as the cold or the sun can irritate your skin considerably.
• Although there are places to eat and drink at Lake Tahoe, I recommend you bring drinking water on your trip because you will always get thirsty during the trip.
• Bring swimming costumes and beachwear, as well as floats and other items to enjoy a nice sunny day if you go in the summer season, so you can swim in the lake's natural beach.
• If you're going with children, make sure you bring enough snacks for the trip, although once you get to the lake you'll be able to buy other snacks.
• If you are taking the trip with the intention of hiking, I recommend that you wear comfortable closed-toe shoes, preferably boots, to avoid slipping in the wetter places.

Depending on the amount of time you are going to spend on the lake tour and of course the type of tour you do, the cost will be higher or lower. In the case of a full day private tour, the price can be from 900 euros.

In case the tour is for more days and for a group of people in total, you may be able to pay from 150 Euros per person. The price can also vary according to the services included in each of the experiences.

Generally, accommodation is included in these types of multi-day excursions, but those that do not include the price of accommodation tend to be cheaper. When the price of the transfer from the hotel and back is included, it is usually a bit more expensive, while in other cases this service is usually included as an additional service, which means that you have to pay more to enjoy the comfortable transfer.

But as a general rule, such a tour can range from 150 Euros per person for regular tours and excursions to 1,000 Euros for private tours in luxury cars with transfer from the hotel and back.

As I've told you so far, activities at the lake vary according to the season, so the activities you do in the park can be completely different from one month to the next. Let's get to know some of the most fun experiences that each season will allow you to live in this, definitely, one of the best tours and excursions from San Francisco.

Kayaking

Among the summer activities you can do here is kayaking, which is definitely one of my favourite things to do. All you need to do is rent a kayak and start touring the calm waters of the lake.

This is an activity that you can do from different points of the lake, being one of the most usual routes the one that goes all the way to Esmeralda Bay. But in any case, kayaking is one of those great activities to do with family, friends and even children.

Visit to Esmeralda Bay

And speaking of Esmeralda Bay, this is one of the places you can't miss if you go during the summer season. Also because from this point you can take one of the best boat trips in San Francisco, because it is one of the most beautiful bays, a real treasure in the surroundings of Lake Tahoe.

You can get here by kayak or on foot. You can also get here by car, but the car park fills up very quickly, so you'd better get there early in the morning if you want to get an available spot.

Take the cable car

And another activity you definitely can't miss in summer is going up the cable car and then going down the zip line. This is one of the most fun activities you can do here, firstly because the view is more beautiful than you can imagine, and then the zip line adds adrenaline to the ride.

Traveller Tip

Parking costs 10 euros, but you can leave your car parked on the road in a permitted area and walk into Esmeralda Bay, so you avoid that fee.

Skiing and snowboarding

Winter skiing up to Lake Tahoe is also a lot of fun and there are plenty of activities you can do around the lake at this time of year. One of the most fun is skiing, and as summer arrives, there are many places around the lake that offer skiing services for all tourists.

To go skiing or snowboarding, all you have to do is go to one of the establishments in the area and rent the appropriate equipment. But in case you are not very expert in the practice of this sport, you can also find different places that will quickly teach you to master the art of skiing.

Ice skating and snowman making

If we're talking about the best things to do in San Francisco in winter and you're an ice skater, there's a rink on the south side of Lake Tahoe where you can skate, but you'll need to bring your own ice skating gear.

But if you're going with small children or just want to have a much quieter ride, making snowmen is a must-do activity. There are places around the lake where you can do this without any problems, as long as you have a permit.

These places where you can stay without being fined or socially frowned upon are called Sno-Parks and usually have public toilets and even snow-free parking.

Traveller Tip

The daily permit for Sno-Parks is approximately 5 euros. But you can pay a 25 euro pass for the whole winter season from 1 November to 30 May.

There are many reasons to take a trip to Lake Tahoe, but the main reason is that the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere is incomparable to any other park or attraction you'll find in the United States. That's why Yosemite Park counts as one of the best national parks near San Francisco.

One of the best things about this park is that you can get in touch with nature at any time of the year and also have the opportunity to show children many of the natural wonders that are very close to the city of San Francisco.

Plus, Lake Tahoe tours, which usually last more than a day, allow you to get to know much more of the place and all its attractions without worrying about missing out.

While it is true that going to Lake Tahoe is a family activity that you can do on your own, I think we would agree that there are many advantages to doing this trip as a tour and with people who are experts in this area.

Whether you are a novice or have been to the lake many times before, it will always be a better option to go with an expert, and I will show you some of the reasons why I prefer a guided tour.