Lady’s Things to Do in Lake Tahoe in Summer

Today I want to tell you about all the amazing things to do in Lake Tahoe in summer. This part of California is one of my favorite places to be at any time of year, but in the warmer months it really shines.

Things to Do in Lake Tahoe in Summer

I seem to have brought the apocalypse to California. On Saturday I woke up to an earthquake in San Francisco.

On Monday I encountered flash flooding in the Sierra Nevada mountains that delayed the opening of the famous Burning Man festival.

Given the end of the world may be at hand, I’m taking what could be my last chance to travel on a summer getaway to California’s best kept secret: Lake Tahoe in summer.

Every local knows Lake Tahoe is one of the state’s most amazing travel destinations, but most Londoners have never heard of it.

As such, I’m using my last days on Earth to tell you all about all the great things to do in Lake Tahoe in summer. You’re welcome.

I’m lucky to be in Tahoe right now, because it’s one of my favorite places. It’s where I would go if I knew the world was ending tomorrow and I could only take one more trip.

Lake Tahoe, California

I started going to Lake Tahoe—which straddles the border between California and Nevada—as a child to go skiing in the winter. (Yes, there’s skiing in California. Such good skiing that the winter Olympics were held here in 1960.)

But another secret only locals know is that Tahoe is just as good in the summer as it is in the winter. In fact, it’s better.

The lake itself is stunning all year, but there are so many things to do in Lake Tahoe in summer that it’s hard not to love it.

Biking along the cycling paths, hiking the Rubicon Trail, and boating on the lake are a few of my favorites, not to mention rafting down the Truckee River.

On this trip I’m here with my mother, and we plan to cover as many of Tahoe’s highlights as we can before the world ends.

Palisades Tahoe

We drove to Tahoe from San Francisco, leaving early to avoid any traffic on the three-and-a-half hour drive to the mountains.

Now we’re up near Tahoe City on the lake’s north shore, where we’re using Palisades Tahoe—where the aforementioned Olympics were held—as our home base for the trip. The Village at Palisades Tahoe is a great place to stay.

Tahoe City

Our first stop is Tahoe City itself, where the main lakeside road is full of historic wooden buildings with shops, restaurants, and boutiques.

We wander past them and walk down to the shore, where we’re serenaded by live music from a lakeside festival.

Not far away, we walk out on the famous pier at Tahoe Tavern. Originally built for a railroad, it’s the longest of its kind on the lake.

I spent far too many summers getting sunburned here as a teenager, but today I’m more concerned with the views of the boats and the mountains.

Sunnyside

Just down the road is Sunnyside, a restaurant I’ve been to on every trip to Lake Tahoe I can remember. It’s an institution, and lunch on the deck or dinner by the window is one of the best things to do in Lake Tahoe in summer.

This time it’s dinner by the window, where a pink sunset turns the clouds into cotton candy as my mother and I dine on ahi tuna poke and mountain trout.

Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival

On the other side of the lake, we spend an evening in Nevada at the annual Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival at Sand Harbor State Park.

Plays are staged on the beach throughout the summer, and it’s a family tradition to have dinner on the sand and watch a play while the sun sets on the water. This year it’s As You Like It, and I like it very much.

Emerald Bay

Back on the west side of Lake Tahoe, we explore the highlights of nature. Emerald Bay has always been my favorite part of the lake, with its sapphire water and picture-perfect island in the middle.

Hiking in Lake Tahoe in Summer

The nearby D.L. Bliss State Park is home to sandy beaches and mountain trails.

We drive over and spend an afternoon hiking the Lighthouse trail, which winds through the woods and along the lake, passing dramatic boulders and imposing pine trees along the way.

We don’t see any bears (maybe the apocalypse isn’t coming so fast after all), but there are plenty of cute golden-mantled ground squirrels.

Best Things to Do in Lake Tahoe in Summer

I could spend a lifetime exploring and never cover all the best things to do in Lake Tahoe in summer.

But rather than be sad that my time here is short, I’m happy that I got one last chance to travel to my favorite place in California before the world ends.

In the (unlikely) event that it doesn’t end, you should come here, too.

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