Summer in Lake Tahoe

Our very first trip with our son, Meyer, was to Lake Tahoe and it was one I will never forget. A summer trip to Lake Tahoe ended up being the perfect place to take our newborn. We were able to take him hiking, experience his first Lake day and pool day and just enjoy the outdoors on this trip. He will never remember it but my husband and I will never forget. Lake Tahoe is such a beautiful place to visit so no matter if you are here for the winter to ski or for the summer to enjoy the Lake, you’ll be sure to have the best time.

There are a few areas around Lake Tahoe to stay with most hotels split between North Lake Tahoe and South Lake Tahoe. Both are popular areas depending on what you are looking for in a vacation. If you are looking for more nightlife, quick access to the Lake and a more commercialized experience, South Lake Tahoe is for you. I recommend staying in North Lake Tahoe if you want to get further away from the crowds with a mountain-life feel while still having lake access. We stayed in the Incline Village in North Tahoe at the Hyatt Regency and absolutely loved our stay. I highly recommend staying here if you are in Lake Tahoe for the summer or traveling with children. Below are some recommended North Lake Tahoe and South Lake Tahoe hotels.

• The Landing
• Edgewood Tahoe Resort
• Coachman Hotel
• Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe
• Cedar Glen Lodge

To browse other options, use the booking finder below.

Lake Tahoe is a very drivable area and I would highly recommend renting a car while you’re there. The entire Lake can be reached by car and driven around within a day. For the best deals on rental cars, I always use rentalcars.com.

Summer in Lake Tahoe is beautiful and you’ll want to spend a lot of your time enjoying its beauty in the outdoors. There are plenty of hikes to choose from, shopping, lake swimming and so much more. Take a look at some of my recommended summer activities in Lake Tahoe.

One of the biggest attractions of visiting Lake Tahoe in the summer is of course seeing the lake! The lake is 22 miles long and has various water activities to do in the summer like kayaking, paddle boarding or simply taking a boat cruise. Here are a few recommended activities in the area for summer:

• Clear Kayak Paddle Tour
• Paddleboard
• Boat Tour of the Lake
• Sunset Cruise
• Bike Tour

One of the coolest beaches in the North Lake Tahoe area is Sand Harbor beach. This is a very instagrammable place known for the huge boulders in the water, but it also makes for a great place to enjoy the lake and beach.

On your way to Sand Harbor Beach, you’ll pass Secret Beach. Since most go to the area for Sand Harbor, Secret Beach is passed over but it shouldn’t be! It has just as great views and a small beach area to enjoy. If you are looking for fewer crowds then head here. We had the whole beach to ourselves early in the morning.

Lake Tahoe is also well known for their hiking especially in North Lake Tahoe. If you visit the lake in the summer, you’ll definitely need to choose between one of these well known hikes: Eagle Rock, East Shore or Shirley Canyon. We did the East Shore Trail hike and would’ve loved to hike to Monkey Rock if we had more time. To hike either Monkey Rock or the East Shore Trail, park at Tunnel Creek Cafe and access both trails from the parking lot.

If you decide to stay at the Hyatt in North Lake Tahoe, you’ll need to spend an afternoon at the pool. It’s a year-round heated pool so you can relax even on the colder days after hitting the slopes.

Another hiking opportunity is at Emerald Bay in South Lake Tahoe. Although this isn’t in North Lake Tahoe, it’s 100% worth the drive to take in this beauty. You will be in awe at how beautiful the emerald green waters are and it’s one of the most well known spots in Lake Tahoe. To get to the beaches below, you can access it via the Rubicon Hiking Trail or by boat. You can even book a one of a kind experience around Emerald Bay like the ones listed below:

• Emerald Bay Wine Tasting Boat Tour
• Emerald Bay Sunset Cruise
• Emerald Baby Sightseeing Cruise
• Emerald Bay Helicopter Tour

Before you leave, be sure to head to Truckee in North Lake Tahoe. Truckee is a small mountain town with an Old West vibe and plenty of shopping in the area. It’s also well known for other outdoor activities like skiing, rafting and hiking.

There are plenty of great restaurants surrounding Lake Tahoe. Our stay at Hyatt Lake Tahoe allowed us to experience Lone Eagle Grill and I highly recommend even if you aren’t staying on the property. Here are a few other restaurant recommendations for your stay in North Lake Tahoe:

Lake Tahoe is such an outdoor lovers paradise and I would love to take another trip back to experience more of it. If you’ve visited, let me know what your favorite part was and I’ll add it to my bucket list! And, if you ever have questions or need travel advice, reach out on Instagram!

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Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links, which means when you purchase something using these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. However, I only link these companies because I have used them or truly recommend them based on their quality and the experience I had.