I booked our Airbnb in December for a vacation in July. I have to tell you that was a long time to anxiously wait for what I hoped would be an incredible family vacation. In fact, this was my first booking with Airbnb and I was pleasantly surprised about how easy it was to book and pay. Super simple!
We would have a home close to the lake for a week on the northern side of Lake Tahoe in Carnelian Bay, a beautiful little lake side community with easy lake access and a small town laid back feel.
The drive from where we live in Las Vegas to Carnelian Bay is about eight hours which isn’t too terrible and when you split up driving time between your spouse or partner it’s really not that bad at all. Plus, the trip is always one of the best parts of a family vacation.
We listened to music, sang incredibly loud and off key, laughed until we were crying (not safe while driving) and loved the sights and sounds of the open highway.
Highway 95 is a long stretch of road, seemingly the only one connecting Northern Nevada with Southern Nevada. The scenery is beautiful as the road winds through the desert landscape, surrounding you on both sides by mountains and dry river beds. But after nearly eight hours on the road, you start to wonder if you’ll see any colors beyond brown, khaki and white.
That’s true until you get close to Lake Tahoe.
It seems like suddenly the Earth bursts open with color once you near the giant lake. Dark green trees shoot from the ground, themselves laying against a bright blue sky. The grass is a bright green hue and gives way to fields of painted wild blooms.
It’s a welcoming sight for weary travelers.
But you don’t just happen upon the lake. It plays games with you as you travel the road that runs along its shores. It offers peaks through its tall pine trees, so that you only catch fleeting glimpses of the sun shining brightly off the water.
Near Sand Harbor, the trees finally give way and Lake Tahoe is revealed in all its incredible glory. This isn’t hyperbole.
Lake Tahoe is absolutely stunning.
The first thing you notice is the crystal clear water with hints of multiple shades of green and blue. Near the shoreline you can see straight to the bottom.
Then, the sheer size of Lake Tahoe hits you. The lake itself straddles the line between California and Nevada and it is over 1,600 feet deep. At its maximum it is 12 miles wide and 22 miles long. It covers 191 square miles.
So… it’s pretty damn big.
Oh, and there’s 71 miles of shoreline so there are plenty of places for you to pull up a chair or a kayak and cut out your own little slice of heaven.
Lake Tahoe is a premier destination for summer activities and a popular winter sports haven, with casinos dotting the Nevada side of the lake.
Fun fact: in the 1800s the lake was called Lake Bigler, after California’s third governor John Bigler, until a government map maker changed it to Tahoe. People initially weren’t happy with it, drawing in criticism from across the nation including author Mark Twain. But over time “Lake Tahoe” stuck permanently.
Today Lake Tahoe is dotted with quaint communities like Incline Village, Tahoe City and Carnelian Bay where you can rent stand-up paddle boards for the whole family, including your dog, who are often seen riding with their owners out on the lake.
You can add in paddle boats, kayaks, jet ski and boat rentals in certain areas as well. There’s plenty of picnic space but you’ve got to get to popular destinations like Sand Harbor and King’s Beach early or you’ll end up without a good spot to set up shop or park!
A lot of the pictures you’ll find of Lake Tahoe and the crystal clear water are from Sand Harbor on the North side of the lake. It’s extremely popular so it may get a bit crowded. My family and I enjoyed a trip parasailing high above the lake with a gorgeous view of the setting sun from here with Lake Tahoe Water Sports, but spent most of our time on a quiet slip of shorefront near Carnelian Bay that was within walking distance of our Airbnb. A few dozen families joined us but it was nice and fun.
Side: There’s a fun photo op at the Cal-Neva Motel Casino which sits on the California-Nevada state line. It’s closed now for restoration but it serves as inspiration for the motel in the 2018 movie “Bad Times at the El Royale” with Jon Hamm and Chris Hemsworth. The motel casino has a bit of a murky history in of itself.
Most of the shops and restaurants are local to the area with only a few chains hidden away. This must be by design from the communities as to not have the area overrun by corporations like so many other tourist destinations.
Although we spent most of our time cooking at the Airbnb and enjoying evenings by the fire, we did eat lunch at the tasty Blue Agave Mexican Restaurant, enjoyed the weekend farmers market at Common’s Beach, and bought some beautiful pieces of handmade jewelry from the Tahoe Trunk Show shop, all in Tahoe City.
Without a doubt this remains one of our favorite places to visit and is one of the best family vacations we’ve ever had.
I highly recommend spending some time at Lake Tahoe and I can’t wait to go back soon.
