Questions about Lake Tahoe

Hubby and I are talking about a visit to the Lake Tahoe area and, never having been there, have some questions.

How far is it from the airport to Lake Tahoe?
Are there shuttles from the airport to hotels, or do we need to rent a car?
Would we run into snow or icy conditions in early November?
Is there a specific area of Tahoe that is better than another?
Does anyone have any hotels to recommend? We're not going there specifically to gamble, but would like to near some casinos.

Any information, advice, feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

The lake is huge. From the airport in good weather, you could be at Incline Village (30 miles) in 45 minutes or Emerald Bay (70 miles) in 90.

You'll likely fly into Reno Tahoe Airport. Here's one shuttle to Stateline, where most of the larger casinos are.

You can run into heavy snow in early November, but it's not likely. Maybe 10 percent?

Every part of Tahoe is wonderful, and there's a lot of variety, from remote wilderness to huge ski resorts to busy casino town.

All of the questions you ask have been answered many times on VisitReno.com's message boards, might get your best info there.

Disclaimer: sadly, haven't been there in more than a decade.

I agree with everything from Chilcoot and add this:

Stateline (South Lake Tahoe) is the best area for hotels, casinos, and other attractions. Right on the Cal Nevada state line are four big casino's, think mini (very mini) strip. My favorite place to play was five minutes down the street, a smaller place called Lakeside. It has a more of a rustic ski lodge vibe, I always had better luck there.

I have never rented a car in Vegas, but have never been to Tahoe without a rental car. With the exception of the big four casinos, things are just too spread out.

I love Tahoe and after watching some of the celebrity golf tournament in Tahoe last weekend I'm thinking maybe next Summer.

If you go, have fun and post a trip report with pictures.

Have been to SLT about 60 times since 1976. was married there back when CA required 3 day wait for a blood test. Anyway, Harveys is my favorite place to stay & play. underground tunnel to HARRAHS. for me LAKESIDE never cut it. like 51 says it's on the border so EMBASSY SUITES, FOREST INN in Ca are also choices, along with 100 mom & pop hotels. would never try to predict the weather in NOV for the SIERRA NEVADAS. been there in sunshine and blinding snow. to me u need a car for sure. have fun.

You could fly into Sacramento, but it is probably a hard 2 hour drive thru the mountains (although beautiful).

If you fly into reno, get in the car and do not be tempted to see Reno unless you have an urge for a photo op at the famous Reno sign. The drive from reno is not as challenging.

The ski areas rarely open before Thanksgiving (usually with only a few trails of man made snow) so that gives you an idea on snow probability While it may snow, most of the heavy blizzards don't hit the mountains until December & mountain people think any snowfall under a foot as flurries

Even if there is no snow a trip up the lift at heavenly is great. The boat trips on the lake are also great, not sure if they would be running in November.

Carson City which is on the way has some good sightseeing.

The casino hotels are decent, there also is an Embassy Suites next to Harrahs. There are also numerous condos for rent which may be cheap since it isn't summer or ski season

The first time I went, I used the South Tahoe Express for transportation to/from the lake from Reno's airport. I then rented a car for a day and explored the lake. If you rent a car in Reno, take the old Mt Rose Highway to Incline Village then continue around the lake. The view is incredible. You can either drive from Sacramento or take Amtrak (motor coach).

As you drive south to Stateline from Incline Village or Reno, there's a visitor's center and a park that offer very nice views of the lake. I don't believe the Tahoe Star runs in early November. However, if it does, take the tour to Emerald Bay.

There are several places to stay on the California side near Harrahs and Harveys including a couple Best Western properties. For lunch along the lake, I highly recommend the restaurant at Camp Richardson and the Lone Eagle Grill, Hyatt, Incline Village. My avatar photo was taken at the Lone Eagle Grill.

Wow - thanks for all the information. We're still in the talking about it stage. The earliest we would go is this November, but am thinking that next spring or summer is possible, too.

If/when we go, I'll definitely post a trip report.

Thanks again, everybody!

Early spring can be tricky as the mountain is open for skiing until sometime in April. As the snow melts off the mountain it creates a lot of mud.

We were there last August, the temp was in the low 80's; strong sun made it feel warmer. Overall very beautiful

Huge lake. In matter of fact so large you cannot look across and see shore on the other side. Not that you would go swimming in early November, but the lake water is extremely cold year round.

I haven't been there in over ten years, but I always loved it.

A car is a must - so many nice areas to see at the Lake. Would advise you to drive around the whole lake one day and stop whenever the mood hits. Kodak moments abound (sans bankruptcy). While the big casino hotels at Stateline give you proximity to gambling, check out the numerous places for rent (cabins, condos, etc.) near the lake - usually the closer you are to the shoreline the more expensive but well worth it - morning coffee as the sun rises over the lake; glass of wine watching the sunset - outstanding!

fredo