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California Travel

Retreat To Lake Tahoe

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One Christmas break we traded our cool comfy winter day for the fresh, powdery snow,  scenic vistas,  and pristine waters. Tahoe has everything you need for the perfect snowy retreat. So, grab your coffee and get comfy… I’m here to take you on a Frozen adventure!

We headed off for a fantastic weekend in Lake Tahoe. It’s a lazy 4-hour drive from our home in San Jose, so it makes for an easy weekend getaway… and like every easy weekend retreat, this one started off with not much planning and a lot of exploring/figuring out on the way… Just when we were getting tired of the traffic jam around Sacramento, we were greeted by the tall hills and it made the anticipation of a weekend of skiing and tubing even greater.

Weekend in Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe during winter, snowy road

The more we climbed up the hills—we were awestruck. Krish, more of a Lake Tahoe regular, couldn’t wipe the smile from his face either. We were amazed by the tall pine trees, craggy cliffs, and the fresh mountain air. South LT is a busy little town filled with local clothing boutiques, shops, restaurants, and casinos.

Weekend in Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe during winter, South Lake Tahoe

You need to be wary of the weather, it’s a pleasant drive through snow cleared roads one minute, and an uncontrollable Tokyo drift the next. It’s always advisable to carry snow chains in Tahoe during the winter months, thankfully we bought our chains @Ace Hardware before making the ascent… And when the conditions got bad (and boy did it turn quick!), we ended up on our hands and knees on the side of the icy roads struggling to install the chains, and we were really prepared for it – in our sneakers and light woolen mitts.

Weekend in Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe during winter, snowy road

After arriving and getting settled at Lakeside Inn. It’s time to explore places nearby. On the first night, we had dinner at @Lakeside beach house and enjoyed the beautiful sunset.

The next day we woke up to a snow-covered car and spent 20 minutes clearing the windshield/car of the snow and we were off to Sand Harbor Beach, three miles south of Incline Village. It was super cold and there was a wide strip of frozen sand mixed together with snow. Only a mile south of Sand Harbor is the famous Bonsai rock. It was a tricky path to take during the winter, but if you are in for an adventure, then it is definitely worth it to see this iconic spot. 

Weekend in Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe during winter, snowy trails

In the afternoon we grabbed a quick lunch @Heidi’s Pancake House. 

Wheee!!! Tubing is one of my favorite fun activities. Adventure Peak tubing hill is in the middle of Heavenly Ski Resort. We took the gondola from the Heavenly Village to Adventure Peak. Another beautiful sunset on the lake ended the day nicely. 

The next morning we took the aerial tram at Squaw Valley for some breath-taking views of the Sierras and ended up at “High Camp” 8,200 feet above sea level – a picturesque area that offers to dine, and shopping. Next, we drove from the North Lake to the South and it has many beautiful views of the lake and the surrounding hills throughout (the lake is enormous, y’all!).

Weekend in Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe during winter, snowy road

The next morning we headed to Emerald Bay which offers some of the best lake vistas on Tahoe. It’s also one of the only places on Lake Tahoe with the potential to freeze over – a perfect finale for our weekend. 

Weekend in Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe during winter, snowy road, Emerald Bay

Have you been to Lake Tahoe before? Do you have any favorite spots or things to do?

Me On Everything

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11 COMMENTS

  • Chris

    Interesting Read !!

    • Navina Rajendran
      AUTHOR

      Thank you so much 🙂

  • Ram pretish

    The photos and words grab me to that location literally. Great work

    • Navina Rajendran
      AUTHOR

      Thank you so much 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it

  • Nidia Gonzalez

    I’ve been to Lake Tahoe when I was little, but I’ve NEVER been to it in the Winter. Now I definitely want to visit!

    • Navina Rajendran
      AUTHOR

      Soon we will plan for a trip 🙂

  • Saranya

    Nice narration, makes me want to visit! And what beautiful pictures! 🙂

  • Krishna

    Takes me back to Lake Tahoe 🙂

  • DeeFitz

    Oh Navina. I am always amazed to think of you (and now Krishna too) in these learning adventures. It thrills my heart to read of your delight as you burst through doors of experience and roll around in the joy of discovery!
    Keep up the good work on this blog.
    Love to your home, D

  • Robyn Jones

    These are beautiful photos and I loved the way you told about your retreat because it felt like I was along on the trip, too. Now I can’t wait to check out this town; I haven’t seen much snow since moving to L.A. almost 5 years ago. ⛷💯🙏🏽

  • Fiona

    I’ve heard a lot about Lake Tahoe lately! I think that means I need to add it to my bucket list

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