Fall for Lake Tahoe

Water Adventures on Lake Tahoe

09.12.2018

Get Up, Stand-up! Rent a stand-up paddleboard at Kings Beach Recreational Area, a lively enclave surrounded by cool shops, restaurants, and plenty of places to rent kayaks and paddleboards. Even for beginners, stand-up paddleboarding is a fun way to explore Lake Tahoe. Stick close to shore to enjoy teal coves with giant boulders ideal for sunbathing.

Paddle from a State Park: Rent a kayak and explore Lake Tahoe from the east shore at Sand Harbor State Park. (Get an early start as the parking lot fills quickly.) This beach area has picnicking and day use facilities, along with kayak and paddleboard rental. Explore the clear waters accented by hulking boulders, with high-rising Mount Tallac across the way. Discover beach after beach and find tucked-away coves perfect for taking a quick dip.

Find Hidden Beach: It’s really called Hidden Beach! Located just south of Incline Village near Tunnel Creek Road, this secluded spot has limited parking, but early birds are treated to a sandy beach with rocky alcoves. Another picturesque beach you can hike to is Chimney Beach, named after a stone chimney that still stands on the lakeshore. This is a popular spot during summer, but late season and fall see fewer people. Bonus: Chimney Beach is dog-friendly!

Change Is Good: Change up your Lake Tahoe routine and make your weekend home base in Reno (aka the Biggest Little City in the World). It’s close to Tahoe’s shores and is quickly emerging as a hotspot for craft breweries, a lively river walk with restaurants, and Instagram-worthy Burning Man art installations.

Visit our sponsor Reno Tahoe

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories

Napa's Wild Side
It’s wine country’s Amazon. The gentle Napa River is an ecological—and recreational—delight. And Napa Valley Paddle sets you up for maximum enjoyment of this experience.
View
Been There, Dome That
Surrounded by granite domes, craggy peaks, and miles of hiking trails, the High Sierra landscape of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park is famous for good reason. For a truly grand view, take a short hike to bold—and bald (except for snow at times)—Lembert Dome.
View
Wapama Wows
Hetch Hetchy can be overlooked in Yosemite National Park because of its more remote location and limited facilities. But this is where you’ll also find one of the best day hikes in the park: Wapama Falls.
View
Muir Woods Through the Backdoor
A backdoor entrance into Muir Woods? Hike a tranquil trail that starts in Mount Tamalpais State Park and quietly leads into Muir Woods, letting you avoid the busyness of the main parking area.
View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories

Inn-spiration Point!
For more than a century, people have been hiking or mountain biking to West Point Inn for good reason. Perched at 1,785 feet on the southern slope of Mount Tamalpais, the historic inn has sweeping views from the Marin Headlands to the San Francisco skyline.
View
A Thousand Steps to Paradise
A picture is worth a thousand words, but is a gorgeous beach in Laguna worth a thousand steps? The answer is yes, though the question is moot, because it’s only 223 steep steps down to the 400-yard stretch of sand known as 1000 Steps Beach.
View
Sponsored
Take the Exit to the Best of the San Francisco Peninsula
The San Francisco Peninsula is proof that some of Northern California’s greatest surprises are hiding just off Highway 101. All you have to do is take the exit.
View
Lookout for This View!
Sierra Buttes Lookout, at a lofty 8,591 feet, is a memory maker for its pucker-worthy stairway to the tower’s balcony. It's a 5-mile (round-trip) hike to reach it. And the reward? Epic!
View