Where to Stay at Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe offers so many choices of where to stay in terms of accommodation types and prices one needs a way to narrow down the options. You will find we have broken the choices down by general location which will also generally align with areas of vacation interest.

Truckee is the nearest major community situated on the most major road through the area, Interstate 80. Truckee started life as a wicked, tin-roofed town to support the entertainment needs of the construction workers of the first transcontinental railroad. Truckee refused to be tamed for a hundred years, even the saloons continued to operate during prohibition. Truckee kept its wild-west ambience until the 1960 Olympic Games in nearby Squaw Valley.

Truckee offers several choices of lodgings and might be the first choice for vacationers just traveling through the area and hoping to see a few highlights of the lake in a day or two, as Truckee is just a few miles north of Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe's North Shore offers quiet towns near the lake and is often the choice for families and those seeking to get close to nature. Several water sport options are available including swimming and boating. Hiking trails are also nearby.

The North Shore also boasts some of the area's finest ski resorts including the always impressive and challenging Squaw Valley Ski Resort mentioned above, site of the 1960 Olympic Games. Golf and horseback riding are also available for those interested in outdoor pastimes.

Tahoe City, Carnelian Bay and Kings Beach are the major communities on the California side of the North Shore. Crossing over to the State of Nevada brings one to the Incline Village area where more skiing is available along with water sports and other outdoor activities.

Lake Tahoe's South Shore offers many lodging possibilities as well as the most excitement and most population. The city of South Lake Tahoe, on the California side of the South Shore, is the largest city on the lake.

West of South Lake Tahoe is Emerald Bay, a stunningly beautiful inlet off the lake. The bay is a park offering hiking and boating possibilities. East of South Lake Tahoe one crosses the state line and will find an assortment of Las Vegas style gaming casinos. Among the choices are the Mirabelle, Harrah's, Harvey's Resort and the MontBleu. Prices cover a wide range and the casinos also offer entertainment and a range of dining options as well as all the popular gambling choices.

Lake Tahoe's Ski Resorts are scattered over a wide area so they have their own classification here, only because they all are designed to cater to one group of vacationers. That group is the legions of hard-core and wanna-be skiers who flock to the slopes each winter to enjoy some of the finest downhill and cross-country skiing the world has to offer.

Tahoe's ski resorts also offer a full range of prices and quality levels for accommodations. Read the article about each of the resorts to find the ones that sound best suited for your needs.

Lake Tahoe offers so much for your vacation dollar that it's hard to go wrong. But to make sure you are making the best choices about where to stay at Lake Tahoe, continue reading the articles on each location.