レイク・タホのツアー＆アクティビティ

Ranked by traveller reviews: 1) a two-hour sailing cruise from Tahoe City or the South Shore, 2) the Emerald Bay scenic cruise past Fannette Island, 3) the East Shore Trail by e-bike, 4) a clear-kayak tour of Sand Harbor, 5) a sunset or dinner cruise, 6) an Emerald Bay helicopter flight, 7) the Lake Tahoe 101 full-lake tour, 8) the hike to Eagle Falls and Vikingsholm, 9) the Heavenly gondola and observation deck and 10) the Wild West day trip to Virginia City.

Plan three to four days. Day one: drive to Inspiration Point early, hike to Vikingsholm and Eagle Falls, take an afternoon Emerald Bay cruise and ride the Heavenly gondola at sunset. Day two: Sand Harbor first thing (the lot fills by 9am in summer) for a clear-kayak tour, then the East Shore Trail by bike. Day three: the circle drive — Tahoe City, the Truckee River, Kings Beach, Incline Village and the Mount Rose lookout. Day four: parasailing, a Rim Trail hike or Virginia City.

Inspiration Point and the Emerald Bay overlook, the Eagle Falls trail, Vikingsholm’s beach (castle tours cost extra), the East Shore Trail bike path, Kings Beach and Commons Beach, Taylor Creek’s underwater viewing chamber and Kokanee salmon in October, the Tallac Historic Site, Cave Rock and the boulders at Bonsai Rock and Chimney Beach, sunrise at Sand Harbor before the gate opens, the Van Sickle waterfall trail and Donner Memorial State Park’s shore in Truckee. Parking is the main cost at most trailheads.

Virginia City’s Wild West main street and the V&T steam train (one hour; tours from about $80), Truckee’s historic downtown and Donner Lake (30 minutes), Reno (one hour), Carson City and Genoa (45 minutes), the Mount Rose summit trail (30 minutes from Incline Village), Hope Valley and Carson Pass for wildflowers and autumn aspens (45 minutes) and, for a very long day, Yosemite (four hours each way; 15-hour tours from South Lake Tahoe cost about $270).

A sunset or dinner cruise, the casinos and shows at Stateline (Harrah’s, Harveys, Bally’s), Heavenly Village’s bars, ice rink and cinema, stargazing on Sand Harbor or Baldwin Beach — Tahoe’s skies are exceptionally dark — the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival on the beach at Sand Harbor in July and August, live music at the Crystal Bay Club on the North Shore, the Alex Ramon magic show and, in winter, night skiing at Heavenly.

Ski or snowboard at Heavenly, Palisades Tahoe, Northstar, Kirkwood, Mount Rose and a dozen smaller hills, snowshoe to Emerald Bay’s overlook, sled at Adventure Mountain, ride the Heavenly gondola for the snowy-lake view, skate at Heavenly Village or Northstar, take a sleigh ride in Hope Valley and warm up in the Stateline casinos. Boat cruises pause or run limited winter schedules; SnowFest in Tahoe City fills late February with parades and polar plunges.

The Emerald Bay cruise, Sand Harbor’s shallow coves, the Heavenly gondola and Epic Discovery’s mountain coaster and ziplines, kayak or pedal-boat hire at Kings Beach and Tahoe City, the Taylor Creek stream profile chamber, the Vikingsholm castle tour, Kiva Beach, the Tallac Historic Site, the V&T train in Virginia City, sledding and beginner ski lessons in winter, and the High Camp pool at Palisades Tahoe in summer.

July to September for the water — August is warmest, September quietest and still warm. June has snowmelt waterfalls but a cold lake; October brings golden aspens and salmon. December to March is ski season, with the biggest snow in January and February. Late spring (April–May) is muddy shoulder season with many businesses closed.

Yes — Emerald Bay is the most photographed place in Tahoe, and only from the water do you see Fannette Island, the Vikingsholm castle and the bay’s turquoise shallows together; the two-hour cruises and sailing trips are the highest-rated experiences on the lake. Choose a morning departure for the calmest water and the clearest colour, or the sunset sail for the light on the peaks.