bmswan

Greetings! My hubby (58yo) and I (51yo) will have one day in Tahoe in late April. We like easy-moderate hikes. We want to do the must-see things. We will arrive in Reno at 9:35a.m., rent a car, and depart for a quick day's adventure. What would you do? Additionally, there's a chance we might have one or two half days to steal away back to Tahoe (or would you suggest somewhere else). Again...what would you do? Of note: Hubby is big Bonanza fan. Is it worth driving to the Ponderosa on one of the half days?

janisj

April will very likely be too early to do much hiking. We've bee having hellacious amounts of snow and more is on the way. It will still be gorgeous but many trails will be snow bound. Maybe head to south shore and ride up the Heavenly gondola for a view over the entire region, then drive around the east side of the lake and visit Sand Harbor (the most gorgeous bit of the entire basin)

The Ponderosa Ranch has been closed for years.

From Reno You could do an easy day trip to Virginia City.

MmePerdu

Is your entire itinerary Reno with the exception of that first day and possible half days? There are a number of interesting places at lower elevations (little or no snow) to explore on the western side of the Sierras and easily reached via I-80 from Reno.

tomfuller

There is an interesting museum in Carson City. Samuel Clemmens brother lived in Carson City. There is a sign in front of the house but I don't think they have tours.

jamie99

We stayed in Tahoe a number of years ago and I really enjoyed driving all around the lake and seeing the various towns and how they differed a bit from each other.
We were lucky enough to visit the Ponderosa Ranch (this was like I said years ago) and enjoyed it.
If we had more time I would have taken a boat ride out on the lake.

sf7307

Boats don't operate that early in the season. This year, you'll be more likely to find snowshoeing more than hiking.

Christina

I go to South Lake Tahoe every year or so to go skiing and I think there are boats operating that early, some maybe all year.

This company, for example, has daytime scenic cruises you can book even in February.
http://www.zephyrcove.com/cruises/da...cenic-cruises/

janisj

Yes, the MS Dixie runs a limited schedule, but on a likely cool/cold short day at Tahoe it would be a HUGE time eater. I sure wouldn't

mlm59

We drove to Tahoe from Reno for the day. It was in June, so the weather was warm and sunny. The drive around the west side of the lake up to Truckee, CA was spectacular. We visited the Donner Party memorial and then ate a restaurant in Truckee. Again, it was June and we sat outside and admired the neat town of Truckee. We also spent part of another day going to Virginia City. It was a fun place to visit. If you go there, make sure to stop in at the Catholic Church. The docent gave us a lot of interesting information.

janisj

There is one HECK of a difference between June and April . . .

( owner of a condo at incline, not a one-time or occasional visitor)

sf7307

There is one HECK of a difference between June and April

As in:

April, average high in Truckee 55 degree, average precipitation 2.5+ inches, average snowfall 18+ inches
June, average high in Truckee 74 degrees, average precipitation .7 inches, average snowfall, 1/2 inch