bkm10fl

We are considering a trip to Lake Tahoe/Yosemite in late July as an alternative to LasVegas/Grand Canyon/Phoenix. (Any folks who have been to both? Your comparisons are welcomed.)

We would be flying in/out of Reno, spending about 7-9 days. We will have our son, age 14 and possibly one of his friends. We are not interested in gambling or big crowds...more so nature and a little relaxation.

Any suggestions for a place to stay on Lake Tahoe? A cottage or resort is fine...something close to hiking and water sports, but no need for shopping or nightlife. Am I starting too late to get something good?

Also looking for suggestions for a place to stay in or near Yosemite. Also, what is must-see in the park?

Any additional things to see/do in the area? We are newbies.

Thanks in advance for your help!

enzian

Tahoe/Yosemite is a much better plan for July. The problem is going to be getting reservatins, especially at Yosemite.

At Tahoe, I can think of Camp Richardson, which is near South Shore but not in town. It is on the lake with a nice beach, and next to a state park with some wonderful old Tahoe mansions you can explore. The cabins are available only by the week, but they do have motel units. It's right on a bike path, and there is horseback riding across the road. The trailhead for hiking in Desolation Valley, or just up to a lovely waterfall near Glen Alpine, are just up the Fallen Leaf Lake road, also nearby.

http://www.camprichardson.com/

You'd need to call them about availability if it looks good on the website. I could happily spend a week just here.

Another possibility is Meeks Bay Resort, althoug I haven't stayed there:

http://www.meeksbayresort.com/

The drive from Tahoe to Yosemite down Hwy 395 and over Tioga Pass is spectacular.

You may still be able to get lodging in Yosemite, probably at Curry Village or Housekeeping camp in tent cabins.

If you can't find lodging at Yosemite, consider heading on down HWY 395 to Mammoth Lakes. There are many cabins for rent there, great hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and beautiful scenery.

enzian

Here is the website for Yosemite reservations (in the park):

http://www.yosemitepark.com/Reservations.aspx

I checked some random non-weekend dates in late July and found availablity at Curry Village (in Yosemite Valley) and at Tenaya Lodge, a nice motel with pool just outside the park.

You'll get lots of opinions about the tent cabins in the valley versus staying at a much nicer place outside the park, and driving in. I vote for the Valley, but we're hiking/backpacking types and don't mind the tent cabins. Actually, I would recommend staying in the tent cabins at Tuolumne Meadows, and driving down to the valley for a day visit, but I know the Tuolumne Lodge is fully booked.

If I were doing this trip with teenage boys (and I have, actually), I'd spend most of the time at Tahoe---even a week if necessary to get the right cabin--- and two or three nights at Yosemite. It's beautiful there, but not particularly "relaxing" in the summertime. And unless you are serious hikers, two full days are enough to see the valley, waterfalls, and Sequoias.

J_Correa

Another good place at Lake Tahoe is Zephyr Cove. They have cabins right on the lake, a nice beach, a dock where you can rent small boats and water toys. A couple boats for lake cruises dock there too. There is also a restaurant on site.

enzian

Zephyr Cove is indeed lovely. The problem there is if you wish to go anywhere else, particularly places like Emerald Bay on the California side, you have to drive through south shore, which is very urban and can take an hour to get through.

Suzie

Not if you get off the main road!

enzian

Ah--so there's a back way? I wish I'd known that the last time I tried to drive from Fallen Leaf to Reno, via the South Shore. Guess I should have looked at a map. Things have changed since I spent my summers up there!

TTess

Suzie - shhhh! No sharing.

BillJ

Stay at north shore, Incline Village, far from the madding crowds. Also, Sand Harbor, on the Nevada side, best beach.
However, wherever you stay, take your family on the Trukee River Raft Float trip. A real hoot for you and your teens.
Check out http://www.truckeeriverraft.com/taho...423/direct?c=1. We always have done this with our families, including a 3 year old. It is a very fun day.

Nora_S

Incline is OK, but it's condos, not cottages or cabins, and golf and tennis, not nature and hiking.

I think the real hiking is on the west (California) side. Echo Lake, Aloha Lake, Angora Lakes, Rockbound Valley.... all these names come back to me from my childhood. And Emerald Bay--walking down and spending a day at the beach there.

It's very possible to have a nice mountain lake experience at Tahoe with none of the gambling/casino/nightlife craziness.

J_Correa

I think the California side (west shore) is a nice option. I haven't stayed in that area as an adult, so I can't give any specific recommendations, but we have gone over to that area ride bikes and wander around, and it is very nice and peaceful. There is a great paved bike path along the lake and along the Truckee River.

Good point about traffic though. We haven't gone that late in the summer in a really long time, so traffic through Stateline and South Lake Tahoe has never really been an issue. For that reason, it might be better to stay on the west shore.

Suzie

In the summer I only stay on the west shore, in Homewood or Tahoma. Either in a cabin or camping at Sugar Pine's General Creek campground. The thing about trraffic is that it's fine unless you want to go to Tahoe City. Ick. Sunday at checkout time, around noon, can be backed up to Sunnyside. Other times on the weekends can be really bad too.

The rest of the west side is great.

Here's the rental company we use:

enjoytahoe.com

bkm10fl

Thanks so much for your advice!

elnap29

You've been given lots of good suggestions. Tahoe will be fun for the teens. Another option is North Shore area. My teens loved going to King's Beach (which they preferred over the private beach for the cabin we rented). I don't recall any decent places to stay IN King's Beach, but we once rented a lovely cottage on the water at Franciscan Lakeside Lodge, and some people really like the place next door (Mouralato's?). At King's Beach there are lots of activities and watercraft rentals. My own teenagers loved bringing the 2-man raft and paddling around. We also enjoyed all the bike paths at Tahoe. There's a terrific flat one from Camp Richardson to all the beaches on that side of the lake. It is off the highway so it's like hiking on a bike. There's an excellent bike trail from Tahoe City to Sugar Pine and also one from Tahoe City along the Truckee River. Many many hiking opportunities, too.
Contact a realty office and you may be able to rent a house or cabin in Dollar Point near Tahoe City, which usually includes pool access as well as beach access. Yes, Tahoe City has terible traffic, but just plan to stay out of it as much as possible.