Lake Tahoe - May Vacation Advice
 

Planning a 1 week visit in late May (sometime during the last 2 weeks). We are looking for relaxation, scenery, hiking, biking, mountains, lake stuff. Access to a cute/quaint town (restaurants, small shops, art galleries) would be nice. Not looking for glitz or casinos. We’ve never been to the area but from what we’ve researched so far, we are looking at the North/West Shore area between Tahoma and Tahoe Vista.

Any advice on places to stay with a lake view? We are traveling as a couple and prefer B&Bs or small Inns as opposed to big resorts. Small condo is also ok. Romantic is a plus.

Also, will the parks, restaurants, etc. be open this time of year or are we a little too early to take full advantage of things? Is May too early to enjoy outside activities? 60's are ok for us but highs in the low-mid 50's is a little cooler than we would like.

Lots of questions, I know. Thanks for any help.

I can't help with lodging or time of year, but I can tell you it's a great location for biking (bike path on the west shore), and great hiking (so many choices, Shirley Lake at Squaw Valley, Five Lakes at Alpine Meadows, DL Bliss/Emerald Bay among others). For casual eating, Firesign Cafe is great for lunch, the Bridgetender has excellent burgers, Jason's in King's Beach has decent prime rib, Lanza's is good traditional red sauce Italian), Squeeze Inn in Truckee is excellent for breakfast, and Bar of America in Truckee is very good (both the bar side and the dining room side).

It's a stretch, but the main street in Truckee is about the only thing that will come close to "cute/quaint".

Tahoe doesn't do 'quaint'. :) that is if you mean historic little towns. Besides Tahoe City (which isn't a 'city') there are no actual 'towns' except Incline village and South Lake Tahoe There are built up areas all around the lake and some burgs like Kings Beach. galleries, cafes, restaurants are scattered around the whole area. As MichelleY says, Truckee fit the bill a little as a place with an historic downtown.

As for it being to early, I spend some time in May every year at Incline and some years it is in the 80's and some years there is snow. But we are in a serious drought so there has been virtually no snow all season. No trails will be closed that I can think of. The only places that might be closed are those that went out of business because of the lack of a ski season. Daytime temps could be anywhere from the mid-high 60's to the 80's. night time temps will be cool to cold, even frosty. 60's at Tahoe seems warmer somehow, probably because of the altitude.

May is a great time to visit because nothing is crowded.


Re accommodations, What is your budget?

More west than you mention, but West Shore Cafe has very nice and $$$ rooms. Sunnyside is also nice with great views. We make an annual trip to Tahoe and eat at least once at the West Shore Cafe each summer. Truckee has shops, restaurants, enough for a few hours. We also like staying around Incline.

West Shore Cafe is wonderful, right on the lake. We stayed there a few years ago and loved it.

Thanks for the quick responses. Our budget for lodging is pretty flexible but we would like to keep it to under $200 per night. That said, we would go a little higher for the right spot. Our priority is a lake view with a patio/balcony to enjoy it. We don't require high end luxury.

Also, another question: Has anyone been to Lassen Volcanic National Park? Is it doable as a day trip from Lake Tahoe and, if so, is it worth a visit?

Are you flying into Reno or Sacramento or some other airport?
Yes I've been to Lassen. It is in my bottom 5 National Parks. Yosemite and Crater lake are in my top 5. From South Tahoe you can probably make it to Yosemite Valley in less time than to Lassen.

Lassen would not be a day trip from Tahoe. Anything lake view, even modest, will not be cheap. But May is low season, so you may be in luck,

May gets you extreme bargains - but I can't personally think of places with lakeside balconies for $200. Lake view certainly.

No, Lassen is not a day trip from any part of Lake Tahoe (nor is Yosemite )

I just thought - the Firelite Lodge in Tahoe Vista might be within your budget.

Lassen is fabulous but it's too far from Lake Tahoe for a day trip.

Thanks, everyone, for the information. Given that it is low season we actually have a few options with lake view that meet our budget.