San Francisco - Tahoe
 

We will be flying to San Francisco and spending several nights and will then rent a car and drive to the Hyatt Regency Tahoe for the remainder of our vacation. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to stop/what to see on our way to Tahoe? <BR> <BR>Thanks for your help.

Meg, it's such a short drive, I don't think you need to stop anywhere unless you find the scenery particularly pretty along the way. I would just get to Tahoe asap and enjoy being there instead.

Meg, Almost agree w/ the preceeding post but you may wish to go north over the Golden Gate Bridge and cut across thru Sonoma/Napa Valleys. You can then take Hwy 12 back to I-80. Since the Hyatt is on Tahoe's No. Shore, I'd suggest that when you come thru Sacramento, you switch over to Hwy 50 and go up to So.shore Lake Tahoe then go up either the Nevada side or Calif side of Tahoe to the Hyatt. The Calif side has the best scenery but the Nev side will get you there quicker. <BR>But, Hwy 50 is not the big Interstate like I-80 SO CHECK OUT THE WEATHER IN THE SIERRAS QUITE CAREFULLY! <BR>If you go the direct, I-80 route, you may wish to stop at Donner Lake to see where The Donner Party spent a hard winter! Truckee is a pretty cool old railroad/lumber/mining town. And one exit before the main Truckee exit will take you to/by Squaw Valley and then to Tahoe. <BR> <BR>If you like trains, Sacramento is home of the best Railroad Museums around. It's in Old Town Sacto, right off I-5. <BR> <BR>Good luck and, once again, keep an eye on the weather since you didn't mention when you're going. <BR>Kal

Can anyone help with the drive from San Fancisco to South Lake Tahoe in Feb. Any ideas about the road conditions in the Sierra - along Hwy 50 at this time of year. Does one need to have chains? <BR>Thanks

If you mean by "this time of year" right now, it varies storm to storm. There are ample warnings on the radio and from CHP which has an 800 number to call. You can rent chains on the way, sometimes they will even put them on for you, and then they require a hefty deposit so you'll bring them back, but it's pretty easy. We don't go up to Tahoe much so I don't pay too much attention, but I think they've announced chains 2 or 3 times this season. (we're actually a little behind in snowfall.)

Per the other SF/SLT post.... <BR>Cal Trans 1-800-427-7623

Assuming fair weather, what's the drive time between San Francisco and Stateline in late March? Would this be on the I-80 and how easy or difficult is the drive? Thanks in advance for your help.

Allen, I've used the term "Stateline" when referring to either <BR>No. or So. Shore Tahoe. <BR> <BR>If you mean No. Shore near Truckee and Squaw Valley, you're on I-80. <BR>Assuming good weather and decent traffic from SF it could be around 4hrs. <BR> <BR>Could be longer to So. Shore Tahoe(Harrah's, Harvey's, Embassy Suites, Ceaser') from SF since HWY 50 is a bit more curvey and is 1 lane for a few stretches. You have to go thru Placerville and you can hit some major traffic snarls during rush hour. <BR> <BR>When it's good weather and we're not in a hurry, we drive up I-80 and come down the Nevada side of the lake to So. Shore. Beautiful drive. <BR> <BR>Good luck.

We go to North Shore3-4 times in the winter Jan, Feb, March.We always go I 80.The snow storms can appear in any 24 hr.period--ALWAYS watch the weather reports AND call Cal-Trans for road conditions. Highway 50 IS beautiful but several 10 mile stretches of only two lanes.IMO I 80 is the safest and more likely to be kept open. <BR>After you get to the Hyatt you can explore the areas around the Lake