My wife and I are going to South Lake Tahoe in August, 2012, and would like to have some day trip recommendations with moderate hiking included. Also, would appreciate any other special things to do in the area that aren't too touristy. Thanks for any suggestions.

The capitol building in Carson City followed by one of the things on the left side of this web page.
http://www.visitcarsoncity.com/attractions/capitol.php
Hope that it is not too hot when you are there.

Echo Lakes

If you go to Carson City, eat at Adele's Restaurant. Old historic Victorian house with fabulous food.

This might be a bit touristy, but the Heavenly gondola ride is a great way to get an incredible view of Lake Tahoe. I think, but am not sure, that you can do some hiking on this excursion as well.

You should try to hike the Rubicon Trail. Such great views of the lake not seen from any road. Park at DL Bliss and walk to the mouth of Emerald Bay. Then you can walk back. If you do the rest of the hike all the way into Emerald Bay you could take the Nifty Fifty Trolly back to DL Bliss but it's a long walk to the parking lot from the trolly stop.

While boating last Tuesday we could still see plenty of water gushing from Eagle Falls. You can hike to there and then to Eagle Lake beyond. The trail starts at Eagle Falls Picnic Area, highway 89 across from Emerald Bay. Fill out your permit on site before you head out. The hike is only about 2 miles round trip to Eagle Lake (only about 1/3 mile to the falls); You will cross Eagle Falls on a steel footbridge.

Though Cascade Falls may have little water the views on the hike are great.
Go to the end of Bayview Campground at Emerald Bay. The trailhead begins at the end of the campground. There is some parking. Stay left.

I love the shortish hike to Angora Lakes. Spending the day around the lake is nice. I am always in awe of the granite surrounding the lake.
Take Highway 89 north approximately 3 miles from South Lake Tahoe to Fallen Leaf Lake Road and turn left. Turn left at the first paved road. Continue to Forest Service Road 12N14 and turn right. Continue past Angora Lookout to the road's end at the parking lot. There is a parking fee.

Hike to Eagle Rock near Tahoe City. It's short and steepish but so worth the effort. Views are amazing. To reach the trailhead, drive about five miles south of Tahoe City on Highway 89, the trail starts off the road between Mile Marker 67 and 68. and park in the lot just south of Eagle Rock, where you will find an information kiosk.

Thanks for all of the replys. It sounds like there are some good day trips and hikes there so looking forward to trip. We went to Park City last year and it was perfect for hiking within a couple hours of the town so hoping South Lake Tahoe is similar.

If you go to Carson City, there is a great museum that I've been to many times.

They currently have a great collection of old slot machine and gambling machines.

An alternative. Take the old Pony Express trail up and over the local mountain to Gardnerville. There you will find an excellent Basque restaurant, JT Basque Restaurant. I've been going there since I was a small child.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/j-t-basque-b...gardnerville-2

I also suggest Echo Lake. There is a water taxi that takes you across the lake to some beautiful trails.

We enjoyed walking the Rubicon Trail.

Loved biking the West Shore Bike Path

The bike path is great - just biked 32 miles on it a couple of weekends ago.

Here's a map (mostly accurate). Be aware that the paved off-the-road path only goes from Squaw Valley or Dollar Point to Tahoma (nearer to South Lake).

http://www.tahoesbest.com/sites/all/...es/Btrails.pdf

(there's a better map available, but the site appears to be down right now).

The bike path does go a little further south than Tahoma since we always ride on it when we camp at Sugar Pine. It stop before Meeks Bay though which is a bummer. The bike path around Sugar Pine is very pretty and in the trees. We really enjoy that section as it's really quiet.

Yeah, I used Tahoma because it's easy to find on the map! It actually ends just past the Ehrman Mansion. Here's a color map.

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/assets/pdf/NA23570717.PDF