Getting to South Lake Tahoe

The entire Lake Tahoe area is about 200 miles east of San Francisco and just 30 miles west of Reno Nevada, lying on the border between California and Nevada. And the South Lake Tahoe area is easily accessible by any mode of transportation, be it automobiles, airplanes, or even via train system. Travelers are frequent the whole year round as the South Lake Tahoe area is host to many different activities on any given season. Hotels, inns, and restaurants are abound, but it would be wise to book early especially during peak season.

To get to the South Lake Tahoe area by car, you can drive through a few all-weather highways that lead you straight there. Most of these highways lie near the I-80 as well, so they are easily identifiable. Drivers and would-be visitors can either opt to take US50 East over Echo Summit, CA88 North coming in from Stockton, CA207 over the Kingsbury Grade, US 395up to 50 West at Carson City, and Highway 431 that goes over Mount Rose if you're coming from the Reno, Nevada area.

Another option that travelers can opt to try out, especially during ski season, is to get there by bus. Taking the bus is one way for you to rest your heels and relax during ski season, letting someone do the honors of taking you to the South Lake Tahoe area, as winter storms can definitely slow down your travel time. One of the options for bus lines is the Bay Area Ski Bus, which picks up in Belmont, Corte Madera, Novato, Oakland, Pleasanton, San Francisco, Santa Clara, and Walnut Creek. Another bus line is the NAC SKI which picks up passengers from Berkeley, Concord, Dublin, Milpitas, Pleasanton, Redwood City, San Francisco, San Jose, San Mateo, and on occasion Sacramento.

Getting to South Lake Tahoe via airplane is of course one other viable option. The nearest commercial airports can take you as far as Sacramento where South Lake Tahoe is just 2 hours away. Landing in Reno, Nevada would take you closer and cut down your remaining land travel upon landing down to just 30 minutes. Charter flights are also available with a company called Big Foot Air, which can take you directly to Lake Tahoe from San Francisco. Gary Air is another service you can make use of, as they offer air taxi services from several California airports.

And if you are more of an old fashioned traveler and would like to see remaining glimpses of what's left from the old frontier, then getting to South Lake Tahoe by train is the mode of transportation for you. The Amtrak California Zephyr Route can take you and your family and friends straight to a stop in the nearby town of Truckee.