I already wrote a post about why Lake Tahoe is my favorite lake ever. In this post I want to share some tips that you might want to keep in mind when visiting this area, as I was probably quite unprepared when visiting Lake Tahoe for the first time. I since have been a few more times and always try to keep below things in mind.
Bring sunscreen.
This is my number one tip! Even though it might not be super hot out, the sun shines strong at Lake Tahoe, so definitely bring sunscreen. I actually got my worst sunburn from just hanging out at the beach for four hours (I think you can still see the bikini pattern). If you don't believe me - I'll hit you up with a really disturbing picture of my red back ;-)
Prepare for your hikes.
Keep in mind that even if you are going during the summer months, there might still be snow in some areas around the lake - after all, there are some high mountains. Because of that, some people also feel out of breath or light-headed while hiking due to the high elevation. Definitely bring your good hiking boots, sunscreen (we got that covered), sunglasses and enough drinks and snacks for along the way.
Prepare for the weather.
This means: bring layers. If you're going during the winter the sun might still be hot and if you're going during the summer, chances are that at night it will still be pretty cold. On the same day I got my bad sunburn, I also needed my winter jacket as we went for a walk during sunset and it got really chilly.
Go during spring or fall.
As I said in this post about why Lake Tahoe is my favorite lake ever, you can go anytime during the year and still have an amazing and exciting time. However, summer and winter are high seasons around this area, so it will be less crowded if you go during spring or fall.
Prepare for wildlife.
Growing up in Germany it is pretty unusual for me to go on a hike where I could possibly encounter bears or mountain lions. Those are pretty common in the US however, so for your own and the animal's sake you might want to inform yourself about what to do when encountering a bear or how to store your food while you are camping. You can simply look up information online like here and here.
Did I forget any helpful tips? Have you been to Lake Tahoe? What did you think?
Kate recommends: A great read when going to Tahoe is Factfulness by Hans Rosling. The subtitle reads “Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World - and Why Things Are Better Than You Think". Tahoe will make you forget about your stressful day-to-day business and enjoy nature and make you realise that, well, things are usually better than you think.