Although this page offers plenty of legitimate information about traveling to and through the Lake Tahoe Region, I admit that aspects of it borderline on being self-indulgent. But you’d be surprised at some of the questions I’ve been asked over the years about Lake Tahoe! So grab a cup of coffee. Then, sit down, gain some knowledge, and have a chuckle or two over the following Q&A session.
The mission of Tahoe Trail Guide is to provide information, education, and inspiration for all people seeking to recreate outdoors.
Does Tahoe Trail Guide provide actual guiding services?
No. It’s challenging to obtain the necessary permits and legal rights to become an actual guide at Lake Tahoe. There’s a movement to make that process easier. However, right now I’m not willing to assume the responsibility or liability inherent with full guiding operations.
Instead, think of Tahoe Trail Guide as a guidebook or users’ guide to venturing into Tahoe’s backcountry via hiking shoes or boots, cross-country skis, and snowshoes. Just know that although I attempt to be as accurate as possible with the information I provide on Tahoe Trail Guide, ultimately your safety is your responsibility.
Double check, confirm, verify … your gear, route, emergency plans, and exit strategy using multiple sources, if need be, in order to be safe while embarking on your backcountry adventure. In other words … measure twice, cut once.
Does Tahoe Trail Guide rent backcountry gear?
No. Right now I’m not willing to assume the responsibility and liability or go through the legal hoops inherent with running a rental service.
I also don’t have adequate storage space to house an inventory of rental gear.
Does Tahoe Trail Guide write gear reviews?
No. However, I provide a number of different “systems” reviews where I discuss and show the pros/cons of various outdoor-related systems such as water filtration, backcountry cookware, and classic cross-country skis.
The reason I don’t provide gear reviews of specific products is that there are already plenty of other resources available in which to help you decide on a specific item or piece of gear.
The most helpful and comprehensive gear review website I’ve found is Outdoor Gear Lab, which also happens to be a Tahoe-based company.
And then there are plenty of sites such as Amazon and REI that provide customer-based reviews of specific products.
Support Tahoe Trail Guide with a financial contribution via PayPal (single contribution) or Patreon (reoccurring contributions). Your support of Tahoe Trail Guide is very much appreciated!
When is the best time to go into the Tahoe backcountry?
There is no bad time to go into Tahoe’s backcountry.
The weather may not be as favorable some days, but just remember that there’s no bad weather, only bad gear.
And, some places may be a little more crowded than others on the holidays and weekends, but Tahoe’s backcountry is a year-round playground. You just need to be mentally and physically prepared to endure whatever conditions you may encounter.
Summer is pretty standard for backpacking and winter is pretty standard for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. However, there are always the exceptions so be prepared for snow in the summer and sun in the winter.
When is the best time to visit Lake Tahoe?
Mid-week. Avoid, if at all possible, driving up to Lake Tahoe on Friday and leaving on Sunday.
I realize this sounds crazy, but there are so many better ways you could spend your time other than being trapped in your car (on HWYs 50/80) for 5-12 hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic during a snowstorm.
The weekend norm during the 2016/17 Snowpocalypse/Snowmageddon was that it took people 6-10 hours to drive to and from the Bay Area. Some families described to me their 12 hour sagas driving from San Francisco, which normally takes 4-5 hours. That is crazy, so I recommend visiting mid-week if possible to avoid all of that nonsense and overcrowding.
Even shifting your trip to Lake Tahoe by a day or two would make a huge difference (i.e. Thurs-Sat or Sat-Mon).
The water in Lake Tahoe is so clear, can you drink it?
No. Clarity is not an indication of purity.
Assume that all water sources across the world have been contaminated, even those picturesque alpine lakes found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Lake Tahoe.
At what elevation do deer turn into moose?
Technically this is not a question that I was asked. However, a co-worker’s brother, who worked for the Forest Service, was asked this exact question.
Need I even answer that?
Why aren’t trailheads and parking areas clearly marked at Lake Tahoe?
Great question, but I don’t have an answer. There’s no logical or rational explanation for the lack of signage.
Probably the belief is that the signs would somehow detract from the Lake Tahoe wilderness experience. Instead, it only serves to confuse visitors and causes them to drive aimlessly down the road and in and out of normally quiet neighborhoods.
Who knows, maybe it’s just so that Tahoe locals can have another thing to be pissed off about with regard to visitors.
Rest assured that I do my best to provide accurate descriptions about where to park.
What does it mean to be a Tahoe local?
Never have I lived in a place where it mattered so much to people to be considered “local.” I’ve been living and working here permanently since 2005. However, because I’m not so damned adamant about thumping my chest and making it known to everyone that I’m local, I sometimes feel like I’m not a local.
And by some of the old guards’ standards I’m not local because I wasn’t born here, haven’t raised kids here, don’t own a house here, and I make as few town visits as possible.
But since 2005, South Lake Tahoe has been my primary residence.
My vehicle has been registered here, I vote here, and I receive a summons for jury duty 1-3 times per year (yes, you read that correctly). That part about jury duty is one of the many “badges of honor” we locals wear because it’s such a ridiculous thing that we’re put on notice so frequently every year.
I’ve also earned an Associate’s degree from Lake Tahoe Community College, volunteered at numerous community service events and fundraisers around Lake Tahoe, been a substitute teacher and assistant wrestling coach within the Lake Tahoe Unified School District, and I’ve held multiple part-time jobs at the same time to make ends meet (yet another badge of honor of being “local”).
That day-to-day, nuts and bolts kind of stuff is what I think of when I use the term local.
So, I mean no disrespect when I say this, but to me it would be a big stretch for a person to call themselves local if they simply owned a vacation home up here and visited it a few times a year.
I also think it’s a stretch to call oneself local if you’re only here for a season and then planning to move on.
Lake Tahoe is a transient location. So, until you permanently set roots I wouldn’t be out there advertising that you’re local.
On the other hand, it irritates me to no end to hear longtime Tahoe locals perpetually badmouth second homeowners, visitors, guests, tourists … because they’re “ruining” our small town.
This is ludicrous because Lake Tahoe’s economy is, and always has been, based on one form or another of tourism.
I come from an upper Midwest small town, so I can say with certainty that no community around Lake Tahoe is, nor ever has truly been, “small town.” Since the 1800s, Lake Tahoe has been home and host to some of the wealthiest people in the nation, if not the world.
And with a steady infusion of wealth comes amenities and opportunity, neither of which are found in real small towns (which is why people move away from them!).
So, stop worrying about being called a local. It doesn’t matter. Our economy depends on you coming to play and recreate here. Just be cool. Just be you.
Why doesn’t Tahoe Trail Guide feature more trails?
Tahoe Trail Guide is currently a one-person operation (i.e. me. And, since I live near South Lake Tahoe I tend to focus on writing articles that feature imagery and information about the southern side of Lake Tahoe.
I also have some seasonal jobs that take up a lot of my time, so I don’t write articles as often as I would like.
Most of what I write, however, concerning lessons learned, backcountry skills and etiquette, and similarly related topics are universal.
Bear with me as I continue to build this website. As the site gains momentum, I’ll bring on other Tahoe locals to contribute information and imagery.
Why doesn’t Tahoe Trail Guide post GPS-based files for download?
I use technology as much as the next person. I even use a GPS watch to record my routes.
I only use that GPS data, however, to confirm whether or not my land navigation skills were accurate. And, I perform this check after I return home.
You cease to be an active participant in your adventure by relying on a digital device to tell you where to go.
You lose the process of discovery, as well as deny yourself the opportunity to successfully navigate a route using only your critical thinking and land navigation skills.
I’m not a Luddite, but you can call me old school if you desire. I use a map and compass, and know how to read the terrain. I encourage you to do the same.
Why don’t Tahoe Trail Guide articles use aggressive language?
This is not a real question.
That said, if you ever find me using phrases (other than right here) such as owning it, conquering it, crushing it, killing it, nailing it, slaying it, or bagging it for shock value, call me on it.
As trendy as it is to use those over-the-top, hyper-machismo, and ego-driven phrases, in my opinion they rank right up there with putting another notch on your belt or bedpost. They don’t belong in contemporary vernacular.
People who speak like that remind me of someone who’s never experienced humility or defeat. And, those are people you should avoid like the plague as partners when traveling into the backcountry.
I’m no hippy dippy tree hugger, but I know enough to know that I am just a speck of dust in the universe. And, if that mountain or trail doesn’t want me on it, I’ll get the message one way or another.
As competitive as I am, I never treat the backcountry as an imperialistic conquest.
Be humble and grateful for the opportunity to be in the backcountry because we are simply its guests.
Is Tahoe Trail Guide available as an app?
No. Tahoe Trail Guide is a mobile responsive website.
People have suggested that I create Tahoe Trail Guide as an app. However, I don’t have plans to do so. My rationale is along the same lines as with the GPS files question.
While working at a Lake Tahoe backpacking store years ago I asked a couple of Pacific Crest Trail hikers their thoughts about this site as an app. One of them said, “no one wants another crappy app clogging up their phone.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Apps are not the answer to a life of peace, love, and happiness. Can they make certain life tasks easier to accomplish? Sure. They also make it really easy for hackers and cyber thieves to take over your life.
Tahoe Trail Guide definitely features information about hiking and cross-country ski trails. However, there’s so much more information on this site that it would render it useless as an app.
Besides, your phone will fail you when you need it most. So, thoroughly research your trip prior to leaving and take with you a map and compass and the knowledge to use them.
Why create Tahoe Trail Guide when there are other Tahoe websites?
Because I’m arrogant and believe I can do it better.
I also write articles that feature universal backcountry concepts, as well as informational and inspirational blogs. It’s my hope these articles enrich your outdoor experience.
Many other sites often just provide the bare bones minimum amount of information. Just enough to get you lost, in fact.
I agree that there are lots of websites and books that feature Lake Tahoe trails. However, I’m building this site to be more than just another peak bagging-oriented website.
Over the years I’ve identified three types of sites I believe deteriorate “buyer confidence” when researching information related to Lake Tahoe outdoor recreation (and will avoid recreating):
Personal Websites
…that contain highly detailed and meticulous information, but are poorly written, confusingly organized, and boring to look at.
This doesn’t mean the actual information is inaccurate or that the person developing the content is not an expert. Most likely the information on these sites is exceptional.
More often than not, however, the creator is not a writer or graphic designer. So, problems with grammar and punctuation, inclusion of excessive detail or not enough, and just plain old poor web design undermine the person’s message.
The internet is a visual medium not unlike a traditional publication. So, at the minimum, websites should feature high-quality imagery and logical organization.
At best, they should be dynamic and inspire you to actually go outside and hike that mountain peak or ski that backcountry route.
Tourist Websites
…that look, on the surface, to be well researched and organized but upon a deeper inspection, anonymously created and seldom updated.
In an age where fake news plagues the internet, if you can’t find a human being who’s willing to attach their name to the information they are presenting, steer clear.
There are many websites that feature seemingly comprehensive information about Lake Tahoe. However, they don’t offer any information (not even a person’s name) about the people responsible for creating the website or its content.
Most likely these sites were developed solely for the purpose of generating ad revenue or driving traffic to their true business. Often the owner of these sites copies information available from other sites, makes minor tweaks and re-writes to it (just enough to avoid copyright infringement), then throws a bunch of ads on the pages and hopes for a steady paycheck.
Some of the information is probably safe. However, you have to question why a person is unwilling to take ownership of their own material.
Remotely Managed User-Generated Sites
…that are thin on specifics or considerations and/or feature out-of-date information and irrelevant reviews. Often the information provided on these types of websites is so sparse that it’s barely enough to get you to the trailhead.
Lake Tahoe is a highly unique place. In fact, people who’ve never been to Lake Tahoe don’t usually realize that it’s not just one place. It’s actually 2-4 different regions depending on where you are.
And, based on weather, traffic, and construction it can take you three or more hours to drive around the lake.
That said, reading an article on one of these remotely managed recreational blogs about something like The Five Best Easy Day Hikes at Lake Tahoe could have you driving for hours. Your hotel room might be in South Lake Tahoe, but the hikes featured in the article are on the north shore!
This would clearly be a waste of your time. However, the site owner probably doesn’t know or even care. What’s most important to them is that the name of that article features lots of keywords that search engines will find and then reward them when you click on their page.
Then there’s the business about relying on users to generate the website’s content. It’s a great idea in theory, but if you’ve ever researched a product on Amazon, you know what can happen. You find a five star review with one or two sentences of praise, a one star review with a long rant, and then a three star review from a person who writes, “The product arrived on time, but the packaging was damaged.” Super helpful, right?
Another frustrating scenario about user-generated sites is when someone offers a correction or updated information to the originally submitted trail information. But, neither the site administrator nor anyone else responds with confirmation that the user’s correction was accurate.
I mention these types of websites (that annoy the heck out of me) because I want to stress the point that, although I may not be the number one expert of all things related to Lake Tahoe, I’m committed to learning and sharing with you any and all information that will aid in your Tahoe backcountry adventures.
Tahoe Trail Guide is clearly not the first Lake Tahoe recreational online resource to be developed. It’s not going to be the last, either. However, I hope it’ll at least be one of the more useful ones available to you.
And rest assured that I am a real human being who will produce, to the best of my ability, content that is as both accurate and high quality.
Leave comments, critiques, reviews, and suggestions to any of the posts, and I will respond to them as quickly as possible.