Top Travel Tips for Exploring CA & NV Premier Destination
Ultimate Lake Tahoe Guide (2025)
Explore Lake Tahoe's beauty with our travel guide, featuring top tips for skiing in Palisades Tahoe, where to stay, and where to find nightlife. Discover what makes this California-Nevada border gem unforgettable for both thrill-seekers and those looking to relax.
Tips for exploring lake tahoe & Palisades Tahoe
For our 10th wedding anniversary, we decided to venture to Lake Tahoe and Palisades Tahoe, a shift from our usual preference for tropical destinations such as Anguilla or Cancun, for an experience we haven't taken in over ten years: snowboarding!
Lake Tahoe has always caught our attention, simply becuase of it's loction - sitting on the state line between California and Nevada. With its untouched natural beauty, multiple tiny towns, and abundant outdoor adventure, we finally decided to experience it for 10 days!
Lake Tahoe mainly consists of two well-known areas: North Lake Tahoe and South Lake Tahoe. Below are some of our top tips and advice for visiting both, including where to stay and places to skip.
PALISADES TRAVEL Guide: Top Tips for Traveling to Lake TaHOE
NORTH LAKE TAHOE & PALISADES
Let's start with North Lake Tahoe, where we'll share insights into what you'll discover, our accommodation experiences, and a few more key tips.
North Lake Tahoe is known for four primary small towns, which include:
- Truckee, California: If you're driving in on Interstate 80, this charming town is your first stop. It's equipped with outdoor shops, eateries, banks, and a few hardware & grocery stores. If you end up staying at one of the nearby lodges or VRBO's, this is where we suggest you buy your groceries & alcoholic beverages. This will significantly cut down on your travel & food budget!
- Olympic Valley, California (Palisades Tahoe): This area is the main 'hub' for gaining access to Palisades Tahoe (ski lifts), & this is also where our lodge - The Red Wolf Lodge Olympic Valley, was located at the base of the mountain. Click HERE to watch our full room & resort tour, or read our blog below. Within this area, you'll also find multiple shops, restaurants & a few convenience stores, which are all part of what's known as the "Village". Be warned: because of the location, be prepared to find inflated prices, especially in the merchandise shops & convenience stores. This area caters to the ski resorts & is considered a 'high-end' destination; ergo, you will be paying a premium for convenience!
- Tahoe City, California: Situated on the lake's northwest shoreline, this is a main hub for water activities, restaurants, shopping, and a small 9-hole golf course. This is also the closest city to Palisades, which sits directly on the lake and offers a grocery store. This is another great area to search for vacation rental homes, especially during the summer months, and it is located only steps away from Lake Tahoe!
**On a side note, we did stay at the Red Wolf Lakeside Lodge (the sister lodge to Red Wolf Lodge Olympic Valley), which is located between Tahoe City, CA & Incline Village, NV and would highly reccomend it as well! Blog & full room tour coming soon**
- Incline Village, Nevada: This is considered the 'upscale community' of Lake Tahoe and actually sits on the Nevada side of North Lake Tahoe. Once again, you will find multiple shops, restaurants, and a few grocery stores as well. You will also find an 18-hole golf course and access to the Diamond Peak Ski Resort.
Southern Lake Tahoe
Moving to the Southern part of Lake Tahoe, in reality, there are two main areas that you will most likely be looking to vacation too; South Lake Tahoe, California & Stateline, Nevada. These two cities are within 5 miles of each other & as you can tell, they are located on the state lines of California & Nevada.
This general area is primarily known for its casinos, nightlife, entertainment, and access to Heavenly ski mountains and lodges.
Staying in South Lake Tahoe & Stateline
Whether you're drawn to the excitement of a casino resort, a cozy vacation rental on the lake, or the convenience of a hotel, South Lake Tahoe & Stateline caters to every preference and budget.
If you're looking for newly renovated accommodations, we suggest taking a look at these two options:
- Margaritaville in South Lake Tahoe, CA - Located at the center of South Lake Tahoe's vibrant scene, Margaritaville is not only within walking distance from numerous bars, restaurants, shops, and casinos, but it even shares its parking lot with the Gondola to Heavenly's ski slopes!
- Edgewoood Tahoe in Stateline, NV - Edgewood is a bit of the opposite from Margaritaville. Instead of a mountain view and being in the heart of the action, it sits steps away from the shoreline of Lake Tahoe & is considered a more luxurious accommodation. Onsite, you will not only find a full spa, but you will also have access to an 18-hole golf course as well!
If you're looking for an accommodation offering a bit more elbow room and privacy, we suggest a vacation rental home. There are multiple to choose from, and if we were to stay again, this is the option we would choose vs. staying at a hotel!
To be honest with you, since we were so last minute with our booking, we ended up staying at Harrah's Lake Tahoe Hotel & Casino, plus we got the opportuinity to peek at their sister resort across the street (Harvey's Lake Tahoe Hotel & Casino). In our honest opinion, Harrah's & Harvey's are in desperate need of modern updating & are truly showing their age. We would not recommend staying at either location. Not to mention, you will be charged a parking fee & a resort fee (per night).