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Bay Area to Lake Tahoe
Using the drive from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe is one of the best ways to see the sights in the area. This scenic drive is full of cute towns and tasty food. It is also one of the fastest ways to get there.
If you plan on driving, you’ll need to make sure you are prepared for the traffic and weather. It can take a full four hours to get to the lake, so plan ahead.
There are two main ways to get to the lake. You can take I-80 east toward Sacramento and Reno or Highway 50 west. The latter is quicker but turns into 2 lanes, and it is possible to get stuck in traffic. Depending on the time of year, you may need to carry chains to get through.
The drive from San Francisco to Tahoe is a little over 200 miles, but you can get there in under four hours. Depending on how long you want to spend in Tahoe, you can take the long way and visit Tahoe City, Incline Village, and Reno.
Reno to Lake Tahoe
There are multiple daily shuttles to both North and South Lake Tahoe as well as Uber and Lyft.
Drive from Reno to South Lake Tahoe, drive I-580 through Carson City and turn right onto US 50 for 25 miles. For North Lake Tahoe, drive 80 West towards Truckee Ca., then turn left onto CA-267 E/CA-89 S to Kings Beach.
