Tim’s Top Ten Tahoe Things to do in September

By Tim Hauserman

My daughter is getting married at Sunnyside in September. She asked me to provide a list of things to do in Tahoe during the fall for folks who had never been to Lake Tahoe…so I came up with these:

Get out on the Lake!
1) Take a cruise on the Tahoe Gal, a charter boat.
2) Rent a kayak in Tahoe City, Tahoe Vista or Emerald Bay and go for a paddle.

Take a Hike!

3) An easy one: Hike down to Vikingsholm in Emerald Bay, then hike as far as you like. Go to where Tahoe meets Emerald Bay and then around the corner to Bonnie Bay, or keep going all the way to Bliss State Park.
4) A longer one: Hike into Desolation Wilderness: Crag Lake via Emerald Bay is a 10 mile round trip. Bayview Trail to Fontanillis Lake is about 12 (and quite a bit steeper). Either way you are entering a paradise of granite and sparkling alpine lakes.

Take it Easy!

5) Drive around the lake. If you don’t stop it will take about 2 hours…but stop and check out the views, get out and wander around. Go to the Taylor Creek Visitor Center in South Lake Tahoe and look for kokanee salmon which spawn in the fall.
6) Visit a museum. The Gatekeepers Cabin where the Truckee River starts in Tahoe City has a world class Indian basket collection. The Donner Memorial State Park Visitor Center in Truckee on the shore of Donner Lake tells the history of the Donner Party as well as the importance of Donner Pass as a transportation corridor.

Take A Ride!

7) Rent a cruiser bike in Tahoe City and go for a ride along Tahoe’s west shore bike trail to Sugar Pine Point State Park.
8) Get a mountain bike and ride the Burton Creek/Tahoe Cross Country Ski Area network of mountain bike trails.

Get Adventurous!

9) Head to the Tree Top Adventure Park at Granlibakken just outside of Tahoe City. Move between the trees via all sorts of challenging obstacles and zip lines. while being safely harnessed to a line.
10) Jump into Lake Tahoe! Tahoe Park Beach is the perfect place to swim. I try to get in at least once a day, although it might be a bit nippier in September than July.