For our third anniversary, Alex and I wanted to celebrate in a big way. At this point, we'd started dating at the beginning of the pandemic, we'd survived 5 months of a long distance relationship, he'd gotten me through the losses of one of my uncles and the cat I had and loved for 10 years (I miss you dearly, Regina!), we'd made it through a move to San Antonio and a move to Memphis, and we finally felt more settled and stable than we had in a long time. We chose a trip, but the debate on where to go was lengthy. He wanted to go to a tropical island, and I wanted to go to the mountains in the winter months - January to be exact. We aren't skiers, so this one wasn't an easy sell. I had to start researching early to give him examples of fun things we could do once we got there. He isn't the biggest fan of snow and cold weather, and how I convinced him to do this with me is still beyond me.
Lake Tahoe is the second-deepest lake in the U.S. (next to Crater Lake in Oregon). The lake’s depth reaches 1,645’, and it is 22 miles long. It is also 12 miles wide with a shore length of 72 miles. So much snow falls in Lake Tahoe that it can be measured in feet instead of inches; in fact, while driving around, you’ll see entire cars buried in snowbanks. 2/3 of this beautiful lake is located in California with the other 1/3 being located in Nevada.
Once Alex agreed and we booked our trip, I was so convinced Alex was going to propose to me while there because Lake Tahoe had been a dream destination of mine for some time. Alex had other plans because he wanted me to be surprised and proposed to me in Hot Springs National Park in December of 2022 - I was elated! National parks are my favorite place to be! However, a new debate of where to do our engagement photos became the new topic of conversation. Lake Tahoe was already planned, and we were heading to North Carolina for 10 days in May of 2023 for two different weddings. Adding another trip was not going to be easy (if you know me, you know destination engagement photos for me were a MUST). The logistics just weren't working out to add something else to our already full schedules.
One of my best friends is a wedding photographer, and we'd already agreed she'd be taking our photos. Not even three weeks before our trip, she and her lovely husband Matthew joined our travel plans, and our engagement photos were taken on the shores of Lake Tahoe in Sand Harbor State Park at sunset on the evening of January 23, 2023. I actually already blogged about how magical of a night that was! Check it out at the link below!
Now, onto the details of our trip! We flew into the Reno-Tahoe International Airport on the morning of January 19, 2023. If you're visiting Tahoe in the winter and renting a car, it is absolutely a necessity to rent a 4WD vehicle. On most roads, 4WD or snow chains are required. The roads are more well kept than you would anticipate. They snow plow them often, and we didn't have any trouble getting around. In the weeks leading up to our trip, Lake Tahoe was receiving record snowfall, and they were getting snowstorm after snowstorm. I think 14 FEET of snow had recently fallen in the area. We weren't sure if we were going to get to go. Two days before we left, the snow stopped, and we somehow didn't see any snowfall while we were there! We lucked out with the weather aside from a gnarly wind advisory for about 24-hours of our time there. If you’re heading to the mountains in the winter, you need to build your itinerary with a decent amount of flexibility. The weather is extremely unpredictable. I’d booked us three big activities and a nicer dinner reservation. For the rest, I had a list of coffee spots, restaurants, areas, and trails I wanted to check out that we referred to frequently.
If you’re visiting in the high of winter, be prepared for road closures. They close roads due to high risks of avalanches in certain areas. We did not get to visit Emerald Bay while we were there for example, so another trip there is definitely in our future.
You can check road conditions here:
DAY ONE - Thursday, January 19, 2023
After we landed in Reno, we got our rental car and headed to South Lake Tahoe. It took us about an hour to get to Club Wyndham South Shore, where we stayed. If you’re planning to visit Heavenly Village multiple times, I’d recommend staying in Heavenly Village, or at least be prepared to spend a decent amount of money on parking. South Lake Tahoe lies on the Nevada / California border. Once you cross the border into California, you’ll find yourself in the heart of Heavenly Village with several casinos, restaurants, and shops that you can go to. This is a very popular area for skiers as well.
After we got checked in and unloaded the car, we were quite hungry. We ended up at McP’s Taphouse Grill to grab drinks and split a few appetizers. I got the Ginger Gin, which was so refreshing after a long morning of travel, and we split the Crispy O-Rings, Artichoke Spinach Dipping Bowl, and the Pub Nachos + pulled pork. If you don’t like tomatoes, don’t order the artichoke spinach dipping bowl, but if you’re like me and love them, I loved this app. If I HAD to pick a favorite appetizer of the three we shared, the pub nachos were to. die. for. I highly recommend adding the pulled pork to them. They were loaded and packed with flavor, and they were the biggest hit at our table. I did love everything we got here though.
McP's was established in 1993, it’s family owned, it has over 40 beers on tap + some incredible craft cocktails, you can find live music there every night, and the food is traditionally Irish. I absolutely loved this spot! It’s located in The Chateau At The Village at 4125 Lake Tahoe Blvd A, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.
After this, we were extremely full and exhausted, so we headed back to Club Wyndham to rest before we eventually ventured out for dinner. We did catch the sunset at Nevada Beach before that though, and WOW, was it worth it! The boys stayed in the car for this one, and I think they missed out, but I am a sucker for a good sunset.
For dinner, we headed to Himmel Haus. The parking lot here is quite small, especially in winter when Himmel Haus is basically nestled in snow banks, so it took us a minute to figure out parking. We weren’t sure what time we’d be hungry, so we didn’t make a reservation. If you know about what time you’ll be visiting here and what day, I would definitely recommend making a reservation. I think we waited around for about 30-40 minutes, but we did grab drinks at the bar while we were waiting. The bar’s cooler was broken, so the only beers that were super cold that night were the ones on draft. Matt got one in a bottle that he tried to cool off in a snow bank. That’s not something you can do where any of us are from!
Alex & I split the pork schnitzel covered in Jagër sauce with garlic mashed potatoes. Natalie got the Kaze Spatzle. These were some of the most delicious German dishes I have tried in the states by far!
Himmel Haus is known as Tahoe’s Würst Experience! It’s a traditionally German restaurant, but you’ll find a contemporary, California twist on some of the dishes. You can also find German and Belgian biers and wines. Himmel Haus is located at 3819 Saddle Road, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.
DAY TWO - Friday, January 20, 2023
Our second morning started off quite early. We had a snowmobiling tour booked, and we knew we would be getting a later lunch, so we wanted to eat a decently big meal. We found The Red Hut Cafe, which serves breakfast and lunch, and I loved my food here! I got a cup of coffee and a fried egg sandwich + ham. I also highly recommend asking for cheese on your hash browns! After breakfast, we were ready for the long day ahead.
The Red Hut Cafe now has 5 locations in 3 different towns around Lake Tahoe - Hwy 50, Ski Run, Kingsbury, Carson City, and Reno. Dinner is only available at the Ski Run location.
The Red Hut Cafe we visited is located at 229 Kingsbury Grade, Stateline, NV 89449. Their hours are from 6 AM to 2 PM.
If you don’t ski but still want a grand adventure on your winter vacation, I cannot recommend a snowmobiling tour enough. We booked the Summit Snowmobile Tour through Lake Tahoe Adventures. Your active adventure time will be two hours, but you’ll need to block off a good chunk of your day for this. We’d scheduled our tour at 11 AM, and they have the option to request pick-up from a number of different hotels in the area. Ours was on the list, so we scheduled pick-up at 9:05 AM from the Trendwest/Wyndham. I couldn’t find the address and wanted to be completely sure the hotel we were staying at was the hotel the pick-up was for. I sent them an e-mail, and they confirmed it was for pick-up from Club Wyndham South Shore and that the bus would come to the front / valet area. Once picked up, the bus made the rest of the stops and then brought us to their main office.
If you do not do the complimentary bus pick-up, you’ll need to check in 90 minutes beforehand at their main office (3071 US-50, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150) where you’ll sign a waiver and get fitted for a helmet. They have helmets available that you can wear with sunglasses or ones you can wear with goggles. Then, larger buses will bring you to the area with the snowmobiles.
Helmets are included, but the following items are available for rent: ski bib, jacket, snow boots, or gloves ($12/each or the whole package for $40). Make sure you’re dressed for winter with close-toed shoes. You’ll also need your driver’s license. They’ll give you the option to purchase insurance for $35 each, which we did opt to do. If your snowmobile is damaged or wrecked for any reason during your tour, you are liable. These machines cost around $15k, so purchasing the insurance isn’t a bad idea.
Snowmobile tours run from December through April 15th (weather pending), so we booked our tour on the first full day of our trip in case we needed to try and reschedule. The minimum age to ride is 5 years old. Single rider snowmobiles cost $210 per machine, and double rider snowmobiles cost $250 per machine. You can also book an Exclusive Tour, which will have a private tour guide for your group. The prices for this are: $300 for single rider snowmobiles and $330 for double rider snowmobiles.
You can cancel up to 48 hours in advance for a full refund.
Once you get out to Hope Valley, you’ll get paired off into smaller groups. Each group is assigned a tour guide who will give you a safety lesson and explain to you how to operate your snowmobile. Snowmobiles are built for sub-zero temperatures, so the handlebars have heaters you can turn on. They can get so hot that they can melt your gloves, so be sure not to turn them all the way up.
You’ll be driving on groomed trails in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. There will be other snowmobilers out there that are not with Lake Tahoe Adventures. Keep an eye out for them, and keep out of their way. They are experienced and don’t always stick to the trails. Each trail is two lanes wide, and you’ll drive on the right-hand side.
Your group will travel at the speed of the slowest driver. Our tour guide asked us who was nervous, and he did his best to make us feel more comfortable. I don’t like to drive, and I was really scared at first. Once I got the hang of it, I had such a blast. Our guide did move me to be right behind him at first, but at the end of the tour, he fist-bumped me and deemed me most-improved driver! I’ll take it!
He wanted us to hit three spots during our tour, and we made great time and were able to see all three! At each spot, you’ll pull over for a break and to allow for pictures! One of the spots we stopped was overlooking Tamarack Lake - absolutely breathtaking!
Once we got back to the hotel, it was time for a snack. We ended up at Sidellis Brewery and Restaurant where we got some of their Ball Park Nachos and an afternoon drink. I don’t drink beer, but I still love the occasional cider. I really enjoyed the Lassen Pear Cider. This is a cute, cozy place to relax, grab a bite to eat, and sip on a cold drink.
Sidellis is located at 3350 Sandy Way, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. Their hours are 11:30 am to 9 pm daily.
If you’ve been following me, you know that I like to book at least one finer dining reservation while I am traveling. I’d booked us a reservation at Riva Grill for this night. For drinks, I had a spicy prickly pear margarita & an espresso martini - both delish. They are known for their Wet Woodys, but I didn’t try one. Alex and I split the Lobster Deviled Eggs, and I had the Dungeness Crab Sandwich + Avocado off of the Deck Favorites portion of their menu. This sandwich was GREAT. I wish I could go get another one right now!
If you’re visiting in the winter months, they have Aprés ski nights on Fridays from 6 - 10 pm with live music, food and drink specials and raffle giveaways. You can find information about those on the Aprés ski tab on their website. Riva Grill is located at 900 Ski Run Blvd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150, and you can make a reservation through OpenTable.
DAY THREE - Saturday, January 21, 2023
If you’re in Lake Tahoe on a Saturday in the winter and you do not ski, don’t (& I cannot stress this enough) even try to go to Heavenly Village in the morning. It is PACKED and unenjoyable. You’ll be stuck in traffic, have a hard time finding anywhere to park, and the place is flooded with skiers and snowboarders. We were going to try to ride the Heavenly Gondola on this morning, but we readjusted our plan some. We ended up moseying around a casino floor, shopping, grabbing coffee from Heaven’s Little Cafe, and getting lunch at Base Camp Pizza Co.
Heaven’s Little Cafe is a small, family-owned, local coffee shop where you can grab breakfast, lunch, or even dinner. I just got a latte to go, but it was a cute cafe!
Heaven’s Little Cafe is located at 1001 Heavenly Village Way #23, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.
Our next stop was Base Camp Pizza Co. for lunch. I really enjoyed this stop. Alex and I split the Base Camp House Salad and their Base Camp Gourmet Pizza. I also got an Adult Root Beer to drink. Everyone really enjoyed their food here, and the space was really cozy!
Base Camp Pizza Co. is located at 1001 Heavenly Village Way #25a, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.
Saturday afternoon, we headed out to Sand Harbor State Park to check out the area, walk around, and take some photos. The day use entrance fee for this state park is $10/vehicle ($15 for non-Nevada vehicles), and the hours are from 8 a.m. to 1 hour after sunset. Admission to Sand Harbor also gets you into Spooner Lake and Cave Rock. Admission does include parking, but it’s important to note parking is limited, and they don’t permit walk-in traffic. We didn’t have a problem finding parking since we were visiting during the winter, but this is an issue during warmer months. I thought the snow on the beach and on the rocks was so picturesque. The park wasn’t crowded, and it was very pleasant to explore. It looks like Nevada State Parks may be in the process of launching a new reservation system, so keep an eye out for that.
Next, we visited Logan Shoals Vista Point. There’s a pull-off along the road, and the trail is just a quick 0.2 miles out-and-back. It’s very picturesque and worth a stop!
Our Saturday night activity was a sunset dinner cruise on the M.S. Dixie II. There was a lot of ice in Emerald Bay, so we’d been hearing from others that the cruises were getting canceled left and right. This one didn’t though, and we had such a lovely evening! Our cruise departed from Zephyr Cove and was from 5 - 8 PM. They ask that you check-in 30 minutes before your cruise at the ticket booth located next to the pier in Zephyr Cove Marina, but, and I don’t know if this was because we were doing this during the off season, no one was at the window to check us in, and they opened the pier to check us in while boarding the paddleboat right at 5.
The sun sets pretty early in the Winter, so we didn’t have much sunlight, and the sun started setting right when we were pulling away from the pier, but if that wasn’t one of the most magnificent sunsets I had ever seen in my life.
You’ll dine at community tables that seat 6 people. The night we were there, the dining room was not even close to full, so it was spacious and not overly crowded. We received a drink menu and a dining menu. The food menu included freshly baked rolls and butter as an appetizer and Field Baby Lettuces for a salad (fresh mozzarella, red tomatoes, white balsamic vinaigrette, and balsamic glaze). You could then choose one of the following for your main course: Cowboy Ribeye Steak, Copper River Salmon, Frenched Chicken Breast, or Wild Mushroom Ragout. I opted for the Frenched Chicken Breast and really enjoyed my meal. It was a bone-in pan seared chicken breast served with roasted garlic & leek Yukon gold mashed potatoes, steamed broccolini & roasted red peppers with southwest chimichurri. For dessert, they served New York cheesecake with fresh berry sauce. Alcohol was available for purchase, and I did get a drink called the “Emerald Bay” which was melon liqueur, tequila, pineapple juice, sweet & sour, and blue curaçao. After dinner, you can head up to another level to hear some live music. A two-man band called Shac, Mac & the Rhythm Attack was playing, and they were so much fun and kept the crowd engaged! There’s also a gift shop on board if you want to buy anything.
DAY FOUR - Sunday, January 22, 2023
Our Sunday afternoon activity was a sleigh ride on the beach at Sand Harbor State Park. Our reservation was for 12 PM, so we had some time to kill before we had to head there. Alex and I decided to head to the Cave Rock trailhead. The trail is an easy 0.8 mile out-and-back. The trail was covered in snow and ice while we were there, so having some pro-traction cleats is a must. We had yaktrax that worked super well, and I would definitely recommend buying some with the sport straps so they don’t slip off of your boots if you step down into some deeper snow.
To find the trailhead from South Lake Tahoe, go towards Nevada on Highway 50. As you are approaching the tunnel, you will turn right onto Cave Rock Drive. You will drive up the road until you see the trailhead to the left. This trail is open year-round, but during the winter, a few of the parking spots may be covered in snow. When we were there, only 2 parking spots were available, so you may have to wait for someone to leave before you can park and start your trek. People typically spend less than an hour here, so people are coming and going pretty often. We got there early and were able to park no problem. I loved this trail. I found it to be stunning with the sunlight reflecting off of the snowbanks. At a few different points, you will get INCREDIBLE elevated views overlooking all of Lake Tahoe.
The trail dead ends at the base of the rocks that form Cave Rock Tunnel. You can climb to the top of the rocks, but be extra careful in the winter because it’s slippery. The view at the top of the rocks is breathtaking.
If you’ve ever wanted to do a sleigh ride on the beach, this is the perfect setting. Alex & I did this one just the two of us and had such a romantic afternoon. Our tour guide Christina was lovely, and she stopped several times to take pictures of us at different scenic spots. Our horse’s name was Bert, and he’s definitely got a brother named Ernie! Before your ride, you absolutely hav to get one of their drink specials for $5. I loved loved loved the Moroccan Spiced Hot Cocoa - “loaded” style!
A few notes — This is their Sand Harbor Winter Scenic Tour, and it is approximately one hour long. You can make reservations through their website (linked below), but they also welcome walk-ups. Sleighs seat 2-4 people, and they also have family vehicles that can hold 10-12 people.
Let’s talk pricing! They charge $50/person | $20/child (2-10 years old) | Infants under 2 are free. You’ll have to pay the entrance fee for Sand Harbor State Park, and the rides are weather-permitting. Don’t forget to bring some extra cash to tip your tour guide!
After our sleigh ride, we met up with Natalie and Matt at Stateline Restaurant and Brewery for a late lunch. Alex & I split their Buffalo Fried Chicken Sandwich. We were so hungry and the sandwich was so delicious that I never got a picture of it, but wow, you will not be disappointed with this meal choice. I don’t see the cocktail I got on their menus currently, but if I remember correctly, it had Empress gin in it, and I remember it being quite delicious.
Stateline Brewery and Restaurant is located at 4118 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.
After lunch, a wind advisory was starting to set in, so we just did some scenic driving. We ended up on the road going towards Emerald Bay State Park (Highway 89). A large portion of this road was closed for the entirety of out trip due to high risks of avalanches, so we didn’t get to visit Emerald Bay State Park.
We parked on the side of the road near Baldwin Beach, and three of us walked to the snow-covered beach, which was closed for the season and only accessible by walking in. Don’t expect to be able to use the restroom or trash service.
We headed back to Nevada Beach to watch the sunset on Sunday evening, and then we headed into town for dinner and some time at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Casino. We ended up at Azul Latin Kitchen for dinner where I enjoyed chips and salsa, a Wild Hibiscus margarita, and a burrito.
Azul Latin-Kitchen is located at 1001 Heavenly Village Way, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.
DAY FIVE - Monday, January 23, 2023
Monday morning was bittersweet as it was the last full day of our trip. The wind advisory was still raging until early in the afternoon, so we explored some while trying to remain as warm as possible. For breakfast, we visited Creative Crepes, which was SO good. I had The Monty which was under the Savory Crepes portion of their menu and had cheddar, chicken, ham, jam, and honey dijon in it. I could literally eat their every morning for breakfast and be perfectly content.
We were wanting to do the Heavenly Scenic Gondola, but it was closed because of the wind. It did open later in the afternoon, but we needed to head back to Sand Harbor State Park for sunset to take our engagement photos.
Creative Crepes is located at 4118 Lake Tahoe Blvd. #7, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.
We ended up walking around at Timber Cove for a few minutes, and then we went back to Cave Rock again. We hiked to the top of the rock scramble this time because we weren’t limited on time. I just included all of my pictures from Cave Rock under Day Four.
I had been dying to go to a local coffee shop this entire trip, and Drink Coffee Do Stuff was at the top of my list of places to visit. We decided to drive to Incline Village for a little while, and we stopped at one of their locations on the way. I got one of the seasonal lattes they had available at the time, and I remember loving it but couldn’t tell you what it was if I tried because I forgot to write it down - ugh! The staff was so friendly, and I just loved the space. There were icicles hanging down from the roof, so there’s nothing better than cozying up with a hot cup of Joe on a cold winter day.
The Incline Village location of Drink Coffee Do Stuff is located at 907 Tahoe Blvd #20A, Incline Village, NV 89451. They also have locations in South Lake Tahoe, and Downtown Truckee.
Next, we drove some of the Mt. Rose Highway and stopped at a scenic overlook.
We headed back towards our hotel after this and stopped for lunch at Tahoe Tavern & Grill. Here, I recommend the TT&G Margarita and the Tahoe Tavern Burger. We really enjoyed our lunch here, so you shouldn’t be disappointed if you decide to stop in.
Tahoe Tavern & Grill is located at 219 Kingsbury Grade Rd, Stateline, NV 89449.
A large portion of our afternoon was spent getting ready for and taking our engagement photos, which I’ve already blogged about, which is linked towards the beginning of this post.
We celebrated our last night with a lovely dinner at Izabella Ristorante Italiano. If you want to make a reservation, you can call them at (530) 544-0400, and they open daily at 5 PM. We split the Steamed Mussels for an appetizer, and I had their Chicken Piccata as my entree. Other entrees that ended up on our table were their Veal Marsala, Carbonara, and Chicken Parmigiana. We also each had beer or a glass of wine. I cannot stress enough how delicious this Italian food was. Highly recommend!
Izabella Ristorante Italiano is located at 3967 Lake Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.
That’s it! I hope this guide helps you non-skiers to enjoy your winter vacation in Lake Tahoe as much as I did!
*Some of the photos in this post were taken by Natalie Phillips Photography (linked above).