Locals Summer!
Locals summer at Lake Tahoe unofficially began at 5 pm on Labor Day. The day before, bumper to bumper traffic was backed up on the West Shore all the way from Tahoe City to Hurricane Bay. But as the sun set on Labor Day, you could easily drive into the Tahoe City Safeway parking lot and wonder what happened, where are all the cars? By Tuesday morning the beaches, bike trails and hiking trails were quiet, and nary a boat wave could be seen on Lake Tahoe. For many, this is the true, most wonderful time of the year.
September and October are two amazing months to be in Lake Tahoe. While weather can be iffy, and snow sometimes happens, often it is sunny and warm during the day, with cooler nights. The tendency is towards calm water for paddling on the lake, quieter roads and trails for bike riding, and fall colors arriving for hikers.
What to do in early September;
-Get in your last swims in Lake Tahoe. Colder and longer nights will start to drop the lake’s temperature slowly, so swim now while you can.
-Road bike old Highway 40 from Donner Lake to Donner Summit and on to Cisco Grove. This road is busy in the summer with climbers and hikers, but after Labor Day the traffic drops dramatically, making for awesome riding conditions. And upon your return to Donner Lake, you shouldn’t have a problem finding your own public pier to lounge on.
-Paddle to your heart’s content. Most of the boat waves are gone, and the glassy Tahoe surface is perfect for paddling, especially paddle boarding. You can even wait until a bit later in the morning to give the air a chance to warm up.
-Take off on a midweek backpack trip into Desolation Wilderness and perhaps it just might live up to it’s name.
Late September and October
-After the first few rains have compacted the dust, the brown pow is available for mountain biking. You will see the beginning of fall colors, and hopefully those pesky yellow jackets will have been frozen out of existence.
-Hiking will still be a treat. Find fall colors at Marlette Lake, Page Meadows, and on the Ophir Creek Trail on the Mt. Rose Highway.