Hikes in Lake Tahoe

Lovely Lake Tahoe is a stunning jewel in the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains. The lake is huge, blue, and beautiful. At 22 miles long and 12 miles wide, Lake Tahoe is the largest mountain lake in America and the nation’s second deepest lake.

Lake Tahoe sits on the border of California and Nevada, with more of the lake’s water and shoreline falling in California. The lake’s biggest city and ski hub, South Lake Tahoe, sits at the south end of the lake, neighbored by casinos in Stateline, which is just over the Nevada border (and 60 miles from Reno).

Lake Tahoe has a beautiful shoreline, and the surrounding mountains are equally impressive. Smaller alpine lakes are cradled within the Sierra Nevada Mountains rising to the north, south, and west. Hiking trails explore pristine wilderness areas. What a place to hike!

Hiking the Lake Tahoe Region

This small sample of trails around Lake Tahoe includes hikes that are located in both California and Nevada.

	Cave Rock Trail This 0.9-mile hike above the east shore of Lake Tahoe finishes with a scramble up a rocky crown that has panoramic views.
	Chimney Beach Trail This 1.1-hike descends to a scenic and unique cove on the shore of Lake Tahoe that houses a stand-along chimney lingering from an old cabin.
	Moraine Trail To Fallen Leaf Lake This 1.1-mile loop sets out from Fallen Leaf Campground in South Lake Tahoe to visit a forest creek and a gorgeous mountain lake.

Camping the Lake Tahoe Region

The hike to Fallen Leaf Lake on Moraine Trail starts from Fallen Leaf Campground, which is a great place to stay in South Lake Tahoe.

Fallen Leaf Campground This large campground winds through a forest of towering pines near South Lake Tahoe and a quarter mile from beautiful Fallen Leaf Lake.