Most scenic route between Sac. & Lake Tahoe, July 14th 2018

We are Flying into Sacramento on Sat. 7-14-18 around 11:30am PDT and then driving into Lake Tahoe.

We are from the deep swamps of South Louisiana and are hoping to experience nice walking/hiking trails, nice waterfalls, mountains and beautiful sunsets. We have no preference or clue on if we want to or will hit LT on the north or south end before bedding down on that first night. I am just thinking that we might experience some beautiful sunset colors over the lake if we are on the East side of the lake but, that does not have to be on day or evening one.

What would be the best suggested routes to take from Sac. into LT? Are there suggested hiking trails that we can take from your suggested routes to be able to see and experience waterfalls and views other than just those that might be seen from the highway views?
Would anyone provide feedback on visiting Yosemite as part of our drive in from Sac. To LT? Is it worth it or possible? If so, places to stay over night?

Suggestions on things to do, parasailing, ziplines, hiking etc..., places to eat, places to drink, fun nightlife in and around LT and or Reno. Any cabin rentals on the lake???

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Yosemite would be an excellent place for you to find the waterfalls and amazing views that you are looking for, however, it's a huge park and trying to squeeze it into an afternoon between Sacramento and Tahoe really isn't possible. I'd absolutely recommend trying to spend a day or two there, but that means spending the night there - at this late date, staying inside the park is probably not possible, but maybe you can find some place just outside the park somewhere like Mariposa or Oakhurst.

Yosemite is an amazing place and as Michael mentioned, if you have the time it's worth spending a couple of nights there. Just driving across the Tioga Pass (CA120) is a wonderful experience and you could spend a night in Lee Vining but by the time you have picked up your car etc it would be well into the evening before you arrived. If you don't plan to stop you could look at taking SR4 for scenery. It would help if you told us your plans for the trip, how long are you there, have you anything booked or planned in advance ? Camp Richardson on the south shore has cabins but do your research. We were there in an RV in September so it was peaceful but not sure what it would be like in the middle of summer, busy I would imagine. Nearby Emerald bay has some great views.

It should be noted one of the big reasons why I don't think Yosemite would be possible or wise without an overnight stop is traffic. Bluntly, the park sees more traffic than it really has the capacity for, especially when you're talking about a Saturday in July - the peak of peak season. There are ways to deal with those crowds and issues - especially by arriving early and/or using some of the bus options - but if you try to pull into the park 2 or 3 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon, you'll likely be looking at more than an hour of a delay just to get into the park, and then will find it very difficult to find parking at any of the things you'd want to see.

Just for some perspective, I was there last summer, and while I arrived relatively early in the morning and saw few delays heading into the park, I left mid-afternoon on a Saturday, about the same time you'd be arriving, and the line of cars trying to drive into the park via CA-120/Groveland (the most direct route from Sacramento) stretched back about 2 miles from the park entry gate.

Thanks guys fur your input.

SouthwestDave, Thanks por pointing out a very important missed factor.

We will be flying into Sac at around 11:30am, driving into or toward tge LT area that afternoon but we do not have plans or a place to stay yet so we are open to staying elsewhere just for sights. We will be in LT until Wed. 7-18 or Thur. 7-19, again our schedule is open snd we can change our room in LV depending on our stay in LT.

Again, Thanks.

A possibility would be to overnight on route to Vegas and drive part of Tioga Pass in Yosemite on the way. You could also drive across the amazing landscape of Death valley and enjoy the views from the car. There are a couple of viewpoints a short walk from the car but you won't want to spend too much time outside it will be extremely hot !! Average is around 117f so you would need to carry water, snacks and sun protection and if you had any type of fault with your vehicle you must stay with the car, help wouldn't be to far off. A good overnight would be Bishop and some other places of interest and scenic beauty would be Mono Lake, June Lake, Mammoth scenic loop and the Alabama hills just west of Lone Pine.


I would recommend you check on-line at lodging availability for peace of mind, it's a very popular destination and sometimes you only have a choice of very expensive rooms at the last minute.