Lake Tahoe

Markus checking out the view of Lake Tahoe by the Lakeview Commons

For one reason or another, we’ve often heard people talking about Lake Tahoe - so much so that when we realized we were passing through, we wanted to make a stop just to see what the hype was about. Lake life is a big part of being a British Columbian, so when we were cutting through the area during our two-week road trip, we figured we had to make a stop just to see what the hubbub was about. If you’ve been following along, we've been revisiting our road trip from Vancouver to Arizona prior to the borders closing due to COVID-19. This is the last of our updates from that trip about our visit to Lake Tahoe.

About Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is a large lake straddling the state border between the California and Nevada border. Volume-wise, it trails only the Great Lakes in the US and it is the second deepest lake after Crater Lake in Oregon (which we also visited on this trip). Because the lake is such a major attraction for recreational activities, Lake Tahoe draws in a large number of tourists annually. As such, the area around the lake has been enhanced for tourists with the many lakeside hotels, restaurants, water activity rentals and so much more. We got to spend an afternoon here and enjoyed some of the activities and natural beauty that Lake Tahoe has to offer.

Type: Lake/Beach
Size: Large
Enclosed: N/A
Doors: N/A
Traffic: Moderate

Keep in mind that this isn't a park or a trail like our other posts. It is a lake and there are multiple public areas with access to the lake. While we didn't go into the lake with Markus, we got to enjoy the view of the water and some of the activities along the streets by the lake. Since we were there on a weekday in early March, it wasn't very busy and although it was chilly, the beach was beautiful and we had a great.

Parking & Lakeview Commons

Markus looking out at Lake Tahoe from the stone steps at the Lakeview Commons

We managed to find free parking at the Lakeview Commons Beach Parking. From here, we walked down Lake Tahoe Blvd with Markus and got to check out some of the stores in the area. We stopped at Slice of Sierra Pizza Co which had some of the largest slices of pizza I've ever had! We enjoyed the pizzas on their picnic table outside and then got to check out some of the areas surrounding the lake.

We eventually went back down towards the lake by a public area called the Lakeview Commons. This is a beach area where they have picnic tables, public washrooms and beach access to the lake. Apparently they sometimes have concerts here! The beach is beautiful with light sand that's reminiscent of the sand that you see at some of the most well-known beaches in the world. Since it wasn’t very busy, we got to embrace the quiet by sitting by the lake on the stone steps with Markus and listen to the sound of the lake washing up on the beach.

Kiva Beach

About a 15-minute drive away from the Lakeview Commons is Kiva Beach. This is a dog-friendly beach along Lake Tahoe, though, your dog needs to be on a leash. For us especially since a Markus is reactive, this was a great place for us to visit because it's a beach with access to the lake, but dogs are required to be on-leash. There is a small parking lot (if you look up Kiva Beach Parking) and if you're lucky, you can find a spot here. Since we were there in the middle of the day during the week, we lucked out and managed to get a spot.

What we liked

The views are spectacular no matter where you are around the lake.
The number of public beach access to the lake was great! We’ve been to some lakes that are fully surrounded by private property, making it nearly impossible for the public to get to the lake.
The sand on the beaches are beautiful and reminiscent of some of the most well-known beaches in the world.
It wasn't very busy while we were there, though we did go during what's likely to be downtime.
There's plenty of other things to do in the surrounding areas of the lake.

What we didn't like

It can be very cold and chilly up there! There was still snow when we were there in early March.

Our Recommendation for Reactive Dogs

We had a good time with Markus at Kiva Beach since it wasn't that busy. It helps that dogs are required to be on-leash and the other owners were respectful. We had spent more time at the Lakeview Commons, but in hindsight, we wish we would’ve gone to Kiva Beach a bit earlier. We intentionally spent more time at the Lakeview Commons because Markus is okay with people, but not as good with other dogs so we didn't plan to spend too much time at Kiva Beach and had only gone to stop by and check it out.

If your dog is reactive, we'd recommend checking out Kiva Beach, but be aware of when you're going. If you're going over the weekend, it could be busy. Even though it's on-leash, people do let their dogs off-leash at beaches. Though we didn't come across any ourselves, that chance is always there.

Disclaimer

Markus is a reactive, but not aggressive dog. His instinct is to avoid other dogs and he may growl, bark or lunge if provoked, but will not attack. We normally do not have issues with leashed dogs when both sides are controlled, but we will be on guard when an oncoming dog is not leashed. There are varying levels to a dog’s reactivity and only you can decide if this park, trail or hotel is appropriate for your dog. Our visits generally will not include off-leash areas; most experiences shared on The Markus Project are within leashed or undefined areas.

Please remember that our past experience visiting a park, trail or hotel may not be the same as your experience at the same park, trail or hotel. We have no control of who visits the park and whether they adhere to park rules - like leashing their dogs on leash-required paths - or not. Please use your discretion with the information provided and with your personal knowledge of your dog’s reactivity when visiting these parks, trails or hotels.