Planning Your Vacation - Pullen Realty Group 

Lake Tahoe/Truckee Current Weather & Driving Conditions
Winter, Things to Do, Weather Conditions, What to Wear
Spring, Things to Do, Weather Conditions, What to Wear
Summer, Things to Do, Weather Conditions, What to Wear
Fall, Things to Do, Weather Conditions, What to Wear
Nearby Airports Reno NV, Sacramento, CA
Reservation Policies
Travel Insurance
Flight Reservations and Car Rentals
Concierge Services
Shopping

Lake Tahoe/Truckee Current Weather & Driving Conditions

Winter

Things to Do: Enjoy world class skiing at 5 world class resorts including, Squaw Valley, Northstar, Alpine Meadows, Heavenly and Sugar Bowl. There are also 3 excellent cross country resorts: Royal Gorge, located near Sugar Bowl, Tahoe Donner Cross Country in Truckee and Tahoe Nordic located in Tahoe City. You can also rent snowmobiles and hire adventure guides to take you into the back country. Tahoe Donner also has a snow sledding hill and beginner downhill area which is great for young children.
Weather Conditions: Weather in Tahoe can vary dramatically in winter. Be prepared for occasional severe snowstorms, great for powder skiing but tricky for driving. It can snow up to 4 feet in one storm! Make sure to rent or drive up in a 4x4 car or truck with tires that are in good shape. The good news is that Tahoe winters are relatively warm and there can be long stretches of sunshine between storms. Bring your mittens and ski clothes but also your sunglasses! Tahoe gets a lot of sunshine in winter and temperatures often get up to 50 degrees mid day.
What to Wear: Winter walking boots, snow suits, thermal underwear, hats and gloves. Bring your sunglasses with you all the time. When the sun shines it's bright!! If you are cross country skiing, wear lighter jackets and snow pants or even lycra tights. You generate much more heat cross country skiing compared to downhill skiing. Bring your bathing suit for the hot tub or HOA spa if one is available with your rental.

Spring

Things to Do: The spring skiing in Tahoe is fantastic and so are the vacation rental rates!! Enjoy corn snow on every south and west facing slope and ski in a T-shirt and best of all, there are no crowds. Telemark ski touring in the backcountry is a local's favorite activity. You can often cross country ski in shorts and a T-shirt. The water in Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake in spring is still very cold and conditions can be windy still too cold for swimming. Paved Bike trails are generally clear and you can start to ride or rollerblade along the Truckee River and Lake Tahoe. Road cycling or motor-cycle riding is great at this time of year as there are not as many cars on the road. Most mountain bike trails are still inaccessible due to snow pack that is still melting.
Weather Conditions: Snow storms are less probable but they can still happen occasionally. Temperatures are now up to 50 to 70 degrees during the day and is almost always sunny. Rent or drive up in a 4 x4 car to be safe so you are prepared if it does snow.
What to Wear: You can get away with shorts during the day, but bring a fleece and lightweight jacket for evenings out. Bring your winter ski clothing.

Summer

Things to Do: Tahoe really opens up in the summer and there are lots of fun things to do for the whole family: Boating, Golfing, Mountain Biking, Hiking, Fly Fishing, River Rafting. The list goes on. There are numerous public and private club beaches where you can soak up the sun and swim. For memorable day hikes, visit DL Bliss and Sugar Pine Point State Park on Tahoe's West Shore and hike all the way to Emerald Bay. Visit Sand Harbor on the East shore and swim in emerald green waters. Other interesting hikes include: the Pacific Crest Trail on Donner Summit, and the Tahoe Rim Trail system. Wildflowers are in full bloom in the upper elevations in July. Need a guide? Our concierge manager can take you hiking or biking through Tahoe, just dial x 214.
Weather Conditions: Daytime temperatures range between 70 and 80 degrees and it is almost always sunny except for the rare afternoon thundershower. The temperature cools quickly once the sun goes down.
What to Wear: Always bring your sunglasses with you!! Shorts, a short sleeve shirt and hiking shoes are ideal. Bring your bathing suit for the lake and a wetsuit if you are spending a lot of time on the water. Once the sun goes down, the temperature drops quickly and you'll want to change into pants and a fleece jacket for evenings out.

Fall

Things to Do: Fall is mountain bike season in Tahoe and there are trails all over the place. The water in Tahoe and Donner lake is still warm enough to swim until October. Vacation Rental Rates are much less and so are the crowds. Local favorite fall activities include: hiking and mountain biking the flume trail, hiking in DL Bliss and Sugar Pine Point state park and road cycling around Tahoe. Fall is also great time to purchase Real Estate as many sellers drop their prices in a last ditch effort to sell their property before winter.
Weather Conditions: Temperatures drop to spring time levels around 50 to 70 degrees during the day. It is almost always sunny but can still rain/snow on the rare occasion even as early as October. Temperatures can drop to 40 degrees in the evening at night.
What to Wear: Plan on sunny days, shorts/short sleeve shirt and a fleece but also be prepare for colder conditions. Bring a shell jacket and gloves just in case there is snow. Pants and a fleece are a must once the sun goes down. Don't forget your sunglasses!! Even if it looks cloudy bring them with you when you go out.

Nearby Airports

Reno-Tahoe International. (775) 328-6870 If you are planning on flying to Lake Tahoe, you'll want to fly into Reno Nevada as it is the closest major airport. It is about a 45 minute drive from Truckee, 1 hour from Tahoe City using Highway 80. Highway 80 east bound to Reno is less likely to be closed compared to going west, over the summit and down to Sacramento.

Sacramento International Airport. (916)-929-5411 This airport is about a 1.5 hour drive away from Tahoe but can take up to 3 hours if it is snowing over the Summit. If there is a decent sized snowstorm, count on highway 80 closing over Donner Summit. For this reason, we recommend that you fly into Reno in winter, that way you don't have to drive over the summit in a snowstorm.

Reservation Policies

Similar to booking an airline ticket, reservations for all of our vacation rental properties are non-refundable. For reservations over 60 days away, we collect half of the rent and fees in order to secure your reservation. We then collect the balance of the rent and fees at 60 days prior to your arrival date. At any time prior to two weeks of your arrival date, you may move your reservation to another date at the same property within 6 months of the current reservation with a $200 change fee. We do not allow guests to move their reservation dates within two weeks of their booking. We highly recommend obtaining Travel insurance which will refund your reservation expenses for lodging, and travel if you cannot travel for unforeseen reasons. If you would like to view the terms and conditions of our rental agreement, please click here to view it in PDF Format.

Travel Insurance

We are pleased to offer Travel Insurance through AIG Travel Guard. Travel Insurance is optional but it is a good idea and can reimburse you for your reservation and travel costs if you have to cancel your vacation for any of the following reasons: severe weather, sickness, injury, death of a traveling companion, jury duty, military duty, employer termination, layoffs or job transfers. We've had guests utilize this policy due to severe snowstorms which prevented them from driving to Tahoe. You also get up to $25,000 in medical coverage while traveling and up to $500,000 for emergency medical transportation. For more detailed information on this policy click on the adjacent PDF. Ask our reservation specialists for a quote when you make your reservation.

Flight Reservations and Car Rentals

We can also help you book your car rental and flights through our partner travel agency: 1877-eTravel. You can save money on airline tickets and car rentals by referring to your reservation # in our system. Call 1-877-387-2835 to speak with an eTravel agent after making your reservation.

Concierge Services

Do you need some logistical help with your vacation? We can make things easy for you by providing any service that you would need such as: Child Care, Catering, Shopping, Dog Care, one way transportation or even guided tours and hikes. Whatever you need, our concierge staff is happy to be of assistance. Please call Susannah Redman, Concierge Manager at 530-550-7710 x 214 to discuss your requirements. Fees can be conveniently added to your credit card on file.

Shopping

Truckee and Tahoe City are well known for their old town ambience and fine dining. There are numerous interesting specialty shops where you will find hidden treasures that will forever remind you of your trip to Tahoe. Take a morning to explore the shops in these areas and discover historic Truckee and Tahoe City.