Hiking Route | 👉 Local Guide to Lake Tahoe 🐻

💙 Hiking Route 💙 The Rubicon Trail If you’re short on time and can only choose one trail—this is the one locals overwhelmingly recommend! The most beautiful section lies between D.L. Bliss State Park and Emerald Bay State Park (D.L. Bliss was closed when I went, so I started from Emerald Bay). Note: It’s not a loop 🚫🔄. Park at either end and you’ll need to backtrack. From the Emerald Bay parking lot, it takes about 20 minutes to descend to the trailhead. The full round trip is around 12 km and takes ~3 hours nonstop. Well-trodden and easy to follow 👣. Bears! 🐻 Yes—I spotted two brown bears! So thrilling! Though wild, they’re used to humans and generally uninterested. Don’t panic—stay calm, avoid loud noises, keep your distance, and never feed them. Respect goes both way Eagle Falls near Emerald Bay is also worth a quick visit (just a 10-minute detour from the Rubicon Trailhead). ☀️ Sunset Viewing Spot ☀️ Cave Rock Another local favorite for sunset—sweeping views of the lake + the highway 🛣️. Don’t navigate to “Cave Rock Parking.” Instead, enter Cave Rock Drive and drive up for ~2 minutes to find the parking area. A 10-minute hike leads to the base, then it’s a fun scramble up the rocks—climb as high as you can! Not too difficult; I even saw a dad carrying a baby 👶. But! Don’t wear flip-flops like I did 😅 (I had an injury and couldn’t wear sneakers). Safety first! 🏖️ Beaches 🏖️ Generally, the east shore has prettier beaches than the west—especially if you love small coves like I do 😍 Here’s my personal ranking (which matches local opinion!): Secret Cove Bonsai Rock Sand Harbor Chimney Beach Lastly—throughout my whole trip, I only found one plastic bottle at Lake Tahoe ♻️. Everyone really cares for the environment here. Well done, folks! 👏 #Hiking #LakeTahoe #TrailRecommendations #Outdoors #California 🌲⛰️👣