See The Whole Lake: 6 Hour Shared Tour of Lake Tahoe by Van

Explore Lake Tahoe’s legends, landmarks, and lore on a 6-hour van tour. Discover sacred sights, historic tales, and stunning views. Book your adventure now.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Emerald Bay State Park - Emerald Bay is the second most photographed location in the United States. This picturesque spot is a must-visit. It may be closed in winter due to avalanches, but for most of the year, Around Tahoe Tours will take you to the best spots in Emerald Bay. Capture stunning photos, listen to fascinating stories, and enjoy the scenic views. No need for parking or walking, just pure enjoyment of Emerald Bay. Highlights include Inspiration Point, Eagle Falls, Fannett Island, and Vikingsholm.
  • Meeks Bay Beach - This is a seasonal stop, open from May 15th to October 15th. It’s a charming white sand beach, perfect for swimming in Lake Tahoe. The area features a delightful resort with cabins and houses for rent, as well as RV and tent camping options. There’s a general store and well-maintained bathrooms.
  • Homewood - The Oscar-winning film “The Godfather Part II” was filmed on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe. The mafia had a significant presence in Lake Tahoe, drawn by the casinos in Reno and on the North Shore. They followed the money, and the lake’s depth was an added attraction. Just ask Fredo.
  • Tahoe City Visitor Information Center - We park at the Tahoe City Visitor Center and walk over to Fanny Bridge. Below the dam, you can see impressively large and beautiful Rainbow and Brown Trout. This is where the Truckee River flows out of Lake Tahoe. The dam, standing at just 6 feet tall, isn’t meant to hold water in but to help it flow out.
  • Carnelian Bay - This is a fantastic stop at the renowned Gar Wood’s Restaurant and Bar. Enjoy a Wet Woody and stroll along the pier. Capture great photos and marvel at the crystal-clear water. In the summer, you might see classic wooden boats like Gar Woods, Chris-Crafts, Rivas, and Hackers out on the lake.
  • Sand Harbor - Around Tahoe Tours stops at the most beautiful spot in Lake Tahoe: Sand Harbor State Park, Nevada. This area is known for its massive boulders surrounded by various shades of blue, giving it a tropical feel at times. It’s an excellent place for swimming, rich in history, and arguably our best stop. Stretch your legs, take plenty of photos, and you won’t want to leave.
  • Logan Shoals Vista Trail - Around Tahoe Tours also stops at Logan Shoals Vista Trail, the best place to view Cave Rock. Cave Rock is Lake Tahoe’s most famous sacred site, home to the spirits of the Paiute and Washoe Indians. Despite its name, Cave Rock is actually a volcanic stem from ancient times.
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Snacks
  • Very experienced guide who knows Lake Tahoe better than anybody around you
  • Parking fees
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
Additional Information

See the “Seven Sacred Sights of Tahoe” in our comfortable van. Learn all the stories, legends, folklore, statistics, geology, and music about the world’s most beautiful lake from “Mr. Tahoe’s” award winning, best selling Tour CD ‘Around Tahoe’. Learn about the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley. The story of Sam Clemens (Mark Twain) from the master impersonator himself, McAvoy Lane. The amazing story of Snowshoe Thompson, The Skiing Mailman. See the Godfather II Movie House and Frank Sinatra’s Cal Neva plus the Ponderosa Ranch (from the TV show Bonanza). See and learn the story of real estate magnate George Whittell and the infamous Thunderbird Lodge. Learn about Captain Dick and see beautiful Emerald Bay.

There is a one hour stop for lunch at the locals favorite! ( Not included in price) The Tahoe House

Adventure Tours For Every Season

“The Most Beautiful Drive in America” through the minds of two brothers, Chris and Darin Talbot locals from 1977. We are rated 5-star on Tripadvisor.

  • Travel time is included on the total tour duration and 45 minutes - 1 hour at The Tahoe House
Location
Explore Tahoe Visitor Center
Lake Tahoe Boulevard
Meeting point is on the transit center side of Explorer Tahoe visitor Center. Look for our vehicle.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(56 Ratings)
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Mustangccs
Jul 7, 2024
BEST Tour of Lake Tahoe - Would highly recommend this tour!! Chris was such a great tour guide and so informative. He took us to all of the best spots around the lake. We learned so much and got to see some of the prettiest places and view points. This was a awesome tour!! You’ll get lots of great photos, and it’s the best way to see the sights!! Best tour we took in Tahoe!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
676janellh
Jul 4, 2024
Awesome day! - This was a wonderful way to see this gorgeous lake without the hassle of driving yourself. We had a few questions the day before and Chris, the owner, answered them all and after talking with him, we knew we had chosen the right tour. Mark, our guide, was excellent and knew all the picture perfect stops to make for an awesome day. He made us feel comfortable and was very knowledgeable about the surrounding areas. The lunch stop was great and the food was delicious. We would not have been able to get to know the area or see such beautiful scenery had it not been for this tour. So happy it was available. Mark has a great sense of humor and a great personality that shines through. He wasn’t just a tour guide, but became our friend. The van was comfortable and we enjoyed our small group of 6 and getting to meet them. I would recommend this tour to anyone who is looking for an enjoyable day, beautiful scenery, historical and fun facts about the region and a personable and caring tour guide. All for a great price.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daleandpaulac2024
Jul 4, 2024
Worth the Investment - Having never visited Lake Tahoe before, we wanted to see & learn the most we could. Without having to navigate and find parking, we totally enjoyed our stress free (and fun) day. The excursion met all our expectations. // Dale & Paula
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathi_d
Jul 1, 2024
Fun and interesting! A bargain for what is given. - Great stops to see wood boat shop, waterfall, dam, even lunch was great. Sinatra club and Godfather house all fun and interesting! Great energetic guys. Took great care of us. We felt like we had a great experience.
Review provided by Viator
Steven_h
Jun 28, 2024
Lake Tahoe in a day - Our guide, Mark, was so friendly and knowledgeable about the area. Plus, he was a skilled driver, making us feel safe as we toured. As first-time visitors to Lake Tahoe, this was the perfect introduction to this beautiful destination.
Review provided by Viator
Lisahealey
Jun 24, 2024
Breathtaking views - Thoroughly enjoyed my tour around the lake taking in all the stunning views. Mark the tour guide was fun and very knowledgeable and made the trip very comfortable being a solo traveller. I would highly recommend!! 👌🏾 🏞🚌
Review provided by Viator
Carmen_m
Jun 23, 2024
Relaxing and entertaining - I loved all the stories we learned about all the places we were visiting. It was a great way to see the entire lake and relax by just taking in all the the beautiful sights.
Review provided by Viator
Ricardo_f
Jun 22, 2024
Where are the beers(bears)? - Great knowledgeable guide. Entertaining stories, whether true or not, hehe. Beautiful sites. Must see tahoe during the summer. Tips on where to eat and visit more. Will definitely come again.
Review provided by Viator
Odyssey04128093744
Jun 17, 2024
Best guided tour ever! - Awesome tour of Tahoe!!! Chris is an amazing tour guide, my boyfriend and I learnt so much during that day! A lot of fun facts, anecdotes and good vibes!! I highly recommend that tour that will allow you to see all the beauty of Tahoe with an excellent company!!! Thank you so much for the experience Chris! 😀😀
Review provided by Tripadvisor
706betsyr
Jun 29, 2024
Some great times but not ENTIRELY as promised - I'll start with the positives. There was no pickup scheduled at the Zephyr Cove Resort. We were to meet at the Visitor Center in South Lake Tahoe. But there is no parking there. Chris, the owner, was very accommodating when I called him to ask for advice on where to park. He offered to pick us up at the campground where we stayed for an additional fee. We were happy to take him on that as we would have had to pay for parking, anyway. That was very much appreciated. Our Driver, Mark, was a hoot! Very entertaining and made a group of strangers all feel welcome. The van is older, but very comfortable. The tour is accompanied by a CD which sounds like a self-driving tour. It was okay- but we could have taken a self-driving tour without this group and would have preferred in-person narration of our stops. The first few hours were wonderful. We did stop at some of the promised places and lunch was at a great place owned by two sisters who served the absolute best Pastrami and Swiss on rye I have ever had! My main issue is that we did not stop at all the places listed in the tour description. I was very excited to see the house where Godfather 2 was filmed only to be told that it had been torn down for condos. A large wall surrounding the property allowed only a glimpse of the property. So, we saw a wall. The description also promises a stop at Sand Harbor. It looked beautiful but we did not stop- only drove through the parking lot. Disappointing. We also did not stop at Logan Shoals, just drove by. We drove through the Cal Neva parking lot. It's being remodeled. That wasn't on the tour description so I cannot say that it was promised and not delivered. But, if there was time to drive through yet another parking lot, why could we not have stopped at Sand Harbor? In summary- Some stops were filled with beautiful scenery and photo ops. Others were a parking lot tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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September 2024
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