Hassle Free Ways to Get Around Lake Tahoe
By: Trent Unruh
You planned the trip, packed your bags, and made it to South Lake Tahoe. Why not take your foot off the gas pedal, grab a bike, and hop onto one of the many FREE options to get around town?
Take Tahoe Transit
From South Shore, north to Incline Village, and all the way around the lake to Tahoma, you can take in all the incredible views and experiences Tahoe has to offer without busting out the map app on your phone.
Once you get to the end of the road, you can grab your bike from the rack on the outside of the bus, give your driver a friendly nod, and go as far as your two wheels can carry you. With South Lake Tahoe recently designated as a Bike Friendly Community, you can count on finding nearby bike racks while you hit the town or take to the beach.
Why Take Tahoe Transit?
- If you need a reason other than saving money, maybe skipping the hassle of parking is enough to convince you. While incredible views of the lake and surrounding mountains are in abundance around here, parking spots can be a bit tougher to find, especially in the more populated areas around the lake.
- Taking a free ride with Tahoe Transit can also help protect this special place. Each year more than 50 million vehicles journey into and out of the Tahoe Basin. Small pieces of dust, dirt, and smoke from roadways and parking lots make up about 70 percent of the particulates that enter Lake Tahoe and are a significant factor in declining lake clarity.
- Planning your trip is easy, just download the Transit app and stay in the know with real-time updates on your route. Available for Apple and Android devices.
Lake Link Transportation
South Shore visitors and residents are getting a new way to get around town with the launch of Lake Link, a micro-transit shuttle system starting in July of 2022. The service will offer free rides in a zone including the casino corridor in Stateline, Nevada, and Al Tahoe Boulevard as well as Pioneer Trail in South Lake Tahoe, California. The on-demand system will be accessed and scheduled through the Lake Link app and operates 365 days per year from 7:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m. and until 10:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays during summer and winter.
The Lake Link app will be available for download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Hop on a Scooter
Bird and Lime scooters are back in South Lake Tahoe for the summer to help you get around. In 2020, over 60,000 people took over 200,000 rides on e-scooters. This translated to a savings of 186,000 vehicle miles traveled, 7,800 gallons of gas, and 325,000 pounds of CO2 from car emissions.
Just please be sure to follow the rules of the road, be considerate of others, and park your scooter in a place that is out of the way.
Getting to Tahoe’s South Shore
Looking for a ride between the Reno-Tahoe International Airport and Tahoe’s South Shore? The South Tahoe Airporter offers multiple departures daily. Just kick back and enjoy the scenery!
Prefer to travel by rail? An Amtrak train can get you as far as Sacramento to the west of Lake Tahoe and Reno to the northeast, both short bus rides from South Lake Tahoe.
New Sacramento/South Lake Tahoe connector bus route
Want to see Tahoe for yourself? Check out our visual stories!
