Tali & Willie
Things To Do
Donner Peak
This a beautiful moderate hike right next to Clair Tappaan, 4-5 miles long depending on how you do it. Awesome views from the top - parking can be a little tricky on summer Saturdays so you might want to show up kinda early.
Donner Pass Catfish Pond
A short hike if you want to get out for an hour or two. It takes a little work to find the pond itself, so we'd recommend a phone GPS app (gaia, fatmap, alltrails, google would work too). There is a good description of the route on the website - either start from Donner Pass and follow the PCT north or start at Donner Ski Ranch and hike up behind the condos there.
Donner Lake West End Beach
This the beach right at the bottom of the pass from Clair Tappaan. Super gorgeous There will be plenty of folks there, but it's a great place to swim, there's a playground, boat rentals and stuff like that.
Donner Memorial State Park
Nice for a stroll, also has a nice swimming beach and boat rentals. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=503
Lake Tahoe Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch Recs - if you dare :)
Particularly for folks who don't make it here often or have never seen the lake before, it is a worthy trek from Donner Pass. Keep in mind weekends can be a bit of a zoo so just give yourself lots of time to get there and back before game time. Driving north from Tahoe City offers a variety of public beaches if you want to stop and swim/enjoy the view. Going south along the west-shore offers beautiful views and a handful of hiking options. If you want to do a breakfast/brunch/Lunch thing some good spots near Tahoe City include: The Fire Sign in Sunnyside - https://www.firesigncafe.com/ Westshore market (across the street from Fire Sign) https://www.westshoremarket.com/ Tahoe House - https://www.tahoe-house.com/ Fancier lakeside joints - open at 11:30 and you might want to make a res if they're taking them now Jakes on the Lake - https://www.jakestahoe.com/ Sunnyside - https://www.sunnysidelodge.com/ Garwoods - https://www.garwoods.com/
Historic Downtown Truckee
Historical Museum at the train depot lots of places for and lunch including -Coffee Bar -Alibi Aleworks -Sweets Handmade Candies -Burger Me -Old Town Tap - Beer and Pizza Farther uptown but still worthwhile -Wild Cherries coffee shop -Smokey's Kitchen BBQ -
Euer Valley
Beautiful Hike in Tahoe Donner - you can go as far as you like https://www.tahoedonner.com/amenities/amenities/bikeworks/general-info/trail-map/
Bike Riding Options
Biking around Donner Lake is a a blast and beautiful - you rent bikes at The Backcountry in Truckee Riding the bike path from Squaw along the Truckee River to Tahoe city is also awesome - you can rent bikes at the junction of highway 89 and Squaw Valley For more ambitious mountain biking - renting bikes at the Tahoe Donner Adventure center and checking out trails throughout Euer Valley offers a bunch of options. https://www.tahoedonner.com/amenities/amenities/alder-creek-adventure-center/