Lake Tahoe help

[mamacatnv]

Heavenly has the highest elevation ski runs in Tahoe, I believe it peaks at just over 10K ft. My DS ski's there regularly, his photos take my breath away, stunning!
Regardless of exact numbers, my point remains, 9K - 10K is still at a significant altitude to someone not used to it and caution should be used.
Every year at Girlscout Camp we had several girls come down with altitude sickness as they were not used to it and its a real thing. Living in Reno, we were already at 5K ft and I can tell you, hoofing around Tahoe is not for the faint of heart. For a lowlander, this is compounded when one thinks its not a big deal. Hydration is big, lots and lots of fluids.

 

[J'aime Paris]

All great information, thank you!
We are not used to any great elevation, coming from the Midwest.

Probably makes most sense to fly into Reno, cutting down on driving distances. We are used to driving in snow, but not in the mountains.
Planning on renting a mid size SUV. Hopefully that will be decent for traversing the roadways.

 

[bcla]

We have been a few times, never a problem with Reno airport, its a very easy drive from Reno. Virginia City is great and we took an amazing horse ride out of zephyer cove. I would stay in the Casino Area. Its beautiful but cold, not a water sport place

There's plenty of water activities in Tahoe, like water skiing, boating, and paddling.

Heavenly has the highest elevation ski runs in Tahoe, I believe it peaks at just over 10K ft. My DS ski's there regularly, his photos take my breath away, stunning!
Regardless of exact numbers, my point remains, 9K - 10K is still at a significant altitude to someone not used to it and caution should be used.
Every year at Girlscout Camp we had several girls come down with altitude sickness as they were not used to it and its a real thing. Living in Reno, we were already at 5K ft and I can tell you, hoofing around Tahoe is not for the faint of heart. For a lowlander, this is compounded when one thinks its not a big deal. Hydration is big, lots and lots of fluids.

No disagreement. Even at lake elevation it's hard on the body. The hiking there can be dangerous in places. I went hiking there one Memorial Day weekend and had to change plans because a pass was snowed in. I came across a couple who made it through the pass, and they had snowshoes strapped to their packs. It was really odd too since I was hiking in shorts, but came across small lakes that were iced.

 

[bcla]

All great information, thank you!
We are not used to any great elevation, coming from the Midwest.

Probably makes most sense to fly into Reno, cutting down on driving distances. We are used to driving in snow, but not in the mountains.
Planning on renting a mid size SUV. Hopefully that will be decent for traversing the roadways.

The chances of there being chain conditions are pretty low in late May. Not zero of course, but it's not something that I'd say you need to overly worry about. If it happens, it's not that hard to deal with. You could easily get chains in Reno or Tahoe. This picture shows typical freeway conditions in May at the higher elevations, which would be absolutely clear roadways and patchy, melting snow along the sides. This is Donner Summit on I-80.

Besides that, the tourism economy is extremely important, and they'll plow at any time of the year. The biggest issue is that most people visiting Tahoe just don't know how to handle snow and ice, especially in the spring, and why they'll close the roads for a few hours even with just a few inches of snow.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Snow-in-the-Sierra-shuts-down-I-80-traffic-7885536.php