Amtrak Guest Rewards - Getting From Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe?

Wanted to see if anyone can recommend the best routing to get from LA area to Lake Tahoe area within one travel day (avoiding a hotel night). I assume renting a car from Truckee or Reno would be needed or is their a thruway bus? THX.

You could take Amtrak all the way, since there is a Thruway bus. Amtrak.com suggests the following routing, which would include a night on the bus...

LAX to Santa Barbara (Surfliner)
7:00 pm - 9:37 pm

Santa Barbara to Oakland (Bus)
9:45 pm - 5:55 am

Oakland to Sacramento (Capitols)
6:30 am - 8:28 am

Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe (Bus)
10:05 am - 12:25 pm

There's also one via the San Joaquins that leaves at 1:25 am from LA.

Thanks-actually, is there a better routing that
a) allows me to be on the Cal. Zep. train and
b) cuts down on long buses and keeps me on more trains



You could take Amtrak all the way, since there is a Thruway bus. Amtrak.com suggests the following routing, which would include a night on the bus...

LAX to Santa Barbara (Surfliner)
7:00 pm - 9:37 pm

Santa Barbara to Oakland (Bus)
9:45 pm - 5:55 am

Oakland to Sacramento (Capitols)
6:30 am - 8:28 am

Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe (Bus)
10:05 am - 12:25 pm

There's also one via the San Joaquins that leaves at 1:25 am from LA.

The Zephyr leaves SF/Emeryville about 9:00am, you would again need an overnight bus from Santa Barbara to make it. Once the CZ gets you to Reno you could have lunch at Harrah's (less than a block from the station), use their free shuttle to the airport, and then grab a South Tahoe Express bus to the South Shore casinos.

In this case flying LA to Reno and the bus from there might make the most sense and the cost may not be much more.

You could take Amtrak all the way, since there is a Thruway bus. Amtrak.com suggests the following routing, which would include a night on the bus...

LAX to Santa Barbara (Surfliner)
7:00 pm - 9:37 pm

Santa Barbara to Oakland (Bus)
9:45 pm - 5:55 am

Oakland to Sacramento (Capitols)
6:30 am - 8:28 am

Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe (Bus)
10:05 am - 12:25 pm

There's also one via the San Joaquins that leaves at 1:25 am from LA.


2 buses and 2 trains....
LOL
I'd drive it :)
Or fly to RNO, then drive or bus

Or just take the bus. I don't see the benefit of all of these connections

thx for all opinions. i was just trying to find a scenic and leisurely way up there. obviously flying is quickest and probably cheapest besides driving from LA (which is 500 miles behind the wheel, which is not very leisurely..)

good to know i can walk to harrahs in reno and then take free bus to airport..
i can always rent a cheap car from the airport and drive myself to lake tahoe and back...

Thanks-actually, is there a better routing that
a) allows me to be on the Cal. Zep. train and
b) cuts down on long buses and keeps me on more trains
The San Joaquins option (leaving at 1:25am) avoids the 8-hour bus ride that you find with the other option. The total time on the train isn't much different (about 4 hours), but the routing is significantly shorter and so doesn't keep you stuck on a bus for nearly as long.

You could also catch the CZ to Reno (the option Ted suggested) but instead of doing the overnight bus from Santa Barbara, route up the Central Valley on the San Joaquins. That option provides you with 9 combined hours on the train and only the relatively short bus rides between LAX and BFD (3 hours) and then SKN to SAC (50 minutes).

thx so much

Why not take the Coast Starlight up to either Oakland or Sacramento, spend the night, then catch the Zephyr the next day?