Trip to Lake Tahoe from DC
 

I plan on visiting Lake Tahoe on Aug 21.

So I have to fly to either Reno NV or SF CA, then drive.
Any good tips for travel? It seems there are no direct flights. And the prices seems pretty high.

Thanks in advance,

How about flying JFK to SMF (Sacramento). There is a non-stop flight on JetBlue. Reno is surely your closest airport, but in my past experience is a pricey option (and likely no non-stop options from JFK). The flight on the 21st is $232 o/w.

i think ua flies non stop iad-sfo....aa connects in dfw from dca to reno, often w/decent fares....

Thanks, I forgot about SMF (Sacramento). That may be much better option than SF CA. Traveling to JFK -> Flying to SMF -> driving to Lake Tahoe seems a bit much.... especially with a child. But thanks. I will keep that in mind as an option.

Just saw your location as being Fairfax, for some reason in my mind I thought you had said you were flying from NYC. Would never have made the JFK suggestion had I paid attention. That said, you can fly IAD to SMF on JetBlue for $229 on the 21st. It isn't non-stop, but the times are decent (depart at 11:05 am and arrive at 6:03 PM). The only bad thing about that option is a 3-hour layover in LGB. The good thing is DirecTV on your flights. if your date is at all flexible it's $169 on both the 20th and 22nd.

Thanks DJS, that's good info.

If you opt for SMF don't overlook your arrival time. If after 3pm be prepared for heavy traffic on I-80 between Sacramento and Auburn.

US 50 would avoid Auburn altogether. Of course this depends on where in Tahoe the OP is going, if OP is going to the northern part of Tahoe then US 80 is likely a better option.

RNO will give you a shorter drive. Also, I've never rented a car in SMF, but in RNO it's very simple--you can hit the rental counter on the way to baggage claim, and then the rental pickups are in a parking garage that's about a 1-2 minute walk from baggage claim. If prices are in the same ballpark, paying a bit extra to fly into RNO might be worth it in terms of time savings.

Thanks everyone for helpful info. My final destination is Truckee, CA 96161. So kind of north-northwest of Lake Tahoe.

If you fly to RNO, very easy to get to Truckee...when exiting the airport, get on 395 heading north, then in 1-2 miles, get on 80 heading west. In roughly 45 min, you'll be there.

From SMF, it will be close to a two-hour drive (assuming traffic is good).

Hi patom,

That's good to know. Would I-80 be bad on afternoon/ evening on weekends too? Right now, I plan to travel Sunday (Maybe, Sat or Monday, if there is a compelling air fare cost savings).

From SMF, you'll likely be fine on a Sunday afternoon/evening going that direction. Traffic heading downhill into Sacramento on Sunday afternoons/early evenings can be murder with all the people heading back after a weekend at the lake, but you will be going against the main flow.

Thanks everybody for your contributions. I decided to fly to Reno.

Prices among United, Delta, & US Airways that I found are $219/person.

Please, feel free to chime in.

I realize that Flyertalk is mostly about flying, but is there a forum here for finding attraction, activities at Lake Tahoe? (Otherwise, I guess I may go look at trip advisers and citi-data)

Thanks

Or more like $240/person w/ fees...