When it is time to go to Lake Tahoe, how are Bay Area locals making the journey?
Gavin Newsom's old tweet about bringing the 2022 Winter Olympics to Lake Tahoe shows that there is a lot more than traveling to look forward to concerning the area. However, most people in the Bay Area are simply trying to find an affordable way to get to Lake Tahoe. On places like Facebook, there are suggestions such as, "Check out our flight to Lake Tahoe this weekend. $250 per person each way from San Jose. Avoid the traffic and get there in less than an hour from the S.F. Bay Area."
Despite offers like this, do you need to pay for skis, plane tickets in order to afford a trip to Lake Tahoe? Thankfully, with upcoming winter breaks and holiday vacations, there are many transportation alternatives for a Bay Area to Lake Tahoe adventure.
Zimride's ride share offers
Zimride private drivers are currently offering ride shares from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe for about $30 to $40 per seat (in 2011, when this article was originally published, the rate was $15 to $20 per seat). With some advance warning, you might get a seat for $20. In general, this is the most economical way to travel to Tahoe.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of catches. On top of needing to be trusting of the drivers and their driving skills, the availability is hit or miss. In December, most rides will depart from San Francisco on a weekend day and do not guarantee a ride back to the Bay Area.
Taking the Amtrak to Lake Tahoe
You can take Amtrak from the Ferry Building in San Francisco (SFC) to South Lake Tahoe (SLT). There are three buses that leave daily in the morning, and each ride is about $55 each way if you buy your ticket today or 2+ weeks in advance. The ride will take you about five hours, but there is a better way.
By changing your ticket to Reno (RNO), you can ride with the California Zephyr and shave two hours off of your journey. Depending on availability, you can expect to pay $57 to $94. Rides to Truckee (TRU) are priced equally to the South Lake Tahoe Amtrak offers and mainly use the Capitol Corridor train. Using the San Francisco to Truckee route will take you about three hours. For bargains, consider using Amtrak's weekly specials webpage.
Also, Paypal users have a warning for purchasing Amtrak tickets online. For this reason, keep in mind that buying a ticket from Amtrak on their website can cause problems for debit card users. For this reason, only use a non-debit credit card to purchase tickets in advance.
Taking Greyhound
Greyhound has definitely upped their game as far as pricing to Lake Tahoe locations. By purchasing your San Francisco to Truckee ticket in advance (at least two weeks), you can boot the standard web-fare-only $38.50 one-way purchased-online fare down to $26.50. The prices to Reno are about the same as Truckee's offer. Despite this, if you need to go to South Lake Tahoe, you are out of luck. Greyhound does not currently have a location there. If you are looking for lower pricing, try their deals and discounts page.
Ski bus from San Francisco
If you are looking for a round-trip deal that puts you directly in front of a ski resort, Bay Area Ski Bus has a deal for you. A ticket both ways that does not include their other offers is $75. Their other ticket for adults between ages 18 to 65 is $109 to $149 and include the ride on the bus, pack your skis, a ski lift ticket, continental breakfast, and snacks for the ride home. Seniors (age 70 and over) and kids have ticket packages ranging from $99 to $123.
Their estimate is that gas to Lake Tahoe from San Francisco will cost you around $50 and $170 for everything they offer. As if saving $30+ is not enough, they assure you that they will not be defeated. In other words, if they need to put chains on the wheels, they will.
Altogether, whether you hitch with a ride share or take private transportation, getting a ride to Lake Tahoe from the Bay Area is a dream that is affordable enough to come true.
Gavin Newsom's old tweet about bringing the 2022 Winter Olympics to Lake Tahoe shows that there is a lot more than traveling to look forward to concerning the area. However, most people in the Bay Area are simply trying to find an affordable way to get to Lake Tahoe. On places like Facebook, there are suggestions such as, "Check out our flight to Lake Tahoe this weekend. $250 per person each way from San Jose. Avoid the traffic and get there in less than an hour from the S.F. Bay Area."
Despite offers like this, do you need to pay for skis, plane tickets in order to afford a trip to Lake Tahoe? Thankfully, with upcoming winter breaks and holiday vacations, there are many transportation alternatives for a Bay Area to Lake Tahoe adventure.
Zimride's ride share offers
Zimride private drivers are currently offering ride shares from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe for about $30 to $40 per seat (in 2011, when this article was originally published, the rate was $15 to $20 per seat). With some advance warning, you might get a seat for $20. In general, this is the most economical way to travel to Tahoe.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of catches. On top of needing to be trusting of the drivers and their driving skills, the availability is hit or miss. In December, most rides will depart from San Francisco on a weekend day and do not guarantee a ride back to the Bay Area.
Taking the Amtrak to Lake Tahoe
You can take Amtrak from the Ferry Building in San Francisco (SFC) to South Lake Tahoe (SLT). There are three buses that leave daily in the morning, and each ride is about $55 each way if you buy your ticket today or 2+ weeks in advance. The ride will take you about five hours, but there is a better way.
By changing your ticket to Reno (RNO), you can ride with the California Zephyr and shave two hours off of your journey. Depending on availability, you can expect to pay $57 to $94. Rides to Truckee (TRU) are priced equally to the South Lake Tahoe Amtrak offers and mainly use the Capitol Corridor train. Using the San Francisco to Truckee route will take you about three hours. For bargains, consider using Amtrak's weekly specials webpage.
Also, Paypal users have a warning for purchasing Amtrak tickets online. For this reason, keep in mind that buying a ticket from Amtrak on their website can cause problems for debit card users. For this reason, only use a non-debit credit card to purchase tickets in advance.
Taking Greyhound
Greyhound has definitely upped their game as far as pricing to Lake Tahoe locations. By purchasing your San Francisco to Truckee ticket in advance (at least two weeks), you can boot the standard web-fare-only $38.50 one-way purchased-online fare down to $26.50. The prices to Reno are about the same as Truckee's offer. Despite this, if you need to go to South Lake Tahoe, you are out of luck. Greyhound does not currently have a location there. If you are looking for lower pricing, try their deals and discounts page.
Ski bus from San Francisco
If you are looking for a round-trip deal that puts you directly in front of a ski resort, Bay Area Ski Bus has a deal for you. A ticket both ways that does not include their other offers is $75. Their other ticket for adults between ages 18 to 65 is $109 to $149 and include the ride on the bus, pack your skis, a ski lift ticket, continental breakfast, and snacks for the ride home. Seniors (age 70 and over) and kids have ticket packages ranging from $99 to $123.
Their estimate is that gas to Lake Tahoe from San Francisco will cost you around $50 and $170 for everything they offer. As if saving $30+ is not enough, they assure you that they will not be defeated. In other words, if they need to put chains on the wheels, they will.
Altogether, whether you hitch with a ride share or take private transportation, getting a ride to Lake Tahoe from the Bay Area is a dream that is affordable enough to come true.
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