Flying into Sacramento vs Reno for Lake Tahoe stay??

[mark201235]

Will be flying from BWI to Lake Tahoe in a few months. I know Reno is the closest airport to Tahoe, but wonder about the drive from Sacramento to Tahoe? We would have to take a connecting flight from BWI-RNO, but could do a nonstop to SMF. Google maps says about 2 hr 15 mins from SMF airport to Wyndham South Shore, whereas, it looks like about an hour to resort if we fly into RNO. Any opinions?

Mark

 

[vacationtime1]

About half of the drive from Sacramento is on a two lane road subject to snow -- lots of snow -- so I would prefer flying into Reno during the winter. During the summer, I would be more influenced by the relative airfares. But even in the summer, it is not a drive to do either Friday or Sunday evening when San Franciscans head to or return from Tahoe.

 

[DeniseM]

As Robert said, from Sacramento, you have to go over high mountain passes (10,000 feet) where there will be snow, and possibly snow storms in the winter. You will definitely have to have 4WD or chains. In the winter, it has taken us as long as 6 hours to make the trip from Sacramento to Tahoe, and we have been delayed by accidents and road closures due to snow more times than I can count - once all night.

From Reno, there are no high passes - most of the distance is a flat highway through the Carson Valley and then one very short stretch over the montain separating the Carson Valley from Tahoe.

The trip from Sacramento can be an all day trip - they trip from Reno is just a short jaunt.

Remember the Donner Party? They got stuck on this route in the snow, in the winter - don't be the Donner Party.

 

[mark201235]

Thanks Robert & Denise.

Reno it is !

Mark

 

[davidvel]

Reno.

As for the Donner party, they were traveling west roughly from Reno along what is now I80, and mostly succumbed near Truckee, and of course Donner Lake.

 

[DeniseM]

Yes - that is true! There is a very interesting park there, if you ever get a chance to visit it.

 

[WalnutBaron]

For anyone interested, I'd highly recommend an excellent book published earlier this year about the Donner Party entitled "The Best Land Under Heaven" by Michael Wallis. There is a reason the plight of the Donner Party is remembered now some 170 years later--a story of the dangers of complacency, the brutal consequences of tragic decisions, and ultimately the tremendous courage of the four relief parties sent into the Sierras in the early spring of 1847 to try to rescue those who were trapped at Donner Lake.

 

[MabelP]

Or Patty Reed's Doll: The Story of the Donner Party.

 

[Passepartout]

Back to the OP, I think I'm about enough of a gambler that I'd fly into Sacramento, rent a 4X4 and drive. But that's me, and I'm used to mountain driving. I'd be watching the weather and road reports in the last few days before the trip and worst case, it might mean driving to near Reno to avoid the high passes I-80 is kept 4X4 passable except in the very worst storms. I think references to the Donner Party are out of line. People are hardly EVER stranded for months and eating one another these days.

 

[WalnutBaron]

Back to the OP, I think I'm about enough of a gambler that I'd fly into Sacramento, rent a 4X4 and drive. But that's me, and I'm used to mountain driving. I'd be watching the weather and road reports in the last few days before the trip and worst case, it might mean driving to near Reno to avoid the high passes I-80 is kept 4X4 passable except in the very worst storms. I think references to the Donner Party are out of line. People are hardly EVER stranded for months and eating one another these days.

I beg to differ. They eat one another daily in Washington, D.C.--but that's another story

 

[JohnPaul]

I live in Sacramento so perhaps I'm biased. The trip through the mountains on highway 50 is one of my favorite drives as it is very beautiful. We are skiers so take this trip frequently in the winter. We do however have a four wheel drive so we no longer have to worry about chains.

To be fair, if you are not a comfortable mountain driver it could be unnerving and if you don't have a four wheel drive rental then chains can be a pain.

So, if mountain driving doesn't scare you I'd definitely consider Sacramento if it saves you $$ and simplifies you travel (w/ the non-stop).

The WM/Wyndham South Shore resort is quite nice. We will be spending a week there in March.

Two hours and 15 minutes sounds about right for the drive from the Sacramento airport to the South Shore Resort without bad weather or bad traffic.

Whichever airport you choose have a great time in Tahoe. It's a wonderful place.

 

[sue1947]

More specifics are needed: when is your trip, i.e. that will tell us the likelihood of snow, and, more important, which day of the week will you be headed back to the airport. Don't discount the traffic issues that can result from everybody heading down the hill from Tahoe to Sacramento/San Fran etc. In addition, the traffic through Sacramento can be pretty bad with multiple highways all converging. The ease of getting in and out of Reno might make up for the extra hassle of the connecting flight.

For me, it would easily be Reno, hands down and no contest. Also, Sacramento has one of the worst records for flights getting out on time. If you go that route, have backup plans ready.

Sue

 

[VacationForever]

When my son was into skiing, we made that trip from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe at least a couple of times every winter. One winter we made the mistake of driving from Lake Tahoe to Sacramento after spending President's Day weekend in the mountain. We were stuck in traffic for about 6 hours, and all needing potty break badly. I won't get into the detail but we had to make do... So if you want to do that route, just make sure you plan for food and water, and what you would like to do with potty breaks...

 

[davidvel]

When my son was into skiing, we made that trip from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe at least a couple of times every winter. One winter we made the mistake of driving from Lake Tahoe to Sacramento after spending President's Day weekend in the mountain. We were stuck in traffic for about 6 hours, and all needing potty break badly. I won't get into the detail but we had to make do... So if you want to do that route, just make sure you plan for food and water, and what you would like to do with potty breaks...

Now those are modern day Donner Party type issues.

 

[WinniWoman]

Our son just flew this week for work from New Hampshire into Sacramento and then drove to Reno.

He didn't realize how cold it would be in Nevada and had not packed any warm clothes! He drove through snow in 20 degree weather from California's 60 degree weather!

 

[BJRSanDiego]

If you are planning on renting a car, even if a 4WD, check with the rental company to confirm whether or not they will allow you to put on snow chains or cables. I may be wrong, but I think that some companies will allow you to do that but some will not. If you are driving in snow and there is enough, the Highway Patrol may require all cars to have chains. They have points that they patrol and they require you to either pull over and put on the chains or turn around.

 

[VacationForever]

I have always thought if you have a 4WD vehicle, you do NOT put chains on it because it is unnecessary.

 

[SmithOp]

I have always thought if you have a 4WD vehicle, you do NOT put chains on it because it is unnecessary.

It depends on conditions and if the 4WD has snow tires.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist3/departments/mtce/controlmp.htm

Chain Requirement Levels and Traffic Control Definitions
R-1:
Chains, traction devices or snow tires are required on the drive axle of all vehicles except four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles.
R-2:
Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles with snow-tread tires on all four-wheels. NOTE: four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles must carry traction devices in chain control areas.
R-3:
Chains required - Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles, no exceptions.
R-1 and R-2 are the most common chain controls. The highway will often be closed before an R-3 control is imposed.
C
Road Closed
S
Split Control - Chains or snow tread tire requirements are set at two separate points of the highway for different requirements. It is not uncommon to have R-1 conditions from point A to point B and R-2 conditions from point B to point C.
T
Truck Hold - During major storms when traffic flow is heavy, Caltrans may hold commercial tractor-trailer combinations at specific points below the snow line. These points typically are:
Eastbound I-80 at Applegate (east of Auburn, CA)
Westbound I-80 at Verdi, Nevada (west of Reno, NV)
H
Hold Traffic - Traffic is held due to spin outs and accidents. When the spinout or accident is cleared, traffic is then released.



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[VacationForever]

It depends on conditions and if the 4WD has snow tires.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist3/departments/mtce/controlmp.htm

Chain Requirement Levels and Traffic Control Definitions
R-1:
Chains, traction devices or snow tires are required on the drive axle of all vehicles except four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles.
R-2:
Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles with snow-tread tires on all four-wheels. NOTE: four-wheel/all-wheel drive vehicles must carry traction devices in chain control areas.
R-3:
Chains required - Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles, no exceptions.
R-1 and R-2 are the most common chain controls. The highway will often be closed before an R-3 control is imposed.
C
Road Closed
S
Split Control - Chains or snow tread tire requirements are set at two separate points of the highway for different requirements. It is not uncommon to have R-1 conditions from point A to point B and R-2 conditions from point B to point C.
T
Truck Hold - During major storms when traffic flow is heavy, Caltrans may hold commercial tractor-trailer combinations at specific points below the snow line. These points typically are:
Eastbound I-80 at Applegate (east of Auburn, CA)
Westbound I-80 at Verdi, Nevada (west of Reno, NV)
H
Hold Traffic - Traffic is held due to spin outs and accidents. When the spinout or accident is cleared, traffic is then released.



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I did not know that. In the past we would simply rent a 4wd to go to Tahoe during winter.

 

[Passepartout]

It's VERY infrequent that traction devices (chains) are required on 4WD vehicles.

 

[Blues]

It's VERY infrequent that traction devices (chains) are required on 4WD vehicles.

Correct. While SmithOp is technically correct, in my 40 years of driving in California, I have never seen R-3. While it's technically correct that "the highway will often be closed before an R-3 control is imposed", in reality it has always gone directly from R-2 to closed, IME. So if you rent a 4WD with snow tires you'll be OK. Note that you have to make sure it has qualified snow tires, though.

 

[DeniseM]

That is our experience too - in the Sierras, R3 is so hazardous, that they just close the highway until the snowplows clear it, or the weather improves. It's not unusual for it to close overnight.

 

[davidvel]

Correct. While SmithOp is technically correct, in my 40 years of driving in California, I have never seen R-3. While it's technically correct that "the highway will often be closed before an R-3 control is imposed", in reality it has always gone directly from R-2 to closed, IME. So if you rent a 4WD with snow tires you'll be OK. Note that you have to make sure it has qualified snow tires, though.

Re: "snow tires", unless you are driving a low-profile tired sports car, you likely have tires that qualify as snow tires in CA. They do not need to be what most in the midwest and mountains consider to be true winter tires/snow tires, with the deep, big truck type of tread. Any tire that shows MS, M/S, M+S or the words Mud and Snow on the side qualify, which nearly all tires do.

 

[wilma]

As Robert said, from Sacramento, you have to go over high mountain passes (10,000 feet) where there will be snow, and possibly snow storms in the winter. You will definitely have to have 4WD or chains. In the winter, it has taken us as long as 6 hours to make the trip from Sacramento to Tahoe, and we have been delayed by accidents and road closures due to snow more times than I can count - once all night.

From Reno, there are no high passes

You won’t be driving over any 10,000 ft passes to get from sacramento to tahoe! Donner pass and echo summit are less than 7400 ft and are well maintained in the winter. We go to tahoe a lot in the winter and as long it’s not blizzarding you will be fine in an AWD.