 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
Have just discovered this siteand i wondered if anybodyy could help.
Is there a shuttle service between San Francisco airport and the Lake Tahoe region. Looking to go here at xmas and would rather not hire a car.
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Greyhound in theory but it would take 5-6 hours to Reno and then local transport onwards. Private charter transfer (taxi) are very expensive. If you can book your flight through to Reno instead of SF it may not cost much more. This is the land of the automobile & realistically car hire is relatively cheap & convenient - make sure you specify a suitably equipped vehical i.e. 4 wheel drive or with winter tyres / snow chains as it can be treacherous around Christmas time.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Thanks for that, don't really fancy going all the way to Reno and then back to Tahoe. I'll look at car/suv hire.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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We were in Heavenly at Easter and the drive from SFO was a doddle. We had a medium range 4x4 (RAV4) and it was great. Our car hire company wouldn't give us snow chains though as they said they would rather we didn't drive if the conditions were that bad.
Check out CHiPs (yes really) for more info on carrying snowchains:
http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/answers.html#15
HTH
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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we went to tahoe in march/ april this year for 3 weeks . had four days in sfo then heavenly for then then down to la for four days . car hire at sfo airport is so easy , you just hop on the airport monorail and it takes you straight to car hire center . we had prebooked it with virgin beforehand with just me as single driver so i had gold package everthing covered . i got a brand new suzuki xl7 in black with privacy glass . i had never driven an automatic before but after ten miles it just came as natural . it suprised me easy it was to drive in america and would have no resevations about driving there again . drive up to heavenly where we stayed was about four and a half hours up the i70 past sacremento . you need a car , so you can get acess to north lake resorts likes squaw and northstar . we then drove down to los angeles and flew from there , home thats about a seven hour drive . i even drove in the infamous la rushhour and it seemed no worst than m1 on a monday morning .
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Beware SFO rush hour - after 11 hour flight from UK with 3 children, then took over 6 hours to drive to Heavenly after picking up the car. 2 hours just to clear SF. Was then dark and snowy and we were struggling to fit snow chains in a blizzard. Would have been much more sensible to overnight near the airport and drive up the next day. We were exhausted .Then our fully rested kids insisted on getting up at 3am !
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There's a train. Though only to Reno. (and it only run once a day).
| andypart wrote: |
| Thanks for that, don't really fancy going all the way to Reno and then back to Tahoe. I'll look at car/suv hire. |
Reno isn't so "all the way" away from Lake Tahoe, not the north shore anyway. You're talking about a 4-5 hour journey from SF to Tahoe or Reno. While it's only less than an hour from Reno to Tahoe's north shore resorts. There're lots of shuttle buses from Reno to Squaw Valley, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Mt Rose and Diamond Peak. You can also shuttle from Reno to Heavenly, though you probably wouldn't want to do that for more than once.
But as others pointed out, hiring a car is probably best once everything is considered.
| Quote: |
| Was then dark and snowy and we were struggling to fit snow chains in a blizzard. |
What? Don't tell me you didn't want to pay the $20 to have the chains fitted while you sit in the warmth of the car! 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
Beware SFO rush hour - after 11 hour flight from UK with 3 children, then took over 6 hours to drive to Heavenly after picking up the car. 2 hours just to clear SF. Was then dark and snowy and we were struggling to fit snow chains in a blizzard. Would have been much more sensible to overnight near the airport and drive up the next day. We were exhausted .Then our fully rested kids insisted on getting up at 3am !
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Ah yes I should have mentioned we stopped at the airport and picked up the car the next day. We stopped at the LaQuinta which does a shuttle bus to the airport and was only $69 for the three of us including breakfast - bargain! Funnily enough our son was wide awake at 3am as well!
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If cost is a problem with car hire, you can get one way rentals from Hertz and Avis.
That way you only pay for two days. There are good deals on trips from Tahoe to San Francisco as they are often looking to get cars back to the city.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Unless you are staying in South Lake Tahoe, and skiing Heavenly, Sierra-at-Tahoe, and Kirkwood you really would benefit from having a car in Tahoe. It is possible to use the bus around the rest of the lake but can be a bit annoying. There is also a ski boat that runs from Heavenly to Squaw.
Amtrak runs a rail service from San Fransisco to Truckee in the winter, from SFO it would be BART (local area trains) to Union Station, then they put you on a bus to get to the train at Emeryville. It is relatively easy to do and you can sleep on the way up. TART buses (Tahoe local transport) then access the rest of the lake area.
There are also a variety of ski coaches run from the SF Bay Area that go to various resorts.
To drive from SFO to Tahoe City is +/- 205 miles and takes approximately 3 1/2 hours on a dry day in none rush hour traffic. It is an easy drive - the speed limit is pretty much 65mph all the way and mostly 3 lane highway.
If you fly to Reno there is an airport taxi service which is reasonable - it's 40 or so miles to the northern areas, which is nothing in American terms.
Anything else you would like to know about the area? 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Hi there, We are a group of 8-10 going to Tahoe in February for 2 weeks. We are flying to Reno via SFO, then planning to hire a couple of 4wheel drives, this seems the way to go then?
Having skied the states quite a few times, and bearing in mind the cost of lift tickets, I have that "buy before I go, wait till I get there, or consider one of these Epic season passes that I keep hearing about quandry (or does it only cover Heavenly and not the whole of Tahoe?). Any advice anyone on the best way to go? 
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In my experience this site is pretty good at letting you know the various options available.
http://www.slidingonthecheap.com/
There can be good deals on midweek tickets, especially at some of the smaller resorts. Weekends are of course another matter.
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You know it makes sense.
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On the driving bit of your post, having done it both ways (in good weather) there are pluses and minuses in flying to Reno and driving from there (main minus being another flight and hanging about airports) or flying to San Francisco and driving from there (depends if you see a relatively easy 3.5 hour drive there and back as a minus).
Personally if I was doing it I would fly to San Francisco, stay the night there, get up early the next day (if that was a weekend day) and then drive up. If that day is a weekday, you want to avoid the rush hour, get to work traffic and time your journey (once you get clear of San Francisco traffic is not an issue except maybe when you are skirting Sacramento when it gets a bit busier. )But then I dont like airports much. If you do and do fly to Reno it is a short flight and an easy drive from Reno to the Lake (in good weather). Reno airport is small, easy to negotiate and you can be on your way, with hire car in a very short time. What road you take depends on where you are going. We usually go over the Mount Rose highway to the North end of the lake but there are other routes, depending on where you want to end up.
Just in case the weather is not good, go for a 4WD. Check out the sites for Caltrans and the Nevada equivalent and they will tell you in what conditions you need chains or a 4wd....broadly in my experience if you have 4wd you dont need chains but check the up to date rules for the current situation. If it is snowing, they are quite feisty about setting up control points and checking vehicles. especially on the California side.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Basically, if it is snowing it is best to have a 4WD, hopefully with Mud and Snow tyres - it's unlikely that you would get dedicated snow tyres on a rental car. Caltrans generally close the freeways (ie I-80 from SFO/Sac over Donner Pass to Reno) before they require 4WD AND chains, but if you can it is best to carry chains anyway. In a 4wd vehicle the chain control check on the freeway is just a matter of driving slowly up to the check point where they glance at your tyres and you state that you are in 4wd. I-80 is rarely closed for more than 12 hours, basically overnight when it is really dumping - mainly because of the high volume of large trucks - and usually only from Applegate to Truckee so is open from Reno up to Tahoe. Locally some roads do close for longer - West shore from Tahoe City to South Lake is often closed at Emerald Bay, sometimes for days, but this just means that you have to drive the East shore which is an easier but longer drive. On the local roads during chain control the signs will be turned to indicate that it is chain control and the speed limit is 25mph, but it is rare to find a chain control check point. I've never had to put chains on my 4wd, but I do have snow tyres which does make a difference.
On the morning after a heavy snowfall it is sometime impossible to get to Alpine Meadows - they close the road because of avalanche danger and may not open if it is considered unsafe. So go to Squaw instead! Although most resorts will open late if they need more time for avalanche control. However, Squaw generally has at least the lower mountain open on time because they can do avvy control in stages.
I'm hoping that when you do come that you will need to use 4wd or chains, because that will mean that it is dumping! 
Unfortunately, I can't help with the question about tickets since either I'm using my pass or a professional discount. Sorry!
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Poster: A snowHead
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been to Tahoe, heavenly, sierra, kirkwood.
Transfered thru reno then on bus from reno. ok on way out however.
fog in san fran can limit flights landing esp in morning, came within seconds of missinf flight home as a result ( needed to run++++)
next time i go i'll self transfer by road from san fran
Skiing excellent, cheap eats in heavenly in casino restauraunts (all you can eat usa style)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Don't think anyone else has mentioned this option, and after trying several including flying to Reno (expensive!) it would be my preferred choice. Amtrak run a service to South Lake Tahoe several times a day, train from SF to Sacramento from where an Amtrak bus service continues to South Lake Tahoe. If you want a car, you could hire in South Lake, the Amtrak buses drop of at Harvey's Casino, and there are various car hire options available in the Stateline Casinos. Gives you the freedom of a car when at Lake Tahoe, without having to do battle with the SF traffic.
From SF airports international terminal take the BART system to Richmond where you can interchange with the Amtrak service. Last time I did it you could buy tickets on the train (or by in advance at www.capitolcorridor.org ).
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Actually note of caution about the above, it seems there is only one Amtrak bus from Sacramento to SLT this winter and the price has doubled since last winter ! 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Personally, I try not to fly through SFO at all, since I won't fly United up to Reno. I usually fly through either Dallas or SLC because I start in Manchester rather than one of the London airports. Delta used to do a flight from Atlanta to Reno but they don't offer it all year - so now I'm stuck with three flights instead of 2! For this coming season I'll be flying from Dubai to Manchester on a Sunday, and then on Monday I fly from Manchester to Reno via Atlanta and SLC - I get jet lag just thinking about it!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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pollittcl, I'll forgive you  What's the snowdome in Dubai like ?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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To be honest , without a car your be stuck in one place. Unless you book the Hotel right next to the Gondola (Heavenly) in down town (South Lake Tahoe) your need a car to drive upto the car park go out for meals etc.
Also depends on which shore of the lake.
Here are alternatives
http://www.tahoesbest.com/Transportation/
Truckee is an historic railroad town but still your someway (miles) from the North shore ski areas.
Believe me car will be needed to make the most of the trip.
Maybe these guys if they are operating this season
http://www.bayareaskibus.com/
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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If I get the Epic Pass for a trip from the UK to Breckenridge is there enough skiing at Heavenly alone to justify another trip
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| Lechbob wrote: |
| If I get the Epic Pass for a trip from the UK to Breckenridge is there enough skiing at Heavenly alone to justify another trip |
Yes!
Although once you're in Tahoe, it would be a shame to leave without sampling at least the best of the lot right there: Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, to name a couple.
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FAQ
, there are several interesting places nearby eg 
, 
, I will have to stopover on my anual trip to Thailand.
of making numerous flights, I dislike the airport experience & would use the train for Europe if it was up to swiss standards & not ridiculously priced.