Recreation

In the nation’s top 20 for most visited national forest, the Tahoe provides outdoor activities year-round. During spring, summer and fall, the forest offers camping and boating sites, equestrian, mountain biking, hiking, and OHV trails, and is popular for hunting, fishing or general sightseeing. In the winter months, the forest’s high Sierra terrain accommodates many Nordic and alpine skiers and snowboarders along with snowmobile or snow play enthusiasts. 

The Tahoe National Forest boasts hundreds of miles of trail for riding or hiking, and hundreds of miles of off-highway vehicle trails. In addition, portions of the trail system are signed and marked for Nordic skiing and snowmobiles. 

Camping opportunities in a variety of settings are abundant on the forest including wilderness camping with no constructed facilities or camping in one of the many designated campgrounds with assorted facilities. Most of the campgrounds are reservation based, but many have first come, first served sites available. 

Day use areas offer picnic and boating opportunities, and in some locations, interpretive and nature trails or historical sites. 

You can visit our FAQs for answers to many common visitor questions.