There is a good Safeway store between Tahoe Vista and King's Beach. Lots of good resaurants in the area too.

We've stayed at the Franciscan Lakeside Lodge a few times in Tahoe Vista. That area seems to fit your criterea. It's less touristy but will still have alot of people on the main road in July.

In July we stay in Homewood or Tahoma. Both have Markets that we useto get fresh food that we run out of during the week. We also pick up supplies in Tahoe City if we are there. Homewood & Tahoma are close to all the hiking & beaches we enjoy. They are evry small and pretty family oriented.

I use enjoytahoe.com to arrange my rental.

Maybe I always go into Tahoe City from the west shore communities always at the wrong time of the day, but my visual memories are of being in a long line of traffic (a mile or two long single lane) heading north into Tahoe City. Never an accident, nor a fender bender -- it just seems to be that darn signal near Fanny Bridge in downtown Tahoe City.

What comments do our *destination experts* for the Tahoe area have about that long line of slow n stop traffic?

My favorite side of Lake Tahoe is the north shore - Tahoe City/Squaw Valley, and also poking a bit in and around Truckee, CA.

My second choice is the Fallen Leaf Lake area (near South Lake Tahoe). It seems not many know about this area which has always surprised me because it is so accessible -- and such a beautiful small lake. If you found a rental to your liking near or overlooking Fallen Leaf Lake, I would say, Take it!

I'm back again -- just now did a search on VRBO for the Lake Tahoe area and I could not find anything in the Fallen Leaf area.

Then I started again from the beginning and keyed in Fallen Leaf, CA. There are a few vacation rentals. But the point I am making is that you need to key in Fallen Leaf, CA -- not Lake Tahoe. Maybe that is why it seems to be such a *best kept secret* away from the maddening crowds. I mean, to have a small private lake that is soooo near all that the big Lake Tahoe has to offer is such a find. I never forgot how beautiful it was!

I agree that there are times when the back up to Tahoe City can be really long. This is especially true on Sundays when it's getaway day and on the 4th of July weekend any time but really the rest of the time it's not that bad but maybe I'm not really lining up to get into Tahoe City at the most crowded times.

We stay at the lake until pretty late every night and then go home to eat dinner and hang around the cabin. We go into Tahoe City early in the day probably before noon so maybe i'm not the best person to say. We have way too big a group to go into Tahoe City for lunch or dinner. We do lots of BBQing and family dinners.,

Thanks! I appreciate all this good info. I am looking into each of the areas suggested. Does anyone have any comments about Carnelian Bay in North Tahoe?