South Lake Tahoe, CA
Finally made it to California!
Once we were settled into the South Lake Tahoe Campground, we were both exhausted and took it easy for the rest of the weekend. When it came time to go out and do things we quickly realized that summer does not start until Memorial Day. Almost everything was closed. Winter activities were closed because there was not enough snow but Summer did not kick off until Memorial Day weekend. Even parks that were listed as open year round had their gates closed.
At first I was a little bummed but then I decided it was probably for the best. I could use some rest and time to get some work done around the trailer. Also gave me a chance to get my ducks in a row for San Francisco.
We did grab some sandwiches from Yellow Submarine Sandwich Shop and had a picnic on the (closed) beach one evening. The gate for the park was closed and the street said no parking but there were quite a few cars parked on the road so we decided to join them and take our chances. It was nice but definitely chilly once the sun started to go down. It was chilly most nights, getting down to the low 30’s but the days were sunny which helped. I am so ready for the CA coast.
We ate a few other restaurants
- My Thai Cuisine
- Sonney’s BBQ
- Lake Tahoe Pizza Company
- Out of the three, I think this was my favorite, I got a veggie pizza with pesto and it was delicious
Magic Carpet Golf
This was one of the only things we could find open and it did not disappoint. Honestly, it was a blast. The past few places I have played mini golf have been really lame. No real obstacles or creativity. Nothing that separated one hole from the next. This place was in another league entirely. It reminded me of the mini golf courses in Myrtle Beach I would go to as a kid.
There were 3 courses to choose from; Castle (28 holes), Dinosaur (19 holes), and Storybook (19 holes). We decided to do both of the 19 hole courses. Each hole was unique and had some sort of fun challenge.
We were pretty evenly matched, but for those who are curious, I did win by one point.
At the end of the course you put your golf ball in a small Plinko machine to see if you win a free game. We both won and walked away with two coupons for any course that never expire. You bet your butt we will be back to play the castle course, one day.
Here are some of the maintenance items completed while in South Lake Tahoe.
- Replaced the fender skirt that started to break off while driving to Tahoe (notes below)
- Replaced one of the D rubber slide seals that had been falling off
- Replaced the cracked screen door handle
- Scheduled wash and wax for San Francisco
Fender Skirt Replacement
The fender skirt on the kitchen slide has been cracked since I got the rig. It was something in the back of my mind that I wanted to take care of but was never pressing. That is until it started to break off while driving down the highway. As soon as we noticed what was happening, we pulled off at the next truck stop and removed it completely. I kept it so I could source a replacement but when I was taking measurements I could not get it to match the one listed on the Grand Design Parts Lookup. It said it should be 77″ but I was coming up short every time I measured it.
Only one fender skirt was listed on the spec sheet for this model so I figured it was the same fender skirt on both sides. Maybe I was just having a hard time measuring it because it was not screwed in and was warped from when it started to pull off. I finally went out and measured the one that was still intact and attached to the living room slide and boom, 77″ no problem. I went ahead and ordered it.
A few days later it arrives and I think it will be an easy fix, just screw it back on. Well, it didn’t fit and it took me longer than I would like to admit to see the difference. Can you spot it?
Living Room Slide Fender Skirt – not the one that broke
Kitchen Slide Fender Skirt – after the repair
If you don’t see it, I’ll give you another hint
Living Room Slide Fender Skirt – not the one that broke
Kitchen Slide Fender Skirt – after the repair
Yup, there it is. Part of it was cut off and attached to the main structure. After some edits and crafty MacGyvering I was able to get it cut and attached without any cracking. Just another example of a project that I think will take 10 minutes taking 2 hours.
Overall Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stay Duration: 2 weeks – April 26, 2025 – May 10, 2025
Weather: Sunny but chilly with a little snow – Temperature Range: 26-75 – Average Temp: 44
- Site 180 ⭐⭐⭐
- Full Hookup, 15/30/50 amp, Back-in. A lot of the park was closed since it was so cold and they did not have heating elements on all the water connections. I liked the location of our spot, it was close to some bathrooms and dumpsters. The shape and size of it was a little awkward. Once we got settled, it was fine.
- The first few nights we were there, someone was backed in behind us and we could hear their kids running around the trailer at all hours of the day. Once they left, there was no one really around us.
- Picnic tables and fires allowed in provided firepit. Due to the placement of the firepit, it was too close to the rig for us to feel comfortable using it.
- Campground ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Most things around the campground were closed and the weekend we left was the first weekend the coffee shop opened. There was a cute little store for souvenirs, snacks, ice, firewood, and even some RV gear if you were in a pinch.
- It was SO dark at night. I am not saying they should add any lighting since darkness is part of being in the woods, but now that I was in bear country I was just a little more nervous about walking around at night.
- Staff was helpful and kind. They were willing to work with us to allow us to wash the rig within the park’s rules, but we ended up getting something scheduled in San Francisco for someone to come out and do a wash and wax.
- The laundry room doubled as a mail room and there were no fees for receiving mail. It was so nice, it is honestly the main reason they are getting 4 stars in this category. I have a feeling it would be a completely different park after Memorial Day though.
- Other People/Pets ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- The people behind us the first few nights were noisy. Then a few nights before we left another group showed up that had a teenager who was dropping armfuls of pine needles into their fire pit. It caused a pretty awful smells and created so much smoke it was in our trailer. Thankfully this was the night before we were leaving so we did not have to see how it would play out.
- Outside of that it was pretty quiet. People picked up after their pets and everything was nice a smooth.
- Internet Connection ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Full T-Mobile signal so that was great, no internet concerns at all. Satellite would be rough with the tree cover but depending on your site you could probably get a half decent signal.
- Vibes ⭐⭐⭐
- I feel bad giving this one three stars because it is a beautiful area and it was my choice to visit here when I did. With this town being so seasonal, it was just not a true South Lake Tahoe experience and that is a bit of a bummer. Both the campground and surrounding area would be a totally different vibe if we had been here after Memorial Day.
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