Paws and Play Studio | San Francisco Bay Area Dog Photography

After not traveling for over a year (except for little weekend getaways here and there, the kind of trip where you come back more tired than before you left…😅), I got to spend two weeks in Tahoe this month: one week was to cover a commercial dog photography project and another week was a much-needed family vacation!

When I was there for work, my assistant and I spent the first two days scouting locations and hit up 16 dog-friendly spots all around Lake Tahoe to find the right locations to photograph our puppers. We spent the other two days photographing a total of six dogs in the snowy landscape of Tahoe’s winter wonderland. Since we photographed only at sunrise and sunset, we encountered coyotes (we learned this was their mating season and they’re most active during, of course, sunrise and sunset), saw fresh bear paw prints, and got reported by the neighbors thinking we were having a forest PAWty at 6:30am. This was definitely an adventurous work trip but we had a lot of fun and I am happy I got to know Tahoe a lot better than before!

Below is a little sneak peek of some of the photographs captured!

The trip with my family was much slower-paced…this time the main focus was to rest, relax, and spend quality time together. We still covered a number of outings so Otto could enjoy some fun inwestiegating in the snow while Mina, my daughter, saw snow for the first time in her life!

Since Tahoe changes so much season to season, below is a list of my favorite dog-friendly places in Tahoe for late winter/early spring:

Beach with a view: King’s Beach at sunrise https://goo.gl/maps/R81mHWTKKYWDyU2G9
- If you’re an early riser, I highly recommend coming here early in the morning and enjoy the tranquility of the lake with panoramic views of the mountains. As the sun starts to peek over the skyline, everything turns pink, including the lake! It is gorgeous and definitely makes you say “awe…” Sunset here is beautiful too, but it tends to be more crowded so I recommend coming here at sunrise.
A nice stroll along the river: Squaw Valley area https://goo.gl/maps/fHHwUB5vEw7MtJDfA
- I found this walking/biking trail along the Donner River and I highly recommend taking a walk here! The paved trailed right next to the river makes it an easy stroll and the snow-covered terrain next to the river is fun to romp around with your dog! This is a relatively flat area and perfect for making a snowman by the river (or push a stroller 😉)
Short hike to a secluded beach with crystal clear, blue waters: Meeks Bay
no real trail, so you need to be a little adventurous https://goo.gl/maps/JAFXGtrLqXtpE93r6
- This location is not dog-friendly in the summer so only visit here when it’s closed to the public! We learned there are numerous places like this in Tahoe where summertime is off-limits to dogs and nobody really cares in the wintertime. There isn’t a real parking location for this place, just like many places where parking lots are closed in the winter, so you’ll have to find street parking and walk-in. I recommend wearing waterproof hiking shoes or if you have snowshoes, even better so you don’t sink in the snow! We all survived with waterproof hiking shoes since it’s a relatively short walk. Trust me, the crystal clear and calm bay is so beautiful, making the walk over totally worth it!
Another secluded beach with panoramic views, no hiking required: Lake Forest Beach https://goo.gl/maps/dYFvdqZPLaER73PE6
- Just like Meeks Bay, this place is not dog-friendly during the summer season, but wintertime, it’s a different story. We enjoyed the open views this place offers and a bigger shoreline to walk around. Our AirBnB was within walking distance of this place making it extra easy to visit.
A hike through a forest with actual trails: Donner Lake in Truckee https://goo.gl/maps/Dc3gBGVtNeuwbwbcA
- This is the most established trail of the entire list with a parking lot, a museum/visitor center, and actual trails for cross-country skiers, snowshoes, bikers, and regular hikers like myself. You can decide how easy or challenging your hike is and visit Donner Lake through a walk in the forest.
Gorgeous woodland valley: Washoe Meadows State Park (https://goo.gl/maps/Lmq6wtz1Yp3xzGUt7)
- The meadow here is so beautiful! I really wanted to photograph here but unfortunately, this area was occupied by wild coyotes on the day of our photoshoot. Parking is tricky since there’s no actual parking lot but you can find little spots here and there in the residential area and walk-in. You have views of the mountains, the forest, and an open meadow.
Family-friendly sledding location: Tahoe Meadows South Trailhead https://goo.gl/maps/kGrGBnHVZH8H9nUk8
- We took our daughter and Otto sledding here! Very easy to get to (park right on the road) and super dog-friendly!

Lastly, a big shout out to Clyde’s Coffee Roasting Company, they have super fluffy and flaky pastries, coffees/teas, and a wonderful selection of coffee beans! I personally love their hazelnut roasted coffee, it is just so aromatic and doesn’t have that artificial taste because they roast it with actual hazelnuts! (I apologize if you’re a coffee purist, I just can’t resist the nutty aroma with my coffee!)