South Lake Tahoe to the Bay Area is about 214 miles and nearly five hours of free-flow driving, using 105 miles of US 50, 48 miles of I-80 and 18 miles of CA 37. The move is carried out under O'Brien's California authority, Cal PUC T-90973 (as published by O'Brien's).
Three roads make up this route, and each one changes the trip. US 50 takes the truck out of the lake basin, I-80 crosses the valley toward the coast, and CA 37 skirts the bay. The destination is a city of 830,235 people on San Francisco's Census count, so the arrival matters as much as the departure.
Aerial view of pine forest and granite peaks in Olympic Valley near Truckee and Lake Tahoe
The drive: US 50, I-80 and CA 37
The first leg climbs from the lake to Echo Summit, the one pass the builder prints for this route, and drops through the American River canyon. Near Sacramento the truck joins I-80 and runs west through the valley, then CA 37 carries it across the northern edge of the bay.
The free-flow time is about 4 h 53 min. Add loading time at both ends and Bay Area traffic, and a full moving day is long. Many households choose to load one day and deliver the next, which the written estimate can describe.
Lakeside to city: the comparison
The both-ends table shows the contrast in Census terms. South Lake Tahoe city has a median household income of $82,002 and a median home value of $682,400. San Francisco city has a median household income of $140,970, a median gross rent of $2,476 and a median home value of $1,394,500.
Renting is the norm in San Francisco at 61.8 percent of households, against 48.7 percent in South Lake Tahoe. If you are moving into a rental, the building's rules, not the road, set your schedule: elevator pads, move-in hours and street cleaning days.
Booking inside California
You book with O'Brien's and the move is performed under the California authority displayed in the 'Permitted in California' band. The in-home estimator itemizes what you are moving and gives a written estimate.
The California Bureau of Household Goods and Services lists consumer rights for household goods moves in the state and is a good reference when you compare estimates.
Sorting before you go
City homes are smaller than lake houses, so the sorting pass matters. Walk each room and mark what will fit: a Bay Area one-bedroom rarely has room for a lakeside dining set and four bikes. Our de-clutter help and the packing checklist turn that walk-through into a plan.
Anything that has to wait can sit in vault storage from $40 per month in Sparks, and the free in-home estimate includes 10 free heavy-duty boxes to start packing.
O'Brien's Moving & Storage moves households within California under its own authority: Cal PUC T-90973 (as published by O'Brien's). A move between Nevada and California crosses a state line, so it is an interstate move under our federal authority (U.S. DOT No. 30611, MC-109375) instead.
Extremely happy with the moving experience. The moving team showed up on time, friendly and polite. They did a wonderful job moving our boxes and furniture to the new location. We moved a three bedroom home and I could not be more pleased with the employees who assisted with the move. Highly recommend O'Brien moving for your move.
Owner's reply
Michelle, thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. We are so happy to hear about the move experience you had with our company and glad to know we met your expectations! It means a lot to us to know that. Thank you for choosing us as your moving partner.
S
Sonia P.
Talk about organized people. I peeked in the truck about an hour into the job and was amazed at how well organized it was and how many of my things had protective coverings. Our bed is a mechanical one and a nightmare to us, but these guys had no issue with it at all. Although I have no desire to ever move again--but if I did, I would be calling these guys for sure!!!
J
Jennifer C.
Customer service, packers, and loaders were very responsive, professional, and did an overall great job.
Get a long-distance estimate
Tell us where you are going. The estimate for a long-distance move starts with a survey of your Reno-area home.
