My wife and I would like to do an easy overnight trip over Memorial Day weekend. It'll be the last backbacking trip we'll have together before my wife has our baby at the end of July. We're probably going to be in Sacramento on the 28th, so would be interested in something in the Tahoe area, although obviously we don't want to deal with snow.

We don't want to deal with crowds and would like to avoid camp grounds, but don't want to hike more than about 5 miles into a campsite. Any ideas?

Take a look at Middle Velma Lake, just west of Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, in the Desolation Wilderness. It's about 4 miles in and, this early, probably won't many people. You might have to walk over a few snow patches though.