More than a few times, I’ve met visitors at the end of their vacation in
Tahoe, and I learned that they never saw Emerald Bay. Not only is it
sad that people miss such a beautiful place, but it must be
embarrassing to get home and endure the scowls of friends who say,
“What? You went to Tahoe and never saw Emerald Bay?”
Ouch.
Of
course, you can have the most fantastic vacation of your life in
Tahoe without having seen its only bay. But not seeing Emerald Bay is
like visiting Yosemite and never looking up at Half Dome. It's
like walking the hills of San Francisco and never noticing the Golden
Gate. Like going to Paris and
not ever laying eyes on the Eiffel Tower. You get the idea.
I
decided that I should make a list of must-see places so I could
reduce the post-vacation Ouch Factor for visitors.
My
list is biased toward those things that are unique to Tahoe. For
example, there are people who come to Tahoe to gamble and they may
think that Tahoe is the best place to play the tables. But you can
gamble anywhere, and many people would claim that Vegas or Monte
Carlo or a Mississippi riverboat provides a better gambling
experience. So gambling in Tahoe is not on my list.
Likewise,
Tahoe has many fantastic restaurants that draw visitors. But great as
they are, our restaurants are not really what sets Tahoe apart from
any other place on the planet.
I
have also weighted this list toward those things that most visitors
always rave about. If you routinely find that you dislike what most other people
like, this list won't be for you.
I
should also mention that my list has some physical activities that
not everyone pursues, so not everything on the list is for everybody.
Because
I'm highlighting only ten items, everyone will think that I'm leaving
out absolutely essential things. But such are the constraints of a
limited list. You may disagree with my choices. But if you come to
Tahoe without experiencing several of these, you'll risk going home
without really knowing the essence of Tahoe.
First
comes the list. Farther down is information about each entry. Because
some people are less mobile than others, my list is divided into two
groups based on how physical the activities are.
LESS
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
1) Visit Emerald Bay by car or boat.
2)
Drive around Lake Tahoe (This automatically takes you around Emerald
Bay.)
3)
Take a boat ride on Lake Tahoe (This can also encompass #1)
4)
Ride the Squaw Valley Cable Car and/or the Heavenly Gondola.
5)
Spend some time hanging out at one of Tahoe's great beaches
6)
Visit one of Tahoe's grand estates
MORE
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
7)
Climb a Tahoe mountain.
8)
Hike to a remote mountain lake
9)
Mountain bike The Flume Trail
10)
Ski or ride one of the downhill resorts that faces Lake Tahoe
HERE
ARE DETAILS FOR LESS PHYSICAL THINGS TO DO
1) Visit Emerald Bay by car or boat.
You
can drive to Emerald Bay or you can take a boat to Emerald Bay.
Driving has the advantages of allowing you to hike down to the
Vikingsholm Castle – an easy 1-mile hike. (It's best to go
relatively early in the morning, because the parking areas often fill
up.)
You
may want to tour the Vikingsholm. You can also hike to the top or the
bottom of Eagle Falls, the biggest waterfall in Tahoe.
If you park
at the Bay View campground on the southwest side of the bay (across
the highway from the vista overlook above Emerald Bay), you can
easily hike to Cascade Falls above Cascade Lake.
You can also hike up
to the top of the famous Rock Slide from 1955 and look down on
Emerald Bay from above. (A gorgeous view.)
There
are multiple tourist boats that cruise to Emerald Bay, the Tahoe Queen and the M.S. Dixie among the most prominent.
While the
boats don't generally allow you ground access, the view of the bay
and mountains from the water is a sight you won't forget.
Seeing
Emerald Bay may not be a thrill like skiing or sailing, but
nevertheless, no trip to Tahoe is complete without a visit to one of
the most famous bays in the world.
2)
Drive around Lake Tahoe
Tahoe
is so big that the only way to really grasp its essence is to take
the 75-mile drive around its circumference. The route is simple even
though the highway changes numbers depending on county and state.
Get a map before you go. If you drive clockwise, you keep turning
right and it is nearly impossible to get lost. If you drive
counter-clockwise, you need to watch for one turn. When you come up
the East Shore from the south, Highway 50 leaves the lake for a bit
and begins its climb up toward Spooner summit. Before you get to the
top, you need to watch for a left turn onto Highway 28, which
takes you back to the lake as you head up the north portion of the
East Shore.
The
entire drive takes 3 hours on average. My advice is to plan an entire
day for your drive so that you can take a couple of side trips. One
begins just west of Incline Village. Turn up the Mt. Rose Highway #431 and drive it up to the vista overlook. From there you will
be able to see a spectacular view of the lake below. A second side
trip begins in Tahoe City. Turn west at the Tahoe City “Y” and
take 89 downstream alongside of the Truckee River. A few miles down,
you will see the Olympic rings and flame at the entrance to Squaw
Valley, where the winter Olympics were held in 1960. Driving into
Squaw Valley is worthwhile for the beauty as well as the history.
Another,
longer side trip is to continue north to Truckee, a hip mountain town
with a lot of railroad history.
Note
for two-wheel enthusiasts:
Cruising
the lake's circumference on your motorcycle is a special treat.
And
if your choice of recreation is road bicycling, circumnavigating Lake
Tahoe is an experience you'll cherish for the rest of your life.
There are even planned rides where thousands of bicyclers circle the
lake together. http://bikethewest.com/tourdetahoe.html
3)
Take a boat ride on Lake Tahoe
When
you are at what is arguably the the most beautiful lake in the entire
world (and the biggest, highest, clearest lake in the Northern
Hemisphere), going out on the water is a no-brainer. You can choose
from a wide variety of tourist boats, from the big stern-wheelers to
large cruisers to big sailboats. If smaller is your choice, you can
rent every kind of vessel from speedboats to runabouts to jetskis, or
– my favorites – boats without engines, i.e., quiet rides like
canoes, kayaks, sailboats, sailboards, or stand-up paddleboards.
Once
you've looked down through mountain water as clear and turquoise as
the best dive spots on the Great Barrier Reef, you will never forget
the experience.
For
those of you bringing your own boats, do some online research for
current boat ramp conditions, and plan extra time to get your boat
inspected (required by law) for invasive species, and cleaned if
necessary.
4)
Ride the Squaw Valley Cable Car and/or the Heavenly Gondola.
The
Heavenly Gondola takes you up nearly 3000 vertical feet to the highest
easy-access overlook in the Tahoe Basin. The view of Tahoe from 9100 feet is beyond spectacular.
The
Squaw Valley Cable Car doesn't take you quite as high, nor is it as
close to the lake, but the view is still spectacular and the ride
itself is astonishing as you make a near-vertical climb up the face
of a 2000-foot cliff.
Both
Squaw and Heavenly have a restaurants and recreation facilities at
the top, so you can spend a whole day up on the mountain, if you
like, hiking, lounging, lunching. At Squaw you can even go ice skating or swimming
in the mountaintop pool.
If
you want to get a sense of Tahoe from above, either of these rides is
fantastic.
5)
Spend some time at one of Tahoe's great beaches
After
millions of years of winter storm-generated waves pounding Tahoe's
shores, the water has ground the rocks into huge beaches of fine
sand. Tahoe has dozens of great beaches. Some of most celebrated are
Sand Harbor (East Shore), Baldwin Beach (Southwest shore), Nevada
Beach (Southeast Shore), King's Beach (North Shore)
Many
beaches have barbecues, some have volleyball, all are good for
Frisbee, swimming, reading novels, and launching self-carry paddle
craft like kayaks, paddle boards, and canoes. A few beaches, like
Kiva Beach on the South Shore, allow dogs. Many do not.
Remember
that Tahoe is cold. Although the water can warm up to 60 or more at
the shallow beaches, pay special attention to your kids. Their desire
for play makes them oblivious to hypothermia. If they start shivering
or slurring their speech, get them out of the water!
6)
Visit one of Tahoe's grand old estates
Over
the years, some of the richest people in the world chose to build
fantastic estates at Lake Tahoe. This is still going on today, most
notably along Lake Shore Blvd. in Incline Village where multiple
billionaires have built spreads that, when sold, make headlines as
the most expensive residences in the country. (A recent “For Sale”
(not at Incline) is Tommy Hilfiger's palace on the mountain up above
the Southeast Shore, which listed at $100 million. Lemme see...
Standard mortgage calculations would suggest a monthly payment of $1
million!)
Many
of the older estates are available to tour. Follow the links to find
the details of tour times and other useful information. Here are some
of the grand estates.
Vikingsholm
at Emerald Bay is an intriguing look into Tahoe at the end of the Roaring Twenties. The woman who built Vikingsholm
was Lora Knight. She had connections to the Union Pacific Railroad, Diamond Match, Wells Fargo Bank and other companies. She and her husband backed Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic. Vikingsholm is great to tour, and it is now owned and run by the
California State Park system.
The
Ehrman Mansion at Sugar Pine Point State Park on the West Shore. Built in 1902 by the Hellman Ehrman family, it is a fine example of a glorious summer estate.
The
Thunderbird Lodge on the East Shore was the focus of George Whittell's 40,000-acre estate, which is now part of the Nevada State Park
system.
The Thunderbird Lodge is known for its secret tunnel down to
the boathouse where George would take his lion Bill and go for a
cruise on the 75 mph Thunderbird wooden boat, Tahoe's fastest boat of
the era and still one of the fastest boats on the lake. For more info visit http://thunderbirdtahoe.org/
Note:
One of the most asked-about estates is the one that was featured in
The Godfather II movie. This was the Kaiser Estate (Kaiser Aluminum)
on the West Shore. Unfortunately, it was sold, and the land
was turned into a condo development.
HERE
ARE DETAILS FOR MORE PHYSICAL THINGS TO DO
The
following items on the list are more physical activities, so the
usual qualifiers apply: Wear good hiking boots (or appropriate
footgear if bicycling), carry lots of water and food, bring extra
rain and weather clothing, have a good trail map and guidebook, and
don't ever attempt any climb/hike/bike unless you are confident of
your physical abilities, strength, fitness, and your adaptation to
high altitude.
7)
Climb a Tahoe mountain.
Tahoe
mountains are great because, frankly, they are not that tall and not
that steep. This means that the average person in decent shape can
hike to the top of any Tahoe mountain. No handholds or special gear
are required. (Yes, we have lots of world-class rock climbing that
requires technical skill, but that's completely different than hiking
to a mountain summit.)
Hiking
a 10,000-foot mountain is no small thing. Not only is the view of the
lake and its surrounding mountains unmatched anywhere, but getting to
a mountain summit under your own power is something to be proud of.
We
have lots of mountains to choose from. Perhaps the most popular are
Mt. Tallac on the South Shore and Mt. Rose on the North Shore.
Both have good parking areas, well-marked trails, and spectacular
views.
Most
hiking guidebooks provide the details about trails to many peaks. The
only one that is possibly excessively strenuous to hike is Tahoe's
highest, Freel Peak on the South Shore. The reason is that the route
is not over solid rocks or hard dirt but grus, a type of granitic
sand where you slide back a half-foot for every foot you step up.
There's
something about standing on a mountain summit with the entire world
stretched out below you. And if you're lucky, you can look down into
the rocky crags below you and see Golden Eagles riding the updrafts.
 |
| Mt. Tallac with its famous snow cross |
8)
Hike to a remote mountain lake.
The
Tahoe area is peppered with hundreds of smaller lakes, from Hollywood
favorites like Fallen Leaf Lake on the South Shore to Donner Lake
near Truckee. If you get a hiking guide, you will find several dozens
of great hikes that take you to smaller wilderness lakes perfect for
swimming, fishing and camping. (Note that there are strict camping
rules, and areas such as the Desolation Wilderness require permits
before entering. Most guidebooks tell you everything you need to
know.)
 |
| Lake Aloha under the Crystal Range on the Sierra Crest |
9)
Mountain bike the Flume Trail
Up
above the East Shore of Lake Tahoe is the Flume Trail, one of
mountain biking's grandest adventures.
 |
| The Flume Trail may be the world's most spectacular mountain biking trail |
Note the tiny bicyclist on the left!
The Flume Trail's history dates back to the lumber days, when the Tahoe Basin
was clear-cut by lumbermen who supplied timbers to shore up the mine
tunnels under Virginia City. Getting the logs off the mountain was
difficult, so they built a water flume, essentially a big wooden
trough-like viaduct up at 7800 feet of elevation. The flume stretched
from the outlet dam of Marlette Lake, which is tucked up in the East
Shore mountains. The flume was built along the steep mountainside
facing the lake. Water from the lake flowed through the flume, and
the loggers floated logs in the artificial “Flume” creek. The
flume ran north for approximately 8 miles, then turned east into a
tunnel that burrowed through the mountain toward Washoe Valley on the
other side. Once out of the mountain tunnel, the logs shot down a
very steep wooden chute toward the valley floor. (Daredevil
lumberjacks would sit on the logs and ride them down to the valley at
speeds estimated to be over 60 mph.)
When
the lumber days were over, the flume fell into disuse. Years later,
its remnants were cleared away, and it was turned into one of the
world's most amazing mountain bike trails.
Because
the trail is perched on the side of a steep mountain with
thousand-foot drop-offs, it can be dangerous, and only
sure-footed bikers should try it. Nevertheless, it is not a technical
challenge. If one simply pays attention, it is not difficult.
The
typical way to enjoy The Flume is to park a shuttle car on Highway 28
near the north end of the trail, then drive to the Spooner Lake
Campground just off Spooner Summit. You begin the ride by biking from
Spooner Lake up the canyon to Marlette Lake. From there, you ride
around the south end of Marlette to the dam where The Flume begins.
Prepare for excitement as you ride the cliff-edge trail with the
world's grandest view! At the north end of the trail, you make a fast
descent down a gravel road to the highway where you've left your
shuttle car.
Many
mountain bikers will claim that other mountain bike trails, such as
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, are more exciting and challenging than The
Flume Trail. But for a combination of excitement and beauty and
uniqueness, little if anything beats Tahoe's Flume Trail.
10)
Ski or ride one of the downhill resorts that faces Lake Tahoe
All
of the dozen-plus resorts around Tahoe have their superlatives, and
several of them such as Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, Sierra At
Tahoe, Mt. Rose, and Northstar, have distant and/or filtered views of
the lake from certain places on the mountain. But there are three
resorts that directly face the lake and have the best views of the
lake: Heavenly - the California side (South Shore), Homewood (West
Shore), and Diamond Peak (Northeast Shore). The views from these
resorts are the stuff that clog up visitor's photo memory cards and
iPhones. Magazines and websites that showcase the lake rely heavily
on photos taken from these resorts. You may like the fresh powder at
Kirkwood or the chutes and steeps of Squaw or the history at Sugar
Bowl, but nowhere on Earth will you find views like those from
Homewood, Heavenly and Diamond Peak.
Other
attractions not on my list...
While
I've mentioned 10 spectacular things to do, there are
many other great activities such as:
Para-sailing
Jetskiing
Kayaking
Hot
air ballooning
Horseback
riding
Scuba
diving
(Yes,
there is great scuba diving in Tahoe for those of you who are
certified divers. You just need to have a guide who is familiar with
high-altitude diving (greater decompression concerns), and you need
to be conversant with cold-water diving. Hint: Think insulated,
pressurized drysuits! The East Shore is especially intriguing,
and even has under-water tunnels.)
Cross-country skiing
Snowmobiling
Water skiing
Camping
Golfing
(For
example, golfing at Edgwood, where the celebrity championship is held
each year, may provide more dramatic views than nearly any golf
course.)
While
I mentioned the more dramatic bicycling experiences, there are many
great but tamer places to bike. Guidebooks detail many beautiful
mountain bike trails. There are also several great paved trails from
South Lake Tahoe out to Baldwin Beach, up the West Shore from Sugar Pine Point Part to Tahoe City, and along
the North Shore from Tahoe City to Dollar Point and Tahoe City to Squaw Valley.
There
are countless things to do in Tahoe, so come up the and have the time
of your life!
(Just
don't forget to see Emerald Bay!)
