Touring Around the Beautiful Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is one of those vacation spots that one frequently hears about. From winter skiing to summer boating and hiking, the area seems to offer something for most everyone. We have wanted to visit the lake for some time. We actually had planned to go over Memorial Day weekend this year, but that didn’t work out. However with a low air fare thanks to QB Russell Wilson’s three touchdown passes, we were able to visit around Veterans Day.

November may not be the best time to visit the lake, but it did give us a feel for what the area was like. The weekend before we arrived it had snowed, and snow was predicted while we were there. As a result of that prediction, we did cut our visit short and spent time in Nevada instead.

We flew into Reno, Nevada and drove to South Lake Tahoe from there. It’s not a long drive, but you do go over a fairly steep mountain pass to get to Lake Tahoe. As one comes down the pass, there is a great place to stop, Logan Shoals Vista. There is a short paved trail here that takes visitors to a few vista points with inspiring views of the lake and mountains. It’s a great introduction to the lake. We arrived in the afternoon and so I found myself shooting photos into the sun giving an evening effect.

Part of Lake Tahoe lies in Nevada, but the majority of the lake lies in California. As one approaches South Lake Tahoe, the appropriately named Nevada city of Stateline is the first town and then you cross the state border into South Lake Tahoe. You can cross from one to the other without much thought, but all the casinos are in Stateline.

One of the big elements about South Lake Tahoe is the mountain area just above it. This is a well know ski area in the winter, but also offers summer activities as well. The Heavenly Ski Resort operates a gondola that goes up the mountain in both summer and winter offering views of the lake. It leaves right from the center of town so it is very convenient. Unfortunately for us it was not operating for visitors while we were there. They were between seasons and planned to open again the week after we visited.

It was cold while we were there. It was well below freezing at night. Nevertheless most restaurants were serving outdoors due to COVID. We had our dinner huddled under a heat column. It does prevent one from lingering over a meal.

One of my disappointments about South Lake Tahoe was the lack of beach access. I know there are some beaches in the area, but walking from our hotel to the lake to catch the sunset, I discovered the beach there was all fenced off and privately owned. The fence was iron bars so one could see the lake and the beach easily but not access it.

The following morning we began our journey around the lake traveling in a clockwise direction. We were looking for a shoreline, and did find one not too far down the road. Walking carefully along the shoreline because of the snow and ice, we ended up at a beach area known as Regan Beach. One of the aspects of the lake we noted here was how clear the water is. In fact I read that the water here is 99% pure which is amazing considering its recreational use. We also indulged in wishful thinking about owning one of the homes on the street that overlooked the lake.

Further on we drove down to the area known as Tahoe Keys. We found a trail there that went down to the lake following close to the Upper Truckee River. It was snowy and slippery in spots. When we arrived at the beach, it was pretty narrow and mostly snow covered, but there were great views of the lake and mountains.

Our next stop was the Tallac Resort site. This had been a major resort on the lake at the turn of the century, but today it is an historic site. The museum of the resort was unfortunately closed for the season. It is housed in one of the main buildings which is mainly constructed of logs. Tall sugar pines surround the buildings, and their large cones are scattered about on the ground. The beach here is also fairly narrow, but again it’s hard to beat the views.

From here the road begins to climb up into the mountains. There are some spectacular viewpoints along the way, but they are just wide enough for one car so not the safest places to stop.

Eventually we reached Inspiration Point which offers great views of Emerald Bay as well as the main lake. The problem here is parking. It was very limited, and even in November it was hard to find a spot. The walkways at the viewpoint were quite icy, and unfortunately I slipped and fell here. I was not seriously hurt, but it was a little disconcerting. As a major viewpoint I would expect the paths to be better maintained.

One of the points of interest here is Fannette Island, which is the only island in the lake. If you look at it from above it looks like there is a small castle on its highest point. Actually it is the remains of a tea house, yes, you read that right. Lora Knight owned the island at one point. She had the tea house built on the island as a place to take guests for the afternoon.

Mrs. Knight was also the owner of Vikingsholm Castle which is across the water. The castle was built in a Scandinavian style in the 1920s. Located at Emerald Bay State Park, one can take a guided tour of it in the summer, but it requires a one mile walk down to the water level to do so.

Leaving Emerald Bay we drove through forests, and when we came back closer to the lake, there were homes along the lake. There was not much in the way of viewpoints.

Our next stop was in Tahoe City. We enjoyed a nice lunch in front of a warm fireplace at the rustic Rosie’s Cafe. After regaining our energy, we had a refreshing walk along the waterfront. Sadly the mountain views are not as spectacular from this end of the lake.

Kings Beach is the next major stop on the tour around the lake. At the North Tahoe Beach there is an interesting sculpture of the lake that includes its stats. Further down the major swimming beach is actually a state park so there is a fee for parking. Needless to say we didn’t stop there.

The final town at the north end of the lake is Incline Village. This is just over the state border in Nevada. This town has a nice beach area which was wider than some of the other beaches. The village is also close to a number of smaller ski resorts. It was pretty windy when we stopped, but people were still out enjoying the beach.

Our final stop was at a vista point known as Memorial Point. There are not really any major towns on the eastern side of the lake until you meet up with the the highway over the pass that comes from Reno. However, there is a trail that a number of bikers and walkers were using that stayed close to the lake along the north eastern shore. It goes as far south as Sand Harbor. There are apparently future plans to build a bike trail that encircles the lake.

It didn’t really take that long to drive around the lake. There were certainly some other spots we could have stopped to visit. I think the best views of the lake and mountains are at the south end of the lake. However, the beaches at the north end were perhaps better than those at the south. Either way I’m not sure visiting in November is the best choice, but it was nice to have snow on the mountains. It made for better pictures.

Have you visited Lake Tahoe? Do you have a favorite spot you like to visit? Do you prefer summer or winter for a visit? I’d love to hear your thoughts on how to best enjoy this beautiful area.