Sights in Lake Tahoe
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Donner Lake
West of Truckee, 3-mile-long Donner Lake is a busy recreational hub. The Donner Party camped nearby during the fateful winter of 1846. Donner Summit, further west, has six downhill and cross-country ski resorts.
Cradled by mountains and the Tahoe National Forest, Truckee is a thriving town steeped in Old West history. It was put on the map by the railroad, grew rich on logging and ice harvesting and even had its brush with Hollywood during the 1924 filming of Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush. Today tourism fills much of the city's coffers, thanks to a well-preserved historical downtown and its proximity to Lake Tahoe and world-class ski resorts.
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Moon Dune Beach
- Lake Tahoe, USA
- Sights › Beach
Heading northeast of Tahoe City, Hwy 28 takes you to a string of twee, low-key towns, many on superb sandy beaches, with reasonably priced motels and hotels. It rolls into Nevada at Crystal Bay and continues south along the eastern shore.
En route, Tahoe Vista has more public beaches (six) than any other lake town, including small but pretty Moon Dune Beach with firepits and picnic tables across from the Rustic Cottages and the Tahoe Vista Recreation Area with a small grassy area and marina.
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Kings Beach State Recreation Area
- Lake Tahoe, USA
- Sights › Beach
The utilitarian character of Kings Beach belies the fact that it has some of the area's best restaurants. The town is one of the more ethnically diverse lakeshore communities with a large Latino population, many of whom work in the tourism industry around Lake Tahoe. In summer much of the action focuses on Kings Beach State Recreation Area, a 700ft-long beach that often gets deluged with sun-seekers and water rats. Concessions rent kayaks, jet skis and paddleboats.
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Historic Truckee
The aura of the Old West still lingers over Truckee's teensy historic downtown where railroad workers and lumberjacks once milled about in raucous saloons, bawdy brothels and shady gambling halls. Most of the late-19th-century buildings now contain restaurants and cutesy boutiques. The Old Jail, in use until the 1960s, is filled with relics from the wild days of yore. The visitors center inside the Amtrak train depot has free walking-tour maps.
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Donner Memorial State Park
Nearby Donner Summit (7239ft) is where the infamous Donner Party became trapped during the fierce winter of 1846-47. Led astray by an erroneous guidebook, less than half survived - by cannibalizing their dead friends. The grisly tale is chronicled at the Emigrant Trail Museum inside Donner Memorial State Park, where Donner Lake is popular for swimming and windsurfing.
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Old Jail
The aura of the Old West still lingers over Truckee's teensy historic downtown where railroad workers and lumberjacks once milled about in raucous saloons, bawdy brothels and shady gambling halls. Most of the late-19th-century buildings now contain restaurants and cutesy boutiques. The Old Jail, in use until the 1960s, is filled with relics from the wild days of yore. The visitors center has free walking-tour maps.
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Meeks Bay
- Lake Tahoe, USA
- Sights › Bay
The sleek, shallow Meeks Bay, with a wide sweep of shoreline, has warm water by Tahoe standards and is fringed by a beautiful, but busy, sandy beach. There's a trailhead on the west side of the highway, a few hundred feet north of the fire station. From here a moderate, nicely shaded path parallels Meeks Creek on its way to swimmable Lake Genevieve (4.5 miles) and other Desolation Wilderness ponds.
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Tallac Museum
The Tallac Museum, inside the Baldwin Estate, has exhibits on the history of the resort and its founder, Elias 'Lucky' Baldwin. There's also the 1894 Pope Estate, now used for art exhibits and open for guided tours (around US$5). The boathouse of the grand Valhalla Estate now functions as a theater and concert venue. Other buildings contain a cultural arts store and an art gallery.
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Inspiration Point
Sheer granite cliffs and a jagged shoreline hem in glacier-carved Emerald Bay, a spot of supreme natural beauty that will have you burning up the pixels in your digicam. Its most captivating aspect is the water, which changes from cloverleaf green to light jade depending on the angle of the sun. There are plenty of pullouts along Hwy 89, including one at Inspiration Point .
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Fanette Island
Explore the 3-mile-long Emerald Bay by boat, which is also the only way to get to Fanette Island, Lake Tahoe's lone isle. It is open for exploring and swimming from 06:00 to 21:00 daily, except from February to June 15 to protect nesting Canadian geese. The nearest boat rentals are in Meeks Bay and South Lake Tahoe. From the latter you can also catch a narrated bay cruise.
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Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park
- Lake Tahoe, USA
- Sights › Other
Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park is the east shore's biggest draw. Summer crowds splash in the turquoise waters of Sand Harbor The 15-mile Flume Trail, a mountain biker's holy grail, starts further south at Spooner Lake. Conveniently, you can rent bikes ($45) and arrange shuttles ($13) at the trailhead.
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El Dorado Beach
- Lake Tahoe, USA
- Sights › Other
El Dorado Beach is a free public beach in town, just off Lake Tahoe Blvd. The nicest beaches, though, are Pope, Kiva and Baldwin along Emerald Bay Rd (Hwy 89), west and east of the Tallac Historic Site, each with picnic tables and barbecues. Fallen Leaf Lake, where scenes from The Bodyguard with Kevin Costner were filmed, is also good for swimming.
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Emigrant Trail Museum
The vehicle fee to Donner Memorial State Park includes admission to the excellent Emigrant Trail Museum, which has exhibits and a 25-minute film re-enacting the Donner Party's horrific plight. Outside, the Pioneer Monument has a 22ft pedestal - the exact depth of the snow that fateful winter. A short trail leads to a memorial at one family's cabin site.
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Hellman-Ehrman Mansion
Non-natural sights at Sugar Pine Point State Park include the modest 1860 cabin of William 'General' Phipps, an early Tahoe settler, and the considerably grander 1903 Queen Anne-style Hellman-Ehrman Mansion. Guided tours take in the richly detailed interior, including marble fireplaces, leaded-glass windows and period furnishings.
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Mt Rose Wilderness
A short drive north of the lake, via Hwy 431 (Mt Rose Hwy), Mt Rose Wilderness offers miles of unspoiled terrain. Take the Timberline Rd, Galena Creek County Park or Mt Rose Summit exits. A well-trodden trail leads to the summit of Mt Rose (10,776ft). No wilderness permits are required. The Mt Rose ski area is also nearby.
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DL Bliss State Park
- Lake Tahoe, USA
- Sights › Other
Emerald Bay State Park spills over into DL Bliss State Park, which has the western shore's nicest beaches at Lester Cove and Calawee Cove. A short nature trail leads to the Balancing Rock, a giant chunk of granite perched on a rocky pedestal. Pick up information from the visitors center by the park entrance.
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Sugar Pine Point State Park
Sugar Pine Point State Park occupies a promontory blanketed by a fragrant mix of pine, juniper, aspen and fir. It has a swimming beach, hiking trails, abundant fishing in General Creek and, in winter, 20km of groomed cross-country trails. A paved bike path travels north to Tahoe City and Squaw Valley.
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Emigrant Trail Museum
The excellent Emigrant Trail Museum, which has exhibits and a 25-minute film re-enacting the Donner Party's horrific plight. Outside, the Pioneer Monument has a 22ft pedestal - the exact depth of the snow that fateful winter. A short trail leads to a memorial at one family's cabin site.
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West End Beach
Warmer than Lake Tahoe, tree-lined Donner Lake is great for swimming, boating, fishing (license required), waterskiing and windsurfing. West End Beach is popular with families for its volleyball, basketball, snack stand and roped-off swimming area.
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Heavely Gondola
Feel on top of the world after a ride aboard the Heavely Gondola, which sweeps you from Heavenly Village some 2.4 miles up the mountain in 12 minutes for panoramic views of the entire Tahoe Basin, the Desolation Wilderness and Carson Valley.
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Commons Beach
- Lake Tahoe, USA
- Sights › Beach
Tahoe City has no outstanding swimming beaches, although Commons Beach was recently redesigned as a small, attractive park with sandy and grassy areas as well as picnic benches, barbecues, and a climbing rock and playground for kids.
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Lake Tahoe Historical Society Museum
The well-meaning Lake Tahoe Historical Society Museum offers a glimpse into Tahoe's pioneer past. The modest exhibits include some fine early photographs, Washoe Indian baskets and a 150-year-old pipe organ.
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Emerald Bay State Park
- Lake Tahoe, USA
- Sights › Other
Hwy 89 threads northwest along the thickly forested west shore to Emerald Bay State Park, where granite cliffs and pine trees frame a fjordlike inlet, truly sparkling green.
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Gatekeeper's Cabin Museum
In a reconstructed log cabin, the Gatekeeper's Cabin Museum has a great collection of Tahoe memorabilia, and, in a new wing, an exquisite array of Native American baskets.
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Homewood Mountain
Homewood revolves around Homewood Mountain in winter and also provides good backcountry ski access to Desolation Wilderness via Black Canyon (marked from Hwy 89).
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