Visiting Lake Tahoe

As promised yesterday, I’ll describe (albeit briefly) my escapades in Lake Tahoe area during last weekend.

First, a few facts: Lake Tahoe is a very popular holiday destinations between Sierra Nevada and Carson Range mountains, two kilometers above the sea level. The lake is famous of its cool and clear waters that are really, really deep (maximum depth is 501 meters, and average depth is staggering 305 meters). The lake does not have much life, as there is no algae and thus no fish.

The lake is divided between states of California and Nevada. This means that the eastern part of the area is filled with casinos that are filled with Californians. Otherwise the areas surrounding the lake are tranquil and peaceful.

Car trip from San Francisco takes about three to four hours during low season weekends and five to six hours on high season. The road is good and there is no need to have 4WD car — it’s an advantage, though.

Our company had rented a luxurious cottage in Tahoe Keys, a man-made canal area at the south end of the lake. This is a good choice, if you are travelling with a larger group and are prepared to cook by yourself.

The activities in the area include downhill skiing, hiking, driving to see natural wonders and playing in casinos. All ski related activities are also on the top of the list, including after-ski. The ticket prices may feel steep, but the views from the slopes are magnificent and thus help to subdue spending pains. As the slopes are on high altitude, snow is exceptionally white and Californian sun blazes hard, you can burn yourself without proper sunblock.

If you are not fancy of Alpine sports, you can hike in various state parks around the lake. Hiking is not possible during winter, as everything is covered in snow — or you better have snowshoes with you. The parks are more accessible during summer, but the heat can be intolerable.

There are several beaches around the lake, and most of them are clearly marked on the map. The water is chilly also during summer, but it can be a refreshening dip. If you swim a short distance from the shore, you can see the underwater cliff below you. Most of the lake is deeper than 100 meters.

The road around the lake takes you to various types of forests and other scenery. There are small towns within a few miles distance. Some of them are just a couple of houses, and others have several restaurants and shops. California side is more interesting with curvy roads and small villages. Nevada has faster roads, so the best way to go around the like from South Lake Tahoe is to drive clockwise. This way you can see most of the wonders before getting too tired and then drive fast back.

The shape of the lake is almost a quadrangle, only one bay protrudes to the surrounding mountains in the southeastern part of the lake. This bay, Emerald Bay, has the only island on the lake. All other islands have been eaten away by moving ice during the ice ages. There is a nice outlook high above the island on the southern side of the bay.

Shopping is quite limited in the area. There are no huge malls, and most shops are related to sports. Heavenly Village near Heavenly Skiing Center in South Lake Tahoe has some upscale shops, but not that many. There is also a factory outlet collection, Factory Stores at the Y, at the intersection of highways 50 and 90 in South Lake Tahoe, but the number of shops is small.

Casinos provide entertainment 24 hours a day. All of them are designed so that you don’t have any clue about the date and time. Be prepared with your watch. From European perspective, the casinos are noisy, flashy and worn. Most of the space is used by slot machines, but there are also roulette, poker and other card game tables.

The restaurant scene is quite developed. All casinos have several restaurants inside, but they may not be an option for everybody. South Lake Tahoe has a lot of smaller restaurants and a few fast food joints.

Another option is to cook your own food. There are good supermarkets at least in the south end of the lake, and the cottages are equipped with full cooking facilities and dishes.

Lake Tahoe is briefly covered in a weekend, but long weekend or week is much better option — especially if you’re interested in skiing a lot.