"North and South Lake Tahoe " a South Lake Tahoe Travel Page by JeanCooke

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Lake Tahoe is spectacular in winter or summer. I enjoy skiing in winter and hiking in summer.

LAKE TAHOE EXPLORATION

Lake Tahoe is shaping up to compete worldwide for tourists to their ski, vacation and casino industries. Heavenly’s new 2.4 mile, 8 passenger gondola, additional high speed lifts at several ski resorts, upscale hotels and suites and new shopping areas attract visitors. Local cities respond with new sidewalks while entrepreneurs bring new ideas and cash into local economies. Ski resorts and towns take on a European flair with village squares. Scattered around the Tahoe Basin is entertainment for all age groups focusing on outdoor sports from ice-skating, tubing, snow shoe trails to sleigh rides and snow-mobiling. Altogether, what was a great holiday destination has become even better with more to come.

On a recent weeklong visit, my base was Club Tahoe Condominiums, Incline Village. Incline Village is convenient to the North Shore’s scenic beauty with a high concentration of neighboring ski resorts, near a lake so deep that some spots are uncharted. This giant playground is much quieter than South Shore while offering shops and restaurants for various tastes.

Lake Tahoe’s best views are from ski slopes and my favorite is Incline’s Diamond Peak. Slicing down Incline’s Crystal Ridge, for a terrifying and magnificent moment, I thought the trail ended in the lake. Being outdoors, invigorated by clear alpine air, a skier could choose Mt. Rose’s East Bowl with views of the dry Carson Valley or Upper and Lower Lakeview trails overlooking Lake Tahoe. Homewood offers some pretty gorgeous Lake panoramas. Heavenly’s gondola offers stunning Lake views as does various lifts and runs. Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows offer a faint Lake Tahoe backdrop to their generous runs.

For indoor sports enthusiasts, gambling makes the day where a person can sit immobile playing a one-armed bandit, video poker, or move with gusto tossing dice in craps. Several major casino resorts on South and North Shore offer around-the-clock gaming, sumptuous restaurants and big name entertainment. I hear that some people actually visit Lake Tahoe just to gamble. I prefer to gamble in Reno at the Peppermill where the odds at video poker make the game more interesting and fair.

Looking at deep blue Lake Tahoe I wondered about the lake’s origin. The Lake Tahoe Basin is not volcanic but was formed over millions of years by faulting, as in earthquakes. A fault on the eastern margin created the Carson Range, while the Sierra Nevada rose out of a shallow sea on the Western side. From the up-thrown fault blocks arose the highest peaks in the Tahoe Basin. A snow/rain/river fed lake formed near the southern and lowest part of the basin. The original outlet was by present Truckee. Several active volcanoes poured lava damming the outlet. The lake rose higher until a new outlet was cut just east of Mt. Pluto (present location of Northstar-at-Tahoe Ski Area). Ice Age glaciers scoured the landscape to the shape we see today. Glacial moraines blocked the outlet again, changing it to the present Truckee River outlet at Tahoe City.

Weather in the Sierra’s and Lake Tahoe is wholly unpredictable so the watchword is “Be Prepared.” Before heading into the mountains, call 800-427-ROAD for weather and road conditions. Carry the right chains for your tires, or better yet, take a four-wheel drive vehicle with mud and snow tires. I really hate getting caught away from the helpful hands of “chain monkeys” only to get down and dirty in the freezing slush and snow to fight with numb hands applying chains. Did I say I hate doing chains?

While skiing my last half day at Mt. Rose, a blizzard blew in totally obscuring trails. Recovering from the white out in the cafeteria, I watched the ski lift fade in and out of view as the storm intensified. Brave or foolish die-hards pulled up hoods, donned facemasks and boarded the snow blighted lifts for more fun in the new fallen powder.

At days end, the setting sun turns blue waters and snowy mountains salmon to red before disappearing in an alpinlight glow caressing nearby peaks. Walkers bring dogs for a last run at the lakeshore. Tourists photograph for their memories. The air turns chill. My heat-beat keeps time with the gentle lap of waves on the beach as I behold one of nature’s gifts. All is still and hushed with the setting sun.