I am not usually a fan of Lakes that are heavily commercialized. I prefer the serene mountain lake over jet ski’s and ski boats, but I have to say, that in spite of the commercialized part of Lake Tahoe .. it is a tremendously beautiful lake! The blue colors are amazing and seem to change throughout the day.
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| North Shore |
This is the second deepest lake in the US and it is a _big_ lake. The loop around the lake is 72 miles. They say around 1/3 of the lake lies in Nevada & the rest is in California. You know you hit the Neveda line when you start seeing casinos! I was told to go check out the CalNeva Casino where there is a state line marker that went through the casino. I did but it seems the CalNeva has lost a bit of its luster since it’s hey day when the Rat Pack were popular. Instead of there being a competition between the states along the lake there seems to be a bit of competition between and the north and south shores of the lake.
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| Eagle Falls |
We picked up a map from the North shore of the lake that put the map’s legend on top of the South shore’s commerce area! South Lake Tahoe definitely is there and is bustling with lots of shops, restaurants and casinos. The North shore has smaller towns with shopping areas that are more spread out & less concentrated than on the Southside. I personally liked the Lake Tahoe ‘middles’ where it has been left natural and there are great view points and trails down to the lake. Many of these area’s have fees to get into but there are several pull-offs with nice views and trails to the lake as well.
One of the most popular, and one of my favorite spots as well, is Eagle Falls at Emerald Bay. The colors in the bay are beautiful and in the spring Eagle Falls is roaring. It’s a great place to take a picnic lunch and just hang. You won’t be alone but the people watching here can be interesting as well.
For RVers with big rigs, there are some restrictions on the west side of the lake loop along Rt. 89. It does get very winding and narrow with hair pin turns. I’d stick to keeping my rig between South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City and the east side of the lake if you are over 28’. I am staying in Carson City, NV which is about 12 miles from the lake, where the prices are much cheaper and it is a bit warmer. (The downside being it is desert instead of tall pines, its windy and a bit noisier than the Lake area.) It is an easy drive over to the lake to catch the activities on the North or South Shore and at the many surrounding ski areas. There are a lot of events and entertainment around the lake in addition to the boating, kayaking, hiking, parasailing and cruises that are also popular in the area. All and all .. not a bad place to be! :-)
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| Dog enjoying some shade at the South Shore's StateLine Restaurant |
