Lake Tahoe is an all-weather outdoor luxury travel destination
BY ASHWIN RAJAGOPALAN
Lake Tahoe, a three-hour drive from San Francisco, isn’t just one of America’s most photogenic spots, it’s also an all-weather outdoor destination where everything from mountain biking to skiing is in the mix.
America’s largest Alpine Lake is a true all-weather destination. It’s a skiing hub through the winter and shines in summer whether you’re an adventure seeker or seeking a ‘chill’ zone.
It’s easy to understand why the ‘Washoe people’ made this home about 6,000 years ago.
There are few places in America that can match Lake Tahoe for its all-year photogenic charm. The combination of an azure blue lake with the mountains that morph with the seasons always produces stunning snapshots.
The word Tahoe owes it origins to ‘da’aw’ that translates to lake in the Washo language. Lake Tahoe was the hub for this large Native American community that lived in California and Nevada, the two states that share the Lake’s shoreline.
I’m sure John Fremont – the first person of European descent to spot Lake Tahoe, didn’t enjoy the same views back in 1844. Fremont’s discovery of Lake Tahoe took place just before the onset of the California Gold Rush in 1848.
My Lake Tahoe trails started in the Van Sickle bi-state park in South Lake Tahoe that leads to a panorama point. Panoramic lookout points are a given on both sides of the lake. But it’s not the viewpoint that’s the most photographed point within this park, it’s the Nevada-California state line.
Throughout the next few days, I kept flitting between Nevada and California given how the state lines keep criss-crossing along the lake’s shoreline. And if you are ever in doubt about which state you are in, the casinos on the Nevada side are a giveaway, given the state’s liberal gambling laws.
South Lake Tahoe is one of the only spots along the lake with a big town vibe. Aside from casinos that first put Lake Tahoe on the US tourist map in the 1920s, the area is home to some fine restaurants.
Riva Grill on the edge of the lake that serves scrumptious seafood, including dishes with an occasional Asian twist is one just culinary hotspot. Regulars always recommend the coconut crusted prawns served with a mango mustard marmalade
One of the best ways to explore the lake is to actually hop on board a kayak. I did the 16-km long kayaking trail. The gorgeous blues along the lake more than compensated for the tough three-hour expedition.
It’s during this trip that I came up close with the crystal-clear waters and the azure blues of the lake. There’s no marine life to spot and almost nothing stands in the way of the clear views of the lakebed.
It’s deceptively deep though, the leader of the kayak expedition is quick to point out that the lake’s deepest point is 500 metres, the second deepest for any lake in America.
It’s also why it packs more volume than lakes or water bodies that are much larger.
The kayak trail also took me past scores of million-dollar homes that dot the lake. It was Lake Tahoe that was the backdrop for some of the most legendary scenes in Godfather 2 including Michael Corleone’s imposing lakeside villa.
Many of the charming, family-owned hotels along North Lake Tahoe are on the edge of the lake, a dip in the lake is just a few metres away from your hotel room.
My dip came a few hours later after another steep but short trek up Eagle Rock, a viewpoint that offers the best views of the lake. It’s here that I realised that Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful Alpine Lakes (lakes at an altitude of above 5,000 feet) that I have ever visited.
Even before Lake Tahoe became a busy summer tourist destination and a magnet for adventure seekers, it was America’s premier skiing destination. A position that it consolidated after the area (at Squaw Valley) hosted the Winter Olympics in 1960.
For about six months this is a busy winter sports destination, and these same facilities and ski-lifts are now used by mountain biking enthusiasts. I would also recommend watching the pros show off with their well-rehearsed stunts at the NorthStar Downhill Mountain bike resort – the perfect time to put your mobile shooter in slow-mo mode.
While I didn’t try aping these pros on their mountain bikes, I got my adrenaline highs from a 1,000-feet high: a para-sailing experience where I could take in 360-degree views of the Sierra mountains and the azure blue lake in one breath.
Golf is certainly one excuse to visit Lake Tahoe. There are at least 10 courses between the Northern and the Southern shores of the lake that make it one of America’s golfing paradises.
In many ways Edgewood defines Lake Tahoe’s status as a luxury travel destination. It’s a cosy alpine lodge in the winter and a golf and outdoor resort during the rest of the year. This 2010s resort has won numerous critics’ and reader accolades.
One of my favourite courses here is the Tahoe City Golf Course that recently celebrated its centenary and was designed by one of the area’s most accomplished female pros – May “Queenie” Dunn Hupfel. It may not boast of the same sweeping lake views as Edgewood but is one of the most charming nine-hole courses in the area.
But more than all the adventure and the outdoor activities, it was the quiet moments that I savoured. That moment when I could watch the sun go down behind the lake from the top deck of the historic Dixie cruise liner. I’d visit Tahoe all over again for that sunset.
