Lake Tahoe, California

Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. It is the second deepest lake, after Crater Lake which is in Oregon.

Fanette Island in Emerald Bay is the only island in Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is completely surrounded by mountains of the Sierra Nevada and the Carson Mountain Range.

We enjoyed our three-week stay in South Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe straddles two state lines, California and Nevada. We were on the California side, but did our shopping and fueling up in Nevada where prices were much better.

Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe is a popular scenic spot.

Our campsite was among tall beautiful pines. Whenever we stepped outside, we could smell the wonderful scent of the pines. Tahoe Valley Campground where we stayed is one of the Encore parks in the Thousand Trails Campgrounds.

Our campground, Tahoe Valley Campground, at South Lake Tahoe

On our evening walks, we saw a variety of wildlife. There were plenty of tree squirrels like this little fellow.

Young squirrel eating pine nuts.

This squirrel amazed me at his determination to carry this pine cone (that was almost as big as he was) up this tree trunk.

We even saw a bear one evening by a neighbor’s doorway. We had our own bear incident. I came out one morning to find both doors on the passenger side of our truck wide open. I thought maybe Ray had forgotten to close them, until I saw a bunch of trash around on the ground. Although we always lock the truck at night, we forgot that night. A bear opened the truck doors and found Ray’s bag of Fritos and our stash of peanut butter crackers. He ate everyone of them! (and left the trash for me to clean up.)

Bear at neighbor’s door

On our walks, we like to look at the variety of homes on wheels. I thought this little vintage trailer was cute.

Vintage Trailer

If we timed our walks right, we could peer through the trees and see the mountains in the distance as the last bits of sunlight lit up the mountain tops at sunset.

Sunset on mountain peaks

Donner Pass

One of our first excursions in the area was to drive up to Truckee, CA, and see the Donner State Park and Museum. It’s a really nice museum with lots of history about the Donner party and also about the history of the Lincoln Highway (Highway 50). We listened to an audio tour on our way there and learned about the history of the area as we drove along. However, we lost the route in Truckee and had to finish it on our own. Later, we listened to the rest of the tour on our way home.

Bridge on the Lincoln Highway

Taylor Creek Visitor Center

Another excursion closer to home was the Taylor Creek Visitor Center. We hiked the half-mile Rainbow Trail that makes a loop back around to the Visitor Center. It was a perfect day for a walk.

Rainbow Trail at Taylor Creek Visitor Center

Most of the area is marshy. We learned that one of the reasons that Lake Tahoe is so clear is that it is mostly filled from rain and snow, and the marshes filter the water flowing into the lake.

Boardwalk on the Rainbow Trail

The marshes help slow the water flowing into the lake, thereby trapping sediment.The plants in the marshes absorb excess nutrients which removes pollutants from runoff and snow-melt before it reaches the lake. 

Marshes like this purify the water flowing into Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe gets 300 to 500 inches of snow each year. This “Snowtel” is one of the ways the snowfall is monitored.

Snowtel for measuring snowfall

This story board explains the Snowtel and how it is used to measure snowfall.

The highlight of the Rainbow Trail is the Stream Profile Chamber. Part of the creek was diverted to allow visitors to view the stream from under water. This is one of the most unique nature displays I’ve seen.

Stream Profile Chamber at Taylor Creek Visitor Center on the Rainbow Trail

We were there too early to see the salmon spawn. The Kokanee salmon spawn here in mid-October to November. But, we did see a few small fish.

There are also many other exhibits in the profile chamber area with lots of information.

On our way back to the parking area, we saw this helicopter practicing search and rescue.

Helicopter practicing rescue efforts

Tallac Historic Site

Near the Taylor Creek Visitor Center is the Tallac Historic Site. In fact, you can hike a short trail from Taylor Creek to get there, or you can drive a short distance and park in the parking lot. This historic site is a beautifully preserved glimpse into the lives of three prominent families from San Francisco–the Baldwins, Popes and Hellers–during the Gilded Age.

The Baldwin Museum and Gift shop is in a central location on the properties.
The Baldwin Estate Courtyard

Even if one isn’t interested in the history, the grounds are beautiful to walk through.

Besides the larger homes, there were many smaller cabins.

The grounds are right on the shore of Lake Tahoe with beautiful views of the lake and forest. This cabin’s architecture is so unique.

There are three estates here, so you can get good exercise in going to all three.

Many of the buildings are still being restored. Volunteers restored this garden recently.

The Pope Estate has welcomed painters, sculptors, photographers and other artists since the 1920s. In 2023, The Great Basin Institute relaunched the artist-in-residence program. The artists get to use the historic cabin as their personal studio and showcase their talent and provide workshops. The beautiful setting is inspiring to any artist.

Further down the shoreline is a pier and a marina.

To get supplies and to get to the other side of the lake, they would launch their boats from their boathouses right into the water on rails.

The pier was built so they could get off their boats without getting their feet wet.

My favorite estate was the Pope Estate with it’s own fish pond and gazebo.

The Pope Estate has a fish pond.

I was surprised to see this garden was flourishing without protective fencing from the deer and other wildlife. They grow many herbs, fruits and vegetables like strawberries, tomatoes and asparagus.

Community Garden at Tallac Historic Site

The Valhalla/Heller Estate has a boathouse that has been converted into a community theater which is used for events and performances.

The Valhalla/Heller Estate boathouse that was converted into a community theater.
View of the boathouse/theater from the dock

Lake Tahoe was such a beautiful place, it is on my list to re-visit again and again. Some places are just especially beautiful. This is one of them.

We have more sights to share from Lake Tahoe, but because of the length of this blog, they will have to be put into another blog post in the future.