F ew places, if any in the world, match South Lake Tahoe and Stateline, Nevada for access to unparalleled mountain views, vast vistas with snow-covered Sierra mountaintops posing in the distance anchored by the deepest alpine lake in the world. Laden within is access to outdoor activities ranging from hiking to boating
to kayaking and just about anything else one can imagine. What has begun to resonate more is that the region is less about winning at the gambling tables but more about enjoying nature’s largess. In doing so, it is not what people do when visiting the region that’s so beneficial as much as what the region does for them. Scientific studies have shown that natural wonder does indeed do wonderful things to us. This phenomenon can happen in a dense growth of evergreens, or when the gondola at the Heavenly ski resort crests and the entire region is revealed below.
The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority promotes the region’s rejuvenating effect on people. In a three-part docuseries Beyond Awestruck: The Scientific Search for Connection, Lake Tahoe’s beauty is framed as a living laboratory where people experience moments of awe and the resulting effects. At a time when people are searching for ways to feel more connected and less overwhelmed, the views, the interaction with nearly unfettered nature that comes in the brief encounters with the vastness of the beauty can and does indeed reshape how we relate to ourselves and each other.
How to experience awe is what makes Lake Tahoe unique. It could happen on the Pope-Baldwin Bike Path, a scenic, 3.5-mile paved, multi-use path running alongside Highway 89 that includes stops on Pope Beach, Kiva Beach, and the Taylor Creek Visitor Center. Prefer to use your feet? The Lam Watah Nature Trail to Nevada Beach is a gentle 3-mile round-trip that winds through peaceful Rabe Meadows and ends directly on the sand at Nevada Beach.
My favorite place is the lawn in front of the stately and modern Edgewood Lodge. It leads to the lakeshore and a view of translucent Lake Tahoe all the way to the Sierra peaks in the distance. In my experience there is no other luxurious accommodation matched by the stunning mountains looming in the distance.
Want some history of the area? Tallac, once known as the “Grandest Resort in the World,” features the Pope, Baldwin, and Valhalla estates built more than 100 years ago. You can tour the grounds and visit the historic Valhalla Boathouse Theatre. A little further away near Fallen Leaf Lake, Vikingsholm Castle is a breathtaking 38-room replica of a Viking castle considered one of
the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in the U.S. After any or all of that, of course, there are many culinary choices. Where to start? The braised ribs at Maggies in the Desolation Hotel? The Snoopy Salad at Friday’s Station Steak & Seafood at Harrah’s has long been a local favorite. Can you resist trying the 20-layer lasagna at Bruschetta? If you’re looking for more traditional fare, there are three high-class steakhouses in the local casinos: Mastro’s in the Golden Nugget; Friday’s Station in Harrah’s; and Ciera Chophouse in Bally’s. A new place worth considering is The Edge, whose remodeling in the Edgewood course clubhouse is now complete.
South Lake Tahoe has long been the go-to vacation spot for families. The options for activities, eating, celebrating and even regaining a sense of peace are myriad, plentiful and memorable. For those who visit often enough it can be taken for granted. But many of the most powerful comments from out-of-state visitors focus on the lake itself. Due to its clarity and color, it connotes purity. Therein comes a
deeper, more profound perspective. This is a region of immense marvel and beauty that has been here for millennia and will continue for generations, if we take care of it.
By Ted Johnson, Resident since 1991