Trekking in Tahoe
It is no secret I love to be outdoors with my family. There is nothing more special to me than being in nature with my loved ones. South Lake Tahoe has always held a special place in my heart since. I was fortunate enough to visit Tahoe in my younger adult years many times with my godchildren and it is always been a very nostalgic place for me.
The lake, the trees, the fresh air- what's not to love about Tahoe? Last weekend we took a short weekend trip up there and I am as much in love today with Tahoe as I was ten years ago. We had some fun excursions when we were there that I just wanted to share.
We signed up for our first ever guided hiking tour with Surf You To The Moon and it was so fun. I have never actually been on a group hike or a guided hike, we usually just pack up and go. We look up hikes all over the Bay Area and guide ourselves. But I must say it was truly nice to be guided to some awesome overlooks and beautiful views. We met our very nice tour guide in town and piled into his car. First he took us to a hike that overlooked the beautiful Emerald Bay. Our guide has been doing tours in Tahoe for over 25 years and was such a fountain of knowledge on everything! Learned so many new facts and historical points of Lake Tahoe. Next he took us to the magical waterfalls of Fallen Leaf Lake, a place in Tahoe I had no idea even existed. The waterfalls were loud and just stunning. We played and climbed all over the rocks near the falls. On the car ride back we even spotted a baby bear in the woods. It was such a great experience!
Bike riding is one of our favorite outdoor activities to do as a family, everyone loves to ride! So when we were in Tahoe we rented bikes from Anderson's Bikes and went for a ride. There is a far stretching paved path that you can access after renting from Anderson's that takes you on a serene ride through the forest. You can either stay rolling through the towering trees or you can stop and make a detour at one of several beaches that have access points along the way. Anderson's are reasonably priced with friendly staff and plenty of bike options for the whole family.
There are many beaches to take a rest at on the bike ride but Camp Richardson is my personal favorite place to stop. Camp Richardson has food to eat, water sports rentals, a nice sandy beach, and a long dock that stretches out into the water. There are also some historical buildings on the property you can tour and learn their history. Numerous times we have run into events here including a festival and a wedding. I just like the beach because the sand leading into the water is soft and easy access to wade in. The dock is the perfect spot for taking in the view, watching boats go by, and stopping for a family photo.
Pope Beach is another beach you can stop at along the way of your bike ride. If you are entering by car you have to pay a parking fee of $8 I believe. But that parking fee is god for several other beaches that you can access for the rest of the day. If entering by bike of course you can go in for free. Pope beach is very sandy, has lots of places for a picnic including benches & fire pits, also they have some of the nicer public beach restrooms I have seen. When we went for a visit we were among the few visiting for the day so it was very quiet and peaceful. I can imagine in Summer it is much more crowded though!
Tahoe has so many things to do and so much wilderness to explore- hope you an your family get the chance to experience it's beauty!
