Travelogue

Secret Cove on Lake TahoeSince we were in no particular rush to get home, we decided to squeeze another day into our mini-vacation and spend the night in South Lake Tahoe. Usually we stay at Camp Richardson, but last year we discovered another alternative called Campground by the Lake. It has the advantage of being located right across the street from the lake, but I do still like Camp Richardson for its proximity to the Tallac Historic Site. It’s nice to have two good choices in South Lake Tahoe.

That afternoon we drove up to Secret Cove, one of a series of secluded, pristine beaches along Highway 28 on the remote Nevada eastern shore of the lake. It is one of Herb’s favorite beaches, which means a lot coming from a beach aficionado, so we come back to it every time we are in the area.

Along this section of the lake, the highway is way above the lake, so we had to hike down a fairly long, steep path to the beach, lugging our beach chairs and cooler.

We were quite surprised when we got our first sighting of the beach - or what was left of it. The lake was so high, which I guess is good news, that there was barely and beach left. The boulders that we had tucked ourselves behind in previous years were now in the water. We managed to find a bit of unoccupied sand and spent the afternoon reading and cooling off in the lovely clear water.

When we got back to Campground by the Lake that evening, we walked across the street to the beach to watch another beautiful sunset over Lake Tahoe.

Description

I am not even going to attempt to give a full description of what Lake Tahoe has to offer, as we only spent a short time on its southern shore.

However, briefly, Lake Tahoe is one of the highest elevation lakes (6,255 feet high) in the U.S., as well as the second deepest (1,645 feet deep) – Crater Lake is the deepest. It is located along the border between California and Nevada. The four shores of the lake are each quite different. The north is quiet and upscale, the west and east are more rugged and less developed, and the south shore is busy and tacky with neon-lit hotels and casinos. The 72-mile drive around the lake is very scenic.

Lake Tahoe is known for its clear blue and green waters and the panorama of mountains that surround it on all sides. It is a year-round destination with swimming, boating, kayaking, and various other kinds of water sports during the summer; hiking, backpacking, and camping all year round; and tremendous skiing and snowboarding in the winter.