|
|
Hotel Charlotte
|
Specials . |
||||||||||||||
|
Tioga
Pass is Closed |
Lake Tahoe Itinerary Highlights and Directions | |||||||||||||||
|
More of our
Lake Tahoe photos
For additional information
|
A note on the July 2007 Lake Tahoe area fires: While devastating to those who lost homes and businesses, we were unable to find the scars of the fire on our approach to town. Upon leaving however, one drives straight towards a burnt out hill and the close proximate to the the bustling town is frighteningly real.
Groveland-Yosemite to Tahoe
(Or the other way around!) We have long recommended staying at the Lakeside Lodge, but have to note that up to last year (2006) the rates were $65 a night. Since then we have been unable to get a price under $160 and have since stopped staying here. The dining continues to be a great value. We enjoy the booths in the bar for seating. We also recommend a stay at the Zephyr Cove Resort, also on the Nevada side for their myriad of recreation activities. One can ride horses, rent speed boats, canoes, kayak and sailboats from Zephyr Cove. In the winter there are oodles of snow activities that start from here. A
drive around the lake is a must do! Depending on the number of stops you
make this scenic loop should take at least 2.5 hours and is roughly 95 miles.
Driving clockwise Shortly after leaving South Lake Tahoe is Emerald Bay where you will see the castle and the tea house topped island, both remote and lonely looking places, but stunning in that they even exist. Tahoe City and several other places along the Western short offer bicycle rentals. The riding trail borders both the lake and the road. Watch for traffic as the trail crosses the highway in several points. This is a beautiful route on a paved bike path and is well used by families and sport riders alike.
Once back in South Lake Tahoe jump aboard the gondola to the top of Heavenly Mountain. This might be a bit uncomfortable for those with a weakness for heights and that awful falling feeling, but is well worth the few minutes with no ground below your feet. Victor enjoyed my reaction when he tried to rock our climbing cocoon. There are dozens of hikes that originate from the pinnacle and follow the ski trails. Take care to return to the Gondola before closing, it is a long walk down if you don't!
Consider
an evening cruise on the paddle wheel boat,
MS Dixie II that departs from
Zephyr Cove. On our trip we opted for the dinner service, and while the
meal was fair and we met some pleasant travelers at our table, if we were
to do
it again, we would just do the sight-seeing tour, skip the meal, save $20 Additional activities for a prolonged stay include an over-lake hotair balloon ride, white water rafting on the Truckee river, Horse back riding, a side trip to the kitchy silver mine village of Virginia City or Reno in Nevada and more! Tip: Look for valuable coupons at strategic hotel locations throughout the area, including activity coupons and services like massage, facials and so on. This mountain metropolis thrives on coupons and you shouldn't pay rack rates for anything! Options for a meandering return route to Groveland from Tahoe include cutting east over to 395 and heading south to Highway 108 or 120 over Tioaga Pass where you might take a side trip to visit Bodie, an authentic Ghost Town, before entering Yosemite National Park.
|
|||||||||||||||
Home
||
Rooms & Rates
|| Restaurant || Site Map ||
Newsletters
|| Calendar || Contact us
Send a friend to the Hotel Charlotte. A gift certificate would make the perfect gift. a
Copyright © 1999-2008 all
rights reserved. |
||||||||||||||||
Centered
on Yosemite, we feature routes and itineraries that cover areas where
Travelers tend go when they leave Groveland and Yosemite, or come from on their way to
us.
We find that Tahoe to or from Yosemite National Park is one such route. We have traveled to Tahoe from all of the Sierra
Nevada crossings including Highways 80, 50, 88 and 89, 4, 108, 120 and
then North on 395 and offer up our favorite stops along the way. 
Our
last trip was a 2-night sojourn to South Lake Tahoe. For our route
we took 49 through Sutter Creek with dinner at Bellotti's right on the
main street north to Highway 50 and into South Lake Tahoe. This took us 4 hours,
(not counting dinner time). Our return
trip we took highway 89 out of South Lake Tahoe to Highway 88 into
Jackson, passing Kirkwood ski area and several scenic alpinesque lakes.
From Jackson, we caught 49 south. This route was shorter at only 3 hours and 15
minutes and enormously scenic, with far fewer towns and less traffic. Each of these
routes is open year-round, plowed throughout the snow season. Alternate
summer routes include Highway 4 which has some wonderful stops including
keeps you
on the coastal side of the highway, a far better vantage point. Stop at every
public access point and all the
little parks and take photos, splash in the water and talk to the
fishermen about their successes—each enclave is unique. 
One
of our favorite stops has always been the
per
person and have a wonderful dinner landside after debarking! The cruise
takes you across the lake to Emerald Bay where we re-saw the sights of
earlier in the day, but from a new vantage point. This cove is noted as
one of the most photographed spots in the world—a well deserved title! 
Hotel Charlotte
Digg this!