Lake Tahoe camping - 10 great places to pitch a tent

Camping is a great way to appreciate the beauty and activities of the Tahoe area; providing an interaction with nature that you'll never find in a stuffy hotel room. There are many public and private campgrounds around the Tahoe basin – here are 10 to explore:

Note: It's fun when once a while you go out and check out our nature. To try, go to Lake Tahoe.

North Shore
• When you're looking to rise above the summer heat, go up – to the top of Mt. Rose Highway. Locals may have noticed the campground turnoff sign at the summit of Hwy 431, perhaps not realizing that it leads to a picturesque camping spot with access to some of the best high-country hiking in the basin. Wander easily to the Tahoe Meadows to link up with the Tahoe Rim Trail or the Ophir Creek Trail. Trailheads to Slide Mountain and Mt. Rose itself are nearby as well. The campground offers 24 sites and flush toilets. Fees are $13/night. Visit www.reserveamerica.com for reservations.

Note: If you like hiking, the north shore of the Tahoe area is a good place for you to have your wonderful camping.

• If fishing is your game, reel one in at the Boca reservoir. Located just one mile north of Interstate-80 in Truckee, the reservoir is fed by the Little Truckee River and is host to Kokanee salmon, rainbow, brook and brown trout. Three campgrounds surround the reservoir – Boca Campground on the west shore, Boca Rest on the northeastern shore and Boca Spring, one mile east of the reservoir. Amenities vary but can be viewed and booked at www.recreation.gov. All sites are $16/night.


South Shore
• When you're looking to combine high-amenity, serviced camping while still taking in all the activity Lake Tahoe can offer, Historic Camp Richardson may be your answer. Large, developed and popular, Camp Richardson offers great beaches and access to equipment for every type of water sport imaginable. A favorite spot for families with small children, Camp Richardson is long on kid-friendly activities and boasts a hard-to-beat location near Emerald Bay. Privately owned and operated, Camp Richardson offers more than 300 sites in two separate campgrounds. It is located on Hwy 89, two miles north of South Lake Tahoe. Campsite amenities and prices vary - visit www.camprichardson.com for information and reservations.

Note: Looking for family and kid friendly, Camp Richardson is a place for you to stay. They have a lot of campsite that are friendly for your little children. They even have beaches for you.

• Just a short drive away from South Lake Tahoe, Fallen Leaf Lake provides a quick getaway from the bustle and seasonal traffic of South Shore. The lake offers access to hiking and biking trails, as well as fishing and small craft boating. The campground itself has 205 sites with firepits; flush toilets and showers are available. Fees are $20/night and $22/night on holidays. Turn off of Hwy 89 onto Fallen Leaf Lake Rd. to access the campground. Reservations can be made at www.recreation.gov.

Note: Lake lover, Fallen Leaf Lake is for you to go. They provide hiking and biking trails, and of course fishing and boating.

• Looking to get off the beaten path but still revel in Sierra Nevada majesty? Take a ride to Wrights Lake – 8 miles north of Hwy 50 at Wrights Lake Rd. Wrights Lake brims with outdoor activity: fly fishing, canoeing, thriving bird and wildflower life, spectacular mountain views and access to many Desolation Wilderness hiking trails. The campground offers 67 tree-shaded sites and vault toilets. Fees range from $20 - $36/per night depending on site location and season. Reservations can be made at www.recreation.gov.

Note: If you like crazy rides like the flying fish its best for you to go to Wrights Lake.

• Natural waters have long been a holistic cure for many ailments. Judge for yourself by taking a road trip to Grover Hot Springs State Park and soaking in the hot pool and springs. Hiking trails and a trout creek run through the park and early-season rafting is an option on the nearby East Fork of the Carson River. The state park hosts 76 sites with flush toilets and showers. Fees range from $15 – 25/per night depending on the season. The park is located 35 miles south of Lake Tahoe and four miles west of Markleevile at the end of Hot Springs Road.


East Shore
• The Tahoe Meadows/ Spooner Summit portion of the Tahoe Rim Trail is known for its cliff-hugging, dizzyingly spectacular views of the lake - as well as for its access to some of the best mountain biking trails in the Tahoe basin. Though there's nary an amenity-laden campground to be found on this part of the east shore, a hike-in campground is available for those up for a trek. Marlette Peak Campground offers 16 primitive campsites and is located about 6 miles from the TRT Spooner Summit trailhead. Access the trailhead on U.S. 50, .7 miles from the junction of Hwy 28.

• For those looking to have a piece of every part of Tahoe's action – proximity to the lake, nightlife and casinos as well as water sports and plethora of family-friendly campground amenities – Zephyr Cove Resort is a best bet. A thriving beach spot, Zephyr Cove is the launching point for the M.S. Dixie II paddleboat tour. The resort area itself also offers horseback riding and boat rentals. 57 Campsites, flush toilets and showers are available and the resort is located on US 50, four miles north of Stateline in Zephyr Cove, NV. Rates vary by season – contact www.zephyrcove.com for information and reservations.

Note: Try the east shore where there is sports, beach spot, and horseback riding.

West Shore
• Come see how the other half lived on Lake Tahoe by visiting the museum at the historic Hellman-Ehrman mansion in Sugar Pine Point State Park. The mansion was a vacation spot for wealthy families for a half century. The park offers two miles of lake frontage and forest with access to hiking and biking trails. The park is located 10 miles west of Tahoe City on Hwy 89 and features175 sites, flush toilets and showers. Fees are $15-25/ night depending on the season. Reserve at www.reserveamerica.com.

• Home to the precariously placed "Balancing Rock", D.L. Bliss State park is a favorite choice for those looking for a combination of campground amenities and Lake Tahoe shore access. The park offers a large beach filled with rocky coves that are ready to explore. A five-mile trail originating in the park to Emerald Bay makes for a nice day hike. The park is located off of Hwy 89, 17 miles south of Tahoe City and two miles north of Emerald Bay. 168 campsites and flush toilets are available. Fees range from $20 - $35/night depending on site location and season. Reservations can be made at www.reserveamerica.com.

Note: Go to west shore if you like museums.

Micheal Jordan, Tony Romo, Charles Barkley, and more head to South Lake Tahoe golf tourney

Note: This is an exerpt about a Shakespeare Festival. They are performing a play to celabrate this event.

The 36th annual production, scheduled for July 10 – Aug. 17, 2008, debuts the Festival's in-house production team and brings together two Shakespeare classics – the gleefully wicked Richard III and the impishly interfering immortals in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The productions are complemented by the contemporary love story, CAMBIO, an original musical based on the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

"The diversity of themes in the trio of plays and the emphasis on the anti-hero creates an exciting backdrop for the 2008 season," said Catherine Atack, executive director of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. "We hope that audiences will enjoy attending each of our three performances in 2008 and embrace the differences in each of the plays as part of our varied and richly diverse season...we're excited to provide audiences with a completely fresh take on the Festival experience with our new in-house production and artistic direction."

Note: If you are a fan of Shakespeare, it would be fun for you to watch this directed play.

The 2008 season will be the Festival's first with in-house artistic director, Jan Powell, and an opportunity for more integration of local talent. Through Powell's direction the team is working to create new, more environmentally-encompassing sets, fresh costume designs, choreographed dancing and swordplay and, in the case of CAMBIO, an original script and score. "We're thrilled to be able to tap into the vast talent in the Reno-Tahoe area and make it an intrinsic part of creating our new artistic vision in this community," said Powell. "Our goal is to support and utilize the talent base in the region as well as bring new talent in from the rest of the country, in order to create an exceptional theatre experience for our audiences."

Local and national auditions will bring a new cast of actors to the Festival's stage as well. Add to the mix gourmet food and drink from Shakespeare's Kitchen, the fresh Sierra Nevada air, the crystal blue waters of Lake Tahoe and an amphitheatre set on the north shore's pristine white sandy beach, and there's no other venue in the country that provides the sensory stimulation that can be found at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival.

Note: The venue they chose best fits the play. It would really give a good impact on how many audience will come.

Tickets are available for immediate purchase online at www.LakeTahoeShakespeare.com or by calling 800-747-SHOWS (800-747-4697) and start at $22 for open seating tiers and range in options up to the premier Reserved Seating section from $67. Information about the 2008 season, membership, volunteer opportunities and sponsorships is available online.

Tim Palmer's "Luminious Mountains: The Sierra Nevada of California"

Note: This about Tim Palmer guiding us around the wonderful place Sierra Nevada
Born of an intimate relationship with nature, Luminous Mountains is a spirited journey of discovery up the high peaks and down the wild rivers of the great Sierra Nevada. With 137 stunning photographs and the engaging text of a seasoned storyteller, Tim Palmer guides us through the stormy white depths of winter and into ancient green forests suffused with life. In all months of the year he shows us unmatched images of wonder-from icons of scenery such as Yosemite's El Capitan, Lake Tahoe, and Mount Whitney, to remote and secret enclaves amid the peaks and the canyons.

Lake Tahoe nv

April is a favorite month of Lake Tahoe... Why?
According to a well respected writer who wrote about...

Full Moon Snowshoe Tour at Lake Tahoe

Once a month, during winter and early spring, as the full moon rises over Lake Tahoe's shimmering waters, California park rangers lead groups of visitors on snowshoes crunching down to the lake's edge for breathtaking panoramas and a history lesson.

Rangers and docents at Ed Z'Berg-Sugar Pine Point State Park lead moonlight tours that meander through the grounds of the Hellman-Ehrman Mansion, an 11,700-square-foot summer cottage built in 1903. The last of the monthly tours for this season will be at 7 p.m. Saturday.

According to Ranger Heidi Doyle, the tours were started three years ago as a way to promote the park during winter and were an immediate hit. Last month's tour was sold out.

Note: Looking for more fun in the snow?.... this is so cool!

Tours begin in the parking lot where visitors pay a $10 fee that includes equipment rental, provided by West Shore Sports of Homewood. Visitors on the tours have ranged in age from 7 to 80-plus, and many, Doyle says, have never been on snowshoes before. Rangers and docents help beginners get snowshoes strapped on before the tours begin.

Hiking in snowshoes is easy.

"If you can walk," Doyle says, "you can snowshoe."

Note: Snowshoe.... sounds fun!!!

Visitors bundled up against the cold are guided in groups of 25 or 30, and the pace over the 1.5-mile trail is leisurely. The tour first heads to the lakeshore past stands of conifers, including sugar and Ponderosa pines. At the lake, tour guests pause at one of the Ehrman boathouses and watch the sunset. Each ranger's or docent's narration differs slightly, Doyle says, depending on his or her specialty. Often, information on the plants and wildlife of the park is included along with history.

San Francisco businessman I.W. Hellman began buying up land at Sugar Pine Point in 1897, ultimately acquiring nearly 2,000 acres, including 2 miles of Tahoe shoreline. He built the main house and a variety of outbuildings, including boathouses, a caretaker's cottage, staff housing and a coach house. The three-story mansion, with eight bedrooms, eight bathrooms, sloping roof and dormer windows, was called Pine Lodge and was occupied only in summer. Winter sports were not popular at the time, Doyle says, and transportation to and from the lake could be treacherous. The house was looked after by a staff of 27 and featured modern utilities, including electric lights and indoor plumbing.

Hellman's daughter Florence Ehrman inherited the property in the 1930s and added a children's house and tennis courts. When Ehrman died, Doyle says, California purchased the estate in 1965 with park bond funds. The snowshoe tours do not go inside the stone and wood house, but the trail leads past the front of the home, where a broad covered porch faces the lake. Tours of the inside of the home are available daily from Memorial Day through the end of September.

The mansion is not the only historical focus of the park, Doyle says. In 1960, during the Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley, Sugar Pine Point was the site of the Nordic ski events, including the biathlon. For dedicated snow enthusiasts, camping is available at the park all year. One area of campsites and a heated restroom with hot water is maintained in winter, and sites are plowed for recreational-vehicle access.

Winter in the park is very different from the busy summer season.

"In winter, there are very few boats making noise on the lake," Doyle says. "The snow absorbs sounds, and it's so wonderfully peaceful and quiet."

Note: I must say, you'll not only enjoy snowshoeing... you can actually learn history too!

Of course, the snow doesn't last forever. If too much of it is gone by Saturday, the tour will still be conducted, but with hiking boots or shoes replacing snowshoes. The only time the hike is canceled is if melting snow freezes and creates dangerously slippery conditions. After you have made reservations, Doyle suggests calling the park's information line for weather conditions: (530) 525-7982.

While the flora, fauna and history of the park make for an informative and entertaining outing, just watching the moon rise over the lake can be a reward in itself.

"When it gets to a 30-degree angle, the full moon casts its light on the lake and the snow," Doyle says. "It glitters and sparkles, and it's just beautiful."

Full Moon Snowshoe Tour: 7 p.m. Saturday. Ed Z'Berg-Sugar Pine Point State Park. From Interstate 80 east, exit on Route 89 at Truckee. Bear right as the highway turns south along the lake in Tahoe City. The park is 10 miles south of Tahoe City. Finding the park in the snow can be tricky. Watch for small yellow "special event" signs on the left. Reservations are required and should be made as soon as possible. $10 ($5 hike if no snow). Call West Shore Sports at (530) 525-9920. Park weather conditions: (530) 525-7982.



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