LAKE TAHO Bordering California and Nevada, Lake Tahoe (12 mi/l 9 km wide and 22 mi/35 km long) is the highest alpine lake in the U.S. The surrounding area (usually referred to simply as "Tahoe") is a year-round resort destination with spectacularly beautiful mountain and lake scenery, camping, hiking, mountain climbing, boat cruises, historical sites and snow skiing. And, of course, there's gambling, big-name entertainment and Vegas-style revues. Most of the big casinos—such as Harrah's, Caesars, Harveys and Del Webb's High Sierra—are in Stateline, Nevada, just over the border from California. Because of the region's large size, you'll want to base yourself in the area that offers your favorite activities. (Traveling from the South Shore of Lake Tahoe to the North Shore along Route 89 is scenic but slow going.)
Visitors might want to spend an evening on Lake Tahoe aboard either the Tahoe Queen or the MS Dixie, both grand old stern-wheelers. On the west shore of Lake Tahoe (at Emerald Bay State Park), divers can check out two sunken barges. Barges were the most common transport on Lake Tahoe at the turn of the century, hauling lumber, wagons and cars. When their useful life was over, they were intentionally sunk in Emerald Bay.
Emerald Bay also offers one of Tahoe's best brief hikes—a very scenic l-mi/l.6-km downhill scramble to Vikingsholm, a Scandinavian-style summer mansion on the bay's fjord-like shore (remember, though, that what hikes down must also hike back up). A showpiece of Scandinavian architecture, Vikingsholm seems inspired by all things Norwegian and Swedish—castles, churches, forts, even sod-roofed homes. It was built in 1928-29 at a

cost of a half-million dollars. Tours are offered from mid June through Labor Day. If you opt to drive to the mansion rather than walk, know that the parking lot at Vikingsholm is small: Plan to arrive early.
Just south of Emerald Bay and north of Camp Richardson on the lake's southwest shore is the 75-acre/30-hectare Tallac Historic Site, which preserves some lavish mansions from the late 1800s and early 1900s. It provides an up-close look at remnants of Tahoe's high-rolling high-society past. Just north of the Tallac site is the Rainbow Trail, which dips below Taylor Creek into a glass-walled "stream profile chamber" for observing creek life, particularly the October run of Kokanee salmon.
Several day trips from Tahoe can be made. Among the
possibilities are Virginia City, Carson City and Reno (all in Nevada). In California, the Donner Pass is the site of the infamous 1846 disaster in which pioneers trapped by early snows resorted to cannibalism to survive. The Donner Museum in Donner Memorial State Park (2 mi/3 km west of Truckee) tells you all you ever wanted to know about the grisly episode (and then some). The Pioneer Monument in the park stands on a 22-ft/7m pedestal. Same level the snow reached in 1846. The park also has exhibits on the history of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the development of the Central Pacific Railroad.
The nearby rail town of Truckcc (5 mi/8 km north of Tahoe City, along Highway 89) has some gentrified Old West buildings that now house shops. A visitor center is located at the train station. 200 mi/325 km northeast of San Francisco.E