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Trip Guide
Tahoe's New Path
You can almost reach down and scoop out a drink of that famous, crystal blue water. That's how it feels when you're standing on a certain rocky outcropping north of Marlette Peak, just off the Tahoe Rim Trail. To get there, you backpack a few days, then leave the main path and hike a half mile [0.8 kilometer] through groves of red fir. Peer down the 1,600-foot [488-meter] drop-off, and you see Sand Harbor, on the northeast shore of the lake. Gaze across to the California shore—a view surprisingly lacking in the scars of civilization—and you see the 9,000-foot-plus [2,700-meter-plus] summits of the Desolation Wilderness to the left and the peaks of Tahoe National Forest to the right. It's the way Tahoe was meant to be. Striking vistas are common along the 150-mile [241-kilometer] loop, which traces the ridge tops surrounding the lake and will be finished this summer after 20 years of effort. Its completion will mark a significant milestone in efforts to transform Lake Tahoe from a kitschy resort region into a premier summer adventure destination.
"We wanted to open up views and meadows and other spots that had never been seen before," says Lynda McDowell, the executive director of the nonprofit Tahoe Rim Trail Association. About a third of the route follows the Pacific Crest Trail, and a few short stretches incorporate old maintenance roads, but volunteers and crews from the U.S. Forest Service cleared the rest. The length of it is open to equestrians, and a third is accessible to mountain bikers. There are eight trailheads, no lean-tos, and just one campsite, located in a portion that runs through Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, where backcountry camping is prohibited. "This was one of the best backpacking experiences I've had," says 51-year-old Steven Andersen, who is writing a guidebook for the trail. He and a friend became the first to hike the entire loop three summers ago, bushwhacking when they reached uncompleted portions of the route. The trip took 19 days, with a few nights spent in towns along the way. "The trail is so special because you're hiking around a rim," says Andersen. "You can see the lake, and where you're going to go, and where you've been." The region—about 180 miles [290 kilometers] from San Francisco—has long been overrun with shabby motels on the California side and neon-lit casinos on the Nevada side. It's always drawn more gamblers and golfers than hikers and mountain bikers. But Tahoe is changing. The area is undergoing a billion dollars' worth of capital improvements, part of a collaboration among the two states, federal agencies, local businesses and resorts, and volunteer groups. Old, run-down lodgings are being demolished, and fewer units are being built in their place. While the casinos remain, some of the neon is gone. Officials are working to restore the clarity of the lake's waters; most personal watercraft (any model built with polluting two-stroke engines) were banned two years ago. And, in December, the village of South Lake Tahoe, in California on the Nevada border, kicked off its reconstruction with the ribbon cutting for a new 2.4-mile [3.9-kilometer] gondola connecting the town with the Heavenly Ski Resort, reducing traffic and emissions by allowing visitors to leave their cars parked in town. Meanwhile, outdoor recreation is booming. Mountain bikers are discovering several superb trails, in particular the 24-mile [39-kilometer] Flume Trail loop. The route, which climbs 1,600 feet [488 meters], offers glimpses of the water below and runs through a 19th-century flume bed that once carried water to Virginia City, Nevada. Local resident Max Jones, a former world-class rider and a member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, uncovered and cleared a 4-mile [6.4-kilometer] stretch of the path; he now runs a guide service and bike-rental operation. For rock climbers, access to local favorite Lover's Leap, near the southern shore, has been improved in recent years, as have the facilities along Donner Pass Road an hour north of the lake, where climbers park to access Donner Summit. An expanding number of outfits around the lake are renting kayaks. And, of course, there's the Tahoe Rim Trail. "We're building the infrastructure so that more people can enjoy the area," says Jones, who also worked on the planning of the hiking route, "and the Rim Trail helps do that." |
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May/June 2001:
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Trails Illustrated CD-ROM: Pacific and Western Parks