Archive for the ‘North Lake Tahoe’ Tag
We like to think that Tahoe/Truckee has something for everyone in the summer. Your two year old can play in the sand on one of our glorious lakeside beaches. The more culturally inclined can spend an evening watching a concert or a Shakespeare performance along the lakeshore. The adrenaline junkie can hop on a road bike and climb to the top of Donner Summit, join in a mountain biking race, kayak around the lake, or take a hike into the wilderness. But perhaps the quintessential Tahoe activity that will make everybody happy on a warm summer day is to take a rafting trip down the Truckee River.
You begin just below the dam in Tahoe City, and travel downstream four miles to The River Ranch. While there are a few stretches of minor rapids to keep you on your toes, in comparison to real white water, it’s a piece of cake. So what’s the attraction? While it’s often close to the busy highway and bike trail, being on the river feels like another world. It’s a ribbon of water pulsing through a zone of green, and it’s an incredibly relaxing way to spend a few hours.
On a mid-summer weekend, it’s also a lively place. Water shooting devices are highly recommended to help those poor overheated folks in the next raft over get a chance to cool down. It’s also doesn’t require any forethought. You just drive right up to one of the two rafting companies, and in fairly short order you will find yourself in a boat. Once you disembark at River Ranch, you can dine alfresco with several hundred of your new friends on the patio and then catch the rafting company shuttle back to town. You can also buy your own float or tube, and arrange your own shuttle. Obviously this is a more cumbersome procedure, but if you plan on taking the trip a number of times per summer it might be worth it. Do remember to find a floating object that is built strong enough to actually make it down the river still full of air. It is not fun to have to walk several miles along the river carrying the remains of your $12 raft that couldn’t quite make it all the way downstream.
Note, From July 1st to July 7th , alcohol is not allowed in rafts or on the shore of the Truckee River.
Where to go: Contact Truckee River Rafting by Mountain Air Sports, at 530-583-1111 or http://www.truckeeriverrafting.com
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
In December 2012, after an extensive fund raising effort, the Truckee Donner Land Trust and several other organizations purchased the 3000 acres of Donner Summit lands where the Royal Gorge Cross-Country Ski Area are located. Sugar Bowl, which sits adjacent to Royal Gorge, assumed management of the ski area last winter, and Royal Gorge operated successfully. Although a longer winter would have been nice.
While those 3000 acres are known for their prime cross-country skiing terrain, underneath all that snow are sparkling alpine lakes, craggy ridgelines and views into deep canyons. Now the next step for the Truckee Donner Land Trust is to gather input as to what should be done with that spectacular terrain during the summer. Towards that end the TDLT will be holding a series of public meetings, focus groups, property tours and even one on one meetings throughout the summer. The goal? To get as much input as possible to make sure what they do with the property is in the best interest of the community. This information gathering effort will be led by Truckee Donner Land Trust Project Manager John Svahn.
The Land Trust based their fund raising efforts to purchase the property on these primary goals for the property:
Keeping the ski area open
Making the property a summer recreational destination
Helping the Donner Summit area create a sustainable economy
And where needed, restore and enhance the properties natural resources.
To find out more or to get involved, go to http://www.royalgorgeoutreach.org
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
Emerald Bay with Mt Tallac in the distance.
Like it or not, the snow appears to be melting, which means that you will soon be seeing freshly popped snowflowers along the hiking trails, and our beloved Truckee area mountain biking trails will be dry. The deep layers of winter sand will soon be removed from our favorite road biking routes and the temperatures will warm up enough to make kayaking on the lake seem like an attractive alternative. Of course it is spring, which also means it might snow like crazy and puts the kibosh on all that good stuff. Anything can happen in April and May, and probably will. Next week could bring daffodils or a fresh dumping of snow.
So just for fun, let’s assume this warm, snow melting weather continues. What do we do?
Kayak/Paddleboard-On a calm, sunny day in the spring you really can have the lake to yourself. At Donner Lake you can put in just about anywhere along Donner Pass Road. At Tahoe, the Common’s Beach in Tahoe City, or Hurricane Bay on the West Shore are easily accessible put ins. But don’t forget, that water is cold in April, so stay out of it.
Springtime Hikes-The first trails to emerge from the snow are south facing, lower elevation trails. The trail to the Vikingsholm and along the south facing side of Emerald Bay is one of the best, and the time to hike it is now, before the summer crowds arrive. Another good springtime hiking choice is the low-lying Tahoe Rim Trail heading north from Fairway Drive out of Tahoe City.
Truckee Trails-One of the first mountain biking (or hiking) trails to melt out is the Emigrant Trail between Prosser and Stampede Reservoirs. This is always a great ride, but especially in the spring when it is the only real game in town. It can get a bit busy on the weekends, so try to find time to get there mid-week if you can.
Sierra Valley-Now is the time to head to Sierraville with your road bike to ride the circuit around the Sierra Valley. A variety of routes in the 20-50 mile range are available on lightly used roads which travel over mostly level terrain. In the spring the valley is wet which means lots of wildflowers and an incredible variety of birds.
Share this: Lynn Richardson, Your Friend in High Places
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