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by Bill Dante
When you mention going to a ski area or to the mountains in the summer, most Texans usually think of Colorado or New Mexico. Some may say, for winter sports, Utah or the Yellowstone area is their destination of choice. But very few bring up ski areas further west of the Rockies.
I want to share with you one of our favorite places to snow ski and vacation in all of the United States. It’s Lake Tahoe, the largest Alpine lake on the North American continent.
The California-Nevada state line goes right through the middle of the lake. At 6,224 feet altitude, the lake is 90 miles around with a 72 mile scenic beach lined drive. The lake is deeper than the Empire State Building is tall and considered one of the purest fresh water lakes in all of the world. Even USA Today wrote it’s “America’s Best Lake.”
Let’s start with a little personal history. Early in my radio career, a friend from Texas who was working in Lake Tahoe insisted I come to see Lake Tahoe. I drove from San Antonio to Reno then to Lake Tahoe. I decided to stay and got a job at a small radio station in a very small ski resort called North Star, which is on the north side of the lake. While working as an announcer, we would go skiing in the morning. We’d ski down the mountain right up to the door of the radio station, take off our skis, go in and do my radio show. (Now remember North Star.)
I stayed a whole year through lots of snow (too much record snow) great skiing, lots of new friends but my heart was in San Antonio and I came back home to pursue my career as an NBC meteorologist.
Where is it? Lake Tahoe is in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It’s located off of Interstate 80 and cuts through the mountains from Reno, Nevada, (one hour drive) to San Francisco (3 hour drive). There is quite a bit of early settler history close to Lake Tahoe. This is approximately where the big California gold rush began in 1848.
Your first morning there, walk outside to look around at the Sierras and slowly take a deep breath. It will overwhelm your senses. The tall pine trees, the clean pure air and the pine cones laying at your feet with the rivers rushing by you with newly melted snow will take your breath away. Then take a short tram ride up the mountain to see Lake Tahoe for your first full view. It’s stunning……the largest, clearest, fresh water lake in the US. That first emotion never leaves you! As many times as I have been there and looked as far as you can see….my thought remains the same…..extraordinary, majestic natural beauty at its finest!
You can get there by flying to San Francisco or Reno. We always fly to Reno because it’s faster from the airport to your lodging in the Lake Tahoe area. If you’re going in the winter make sure to rent a four wheel drive vehicle. From the airport you drive straight up the mountain and the first town you will arrive at, is Truckee, California. This is an old mining town. It still has that feel, and the shopping and food are great. Try to arrange your time to arrive for breakfast and eat at the Wagon Train restaurant. Owned by the same family since 1947 and the pancakes have always been some of my favorites.
In case you’re running late, the Wagon Train opens at 5am and closes at 2pm.
Truckee is on the north side of Lake Tahoe and is about 12 miles from the actual lake. This is the side of Lake Tahoe that we prefer. There is the south side which I will explain shortly.
We go for the winter sports with snow skiing being our favorite. With that in mind there are many ski areas to chose from, from beginner to expert slopes. Lodging has many choices from condos and chalets to resort hotels. You can find a place to fit your budget and VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) is a great way to book your reservations in advance. I just checked out the cost to fly from San Antonio to Reno and found some flights as low as $78 dollars per person one way. That is a great fare!
You and your friends will really have a choice as to where you want to stay and what type of atmosphere you want to enjoy all at a leisure pace. Choose from remote chalets in the snow covered mountains or a lake side condo in one of the many quaint towns that surround the entire lake.
One of the more famous ski areas is Squaw Valley, the home of the 1960 Winter Olympics.
It’s a must to take the tram up to the top of the mountain. Have lunch at the Squaw restaurant, sip on hot mulled wine and toast your feet next to an indoor or outdoor fireplace while looking down at the lake in all it’s splendor. This is an experience you will never forget!
Ok, so your probably wondering where do we stay. Well, remember I said I lived there for a year and I lived, at that time, in a beautiful town, called Tahoe City. It’s right on the lake. I also said to remember the little ski area called North Star where the radio station was located.
Well today North Star is a major family ski village resort and it is our choice for fun. The radio station is long gone but in its place are beautiful chalets and condos and even a Ritz Carlton resort, further up the mountain. There are lots of shops, coffee bars, and a very large ice skating rink with comfortable seating and outdoor fireplaces that allows you to just sit and enjoy people watching.
Ski in and ski out is nearby with other winter sports for the entire family. The lake is only 6 miles away and can be seen while you ski or relax at the top of their tram.
Now, let’s talk about the south side of the lake. It’s not as rustic. Half is in Nevada with major casinos like Caesar’s, Harrah’s, Bally’s, the Mont Bleu resort and The Hard Rock. These are just a few overlooking the lake. There is even a large paddle wheeler boat that goes back and forth across the lake for you to enjoy.
It’s a mini Vegas with all the shows but in the Sierra mountains. The main ski area is called Heavenly and on any day you may be standing next to a movie star.
Just a few of the movies that have been shot in the Lake Tahoe area were Godfather 2, Bodyguard, Top Gun and even the old Bonanza TV series.
A lot of movie stars and professional athletes have homes in both the north and south shore. The locals treat them as everyone else and allow them to just be themselves.
Keep in mind, there are more visitors in the spring and summer because the water and weather is perfect. But if you go in the early winter there may not be enough snow for winter sports.
It happened to us one New Years, so we drove down the mountain, on the other side to San Francisco for a few days. The trolly cars, Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz made it worth while.
OH! Ironically, on the way back it started to snow so hard we almost didn’t make it across the pass back to Lake Tahoe! It turned out to be fabulous skiing after all.
As Texans you are probably used to driving a few hours to see a concert, go to Port Aransas or maybe a weekend in the Texas Hill Country.
So San Francisco is an excellent side trip. Snow or no snow.
Expand your travels and go west!
See you on the slopes!!
