Sierra Nevada
Cascade Falls in Lake Tahoe: What to Know Before You Go
If you are looking for one of the best short hikes in Lake Tahoe, Cascade Falls Trail belongs near the top of the list. In fact, this hike rivals Eagle Falls Trail as a short distance trek to a fantastic payoff. Cascade Falls Trail feels accessible enough for casual visitors but scenic enough to …...
Cascade Lake in Lake Tahoe: The History of a Private Sierra Lake
Cascade Lake is one of the most intriguing bodies of water in the Lake Tahoe basin because most people see it without really being able to visit it. Hikers admire it from the Cascade Falls Trail, photographers frame it with Lake Tahoe in the background, and curious readers keep asking the same question: why is …...
Maggie’s Peaks Hike in Lake Tahoe: What to Know Before You Go
If there is one hike near Emerald Bay that makes you feel like you earned the view, it is Maggie’s Peaks. This is not the quick, easy payoff of Cascade Falls, which begins at the same starting point – Bayview Trailhead. It is a steeper climb that pulls you up through granite terrain to one …...
Bullion Bend Robbery: El Dorado County’s Infamous Stagecoach Robbery
The Bullion Bend Robbery was one of the most dramatic crimes in Gold Country history. On June 30, 1864, armed men stopped two Pioneer Stage Line coaches on the Placerville-Carson route near present-day Pollock Pines and made off with bullion and treasure. What makes the story especially memorable is that this was not just another...
Eagle Falls Trail to Eagle Lake and Beyond: Hiking Guide Near Emerald Bay
Eagle Falls Trail is one of the most popular hikes in the Lake Tahoe area, but it is also one of the most misunderstood. Many visitors know it as the trail to Eagle Lake, and that short alpine hike is easily the route’s biggest draw. But the trailhead is more than just the start of …...
Eagle Falls: How to See Lower and Upper Eagle Falls at Lake Tahoe
If there is one waterfall stop around Lake Tahoe that blends easy access with dramatic scenery, it is Eagle Falls in Emerald Bay. In fact, the Lower cascade might be easier to access than even Glen Alpine Falls near Fallen Leaf Lake. Set along one of the most beautiful stretches of Highway 89, Eagle Falls …...
Vikingsholm: History, Tours, and How to Visit Lake Tahoe’s Castle in Emerald Bay
Few places at Lake Tahoe combine history and scenery as dramatically as Vikingsholm. Sitting at the head of Emerald Bay, this remarkable stone-and-timber mansion is one of the basin’s most iconic landmarks and one of the finest examples of Scandinavian-inspired architecture in the western hemisphere. The setting alone is unforgettable,...
Fannette Island in Emerald Bay: History, Tea House Ruins, and the Legend of Captain Dick
Out in the blue-green waters of Emerald Bay, Fannette Island looks almost too perfect to be real. The small granite island rises from one of the most photographed corners of Lake Tahoe, topped by the ruins of a tiny stone tea house and wrapped in one of the basin’s most enduring legends. It is the …...
Emerald Bay State Park: Why It Is One of Lake Tahoe’s Most Unforgettable Places
There are beautiful places all around Lake Tahoe, and then there is Emerald Bay State Park. This is the one stop that tends to steal your breath. The water looks impossibly blue-green, the granite walls drop sharply toward the shoreline, and Fannette Island rises from the center of the bay like it was placed there …...
Modjeska Falls in South Lake Tahoe: Hike, History, and What to Know
Modjeska Falls is one of those South Lake Tahoe waterfalls that can be easy to overlook if you only know the lower falls along Glen Alpine Creek. Positioned above the more frequently photographed Glen Alpine Falls, this upper waterfall sits near Lily Lake and the Glen Alpine Trailhead, where the road narrows, the forest closes …...
