Circling the Shore of Lake Tahoe

This is the place to begin one of the state’s most spectacular drives--72 miles around the largest alpine lake in North America.

Snowcapped mountains, national forests and state parks ring Lake Tahoe, whose pristine waters are 6,225 feet above sea level. A two-lane highway circling the glistening blue lake offers panoramic views and historic sites.

Spend a leisurely day on the route, which also leads to ski resorts and gambling casinos. Tahoe City, Crystal Bay, Incline Village and other settlements along the lake’s north shore can provide food and drink.

The road in summer is often bumper-to-bumper with sightseers, so winter is a good time to make the trip, although there are occasional delays after a snowfall until plows reopen the highway.

The recents storms caused a temporary closure of a portion of California 89 near Emerald Bay last week, but the snow and slush were quickly cleared. Motorists are advised, however, to check conditions with Caltrans when planning a trip.

Another reason to tour now is that Caltrans will close the road for reconstruction near Emerald Bay from May 1 through June 15, except during the Memorial Day weekend May 25-29. From June 16 throughout summer the construction site will allow only alternating one-way traffic, with delays of 30 minutes or more.

Circle the lake in a clockwise direction, driving west from South Lake Tahoe on U.S. 50 to the Y junction with California 89 and bear right toward Tahoe City. The state highway winds through Eldorado National Forest to the Tallac Historic Site.

Paths lead to rustic but impressive mansions of families who vacationed at the lake earlier in the century. Now under the care of the U.S. Forest Service, the buildings are open to tours and are the site of a festival of arts and music in summer.

After the switchback road passes Cascade Lake, which fills a small volcanic crater, stop at Inspiration Point for a bird’s-eye view of magnificent Emerald Bay.

On its tiny Fannette Island is a teahouse built in the 1920s by the owner of historic Vikingsholm, a 38-room castle at the edge of the bay.

Farther up the road in Sugar Pine Point State Park is a turn-of-the-century estate, Erhman Mansion, which also is open to visitors in summer. Campers will find 175 sites ($10 a night) at the park’s General Creek Campground, one of two year-round camps at the lake. The other is on the east shore at Zephyr Cove.

The highway continues past Homewood Ski Bowl, one of more than a dozen downhill ski areas around Lake Tahoe. Ahead, at Tahoe Pines, are the fancy lakeside buildings of Fleur de Lac, once the estate of steel magnate and shipbuilder Henry J. Kaiser.

At the north shore’s largest town, Tahoe City, stop and park at Fanny Bridge that crosses the Truckee River, the only outlet from the lake. Lean over the railing to see enormous trout that live safely near the dam gates in a “no fishing” area. Take some bread to feed the trout and resident ducks.

California 89 turns inland to two ski resorts, Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley, site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. But bear right onto California 28 to continue around the lake. In the middle of the road is a Tahoe City landmark, a towering 120-year-old tree that’s decorated each Christmas. It’s just opposite the area’s oldest log cabin, built in 1880.

In town along the highway are a variety of restaurants, including two local favorites, Emma Murphy’s and Rosie’s Cafe. Motels and vacation condominiums line the road in communities that stretch beyond to the California/Nevada border at Crystal Bay.

Turn right to Cal-Nev Lodge, a resort hotel and casino that straddles the state line. Inside is the boundary, a white line that runs through the middle of a huge lodge fireplace. Opposite are artifacts and photographs tracing the history of Lake Tahoe’s first inhabitants, the Washoe Indians.

After driving past the other casinos at Crystal Bay, detour right on Lakeshore Boulevard to view lake-front homes at Incline Village. At Country Club Drive is the recently renovated Hyatt Lake Tahoe Resort and Casino.

Turn left on that road and cross Tahoe Boulevard (Nevada 28) to reach Ski Incline. On the way is Spatz, a popular lakeview restaurant.

Continue east on Nevada 28, which passes Ponderosa Ranch, filming location for the “Bonanza” TV series. The highway hugs the lake shore at Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park, where sunbathers flock to Sand Harbor and other beaches in warm weather.

Then the road runs south through the pines and firs of Toiyabe National Forest before joining U.S. 50.

That four-lane highway descends from Spooner Pass to follow the lake shore to Cave Rock, once a sacred Indian site through which a 200-foot tunnel was bored for road traffic.

Beyond is Zephyr Cove Resort with a well-known cafe and rustic cottages built in the early 1900s. It is the headquarters for snowmobile tours, and also home to the Dixie, a paddle-wheeler that plies the lake on sightseeing tours in summer.

You’ll pass a stop on the Pony Express trail called “Friday’s Station,” and the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course that’s a wintering spot for Canadian geese, before reaching the bright lights of Stateline, Nev. That border town holds Lake Tahoe’s high-rise casino resort hotels--Harrah’s, Harvey’s, Caesars and High Sierra.

On the California side in neighboring South Lake Tahoe are dozens of additional lodgings but no gaming tables or slot machines. A list of accommodations and dining places are in a free travel planner that’s available from the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. Call toll-free (800) 288-2463 or (800) 822-5922.

Also ask for a copy of LATV’s “Most Beautiful Drive in America” brochure that maps a trail around the lake.

For a narrated tour with entertaining portrayals of the lake’s history and attractions, buy an audiocassette called “Drive Around Lake Tahoe.” It’s available at gift shops in the Stateline casino hotels mentioned above and at the two Sierra bookshops in South Lake Tahoe.

Copies also can be ordered by mail for $11.95 postpaid from Windchime Productions, P.O. Box 5401, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. 95729.

To visit South Lake Tahoe from Los Angeles, drive north on Interstate 5 to Sacramento and take U.S. 50 east. Or travel along the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada on U.S. 395 and take U.S. 50 west. Round trip from Los Angeles to South Lake Tahoe is 976 miles.

You also can tour by rental car after flying from the Los Angeles area to Lake Tahoe Airport or to nearby Reno-Cannon International Airport in Nevada.