Lake Tahoe - California - page 900

trees and beside meadows and ponds, on its way between Hwy 50 and Nevada Beach,
starting from the community park off Kahle Dr.
Several easy kid- and dog-friendly hikes begin near the United States Forest Service
(USFS) Taylor Creek Visitor Center off Hwy 89. The mile-long, mostly flat Rainbow
Trail loops around a creekside meadow, with educational panels about ecology and wild-
life along the way. On the opposite side of Hwy 89, the gentle, rolling one-mile Moraine
Trail follows the shoreline of Fallen Leaf Lake; free trailhead parking is available near
campsite No 75. Up at cooler elevations, the mile-long round-trip to Angora Lakes is an-
other popular trek with kids, especially because it ends by a sandy swimming beach and a
summer snack bar selling ice-cream treats. You'll find the trailhead on Angora Ridge Rd,
off Tahoe Mountain Rd, accessed from Hwy 89.
For longer and more strenuous day hikes to alpine lakes and meadows, several major
trailheads provide easy access to the evocatively named Desolation Wilderness : Echo
Lakes (south of town); Glen Alpine (near Lily Lake, south of Fallen Leaf Lake), to visit a
historic tourist resort and waterfall; and Tallac (opposite the entrance to Baldwin Beach).
The latter two trailheads also lead to the peak of Mt Tallac (9735ft), a strenuous 10- to
12-mile day hike. Self-serve wilderness permits for day hikers only are freely available at
trailheads; overnight backpacking permits are subject to quotas.
Beaches & Swimming
On the California side, the nicest strands are Pope Beach ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; per car
$7) , Kiva Beach ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) and Baldwin Beach ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; per car
$7) , each with picnic tables and barbecue grills; Kiva Beach offers free parking and allows
leashed dogs, too. They're all found along Emerald Bay Rd (Hwy 89), running west and
east of Tallac Historic Site. Nearby, Fallen Leaf Lake , where scenes from the Hollywood
flicks The Bodyguard and City of Angels were filmed, is also good for summer swims. El
Dorado Beach ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) is a free public beach in town, just off Lake Tahoe
Blvd.
Many folks prefer to head over to Stateline and keep driving north 2 miles to pretty
Nevada Beach ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; per car $7) , where the wind really picks up in the af-
ternoons, or always-busy Zephyr Cove ( www.zephyrcove.com ; 760 Hwy 50; per car $8) , which
has rustic resort and marina facilities along its sandy mile-long shoreline.
Boating & Water Sports