Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In summer, the
North Lake Tahoe Water Shuttle
operates a half dozen daily trips
between Tahoe Vista and Tahoe City (30 minutes). Reserve ahead; bikes permitted.
EASTERN SHORE
Lake Tahoe's eastern shore lies entirely within Nevada. Much of it is relatively undeve-
loped thanks to George Whittell Jr, an eccentric San Franciscan playboy who once owned
a lot of this land, including 27 miles of shoreline. Upon his death in 1969, it was sold off
to a private investor, who later wheeled and dealed most of it to the US Forest Service and
Nevada State Parks. And lucky it was, because today the eastern shore offers some of
Tahoe's best scenery and outdoor diversion. Hwy 28 rolls into Nevada at Crystal Bay and
runs past Incline Village, heading along the eastern shore to intersect with Hwy 50, which
rolls south to Zephyr Cove and Stateline casinos.
Crystal Bay
Crossing into Nevada, the neon starts to flash and old-school gambling palaces pant after
your hard-earned cash. Though closed at research time for a multimillion-dollar remodel,
historic
Cal-Neva Resort
literally straddles the California-Nevada border and has a color-
ful history involving ghosts, mobsters and Frank Sinatra, who once owned the joint. Ask
about the guided secret tunnel tours once it's reopened.
Also on the main drag, the
Tahoe Biltmore Lodge & Casino
( 800-245-8667;
www.tahoebiltmore.com
;
5 Hwy 28; r $84-129; )
, plays up its longevity with classic Tahoe
photographs in the divey hotel rooms, though radiators give away the building's age. For
greasy-spoon grill fare, duck under the mirrored ceilings into the artificial forest of the
chintzy
Cafe Biltmore
(mains $8-15; 7am-4pm)
. Then catch a live-music show - often a
tribute band - across the street at the
Crystal Bay Club Casino
(
775-833-6333;
www.crystalbaycasino.com
; 14 Hwy 28)
.
For a breath of pine-scented air, flee the smoky casinos for the steep 1-mile hike up
paved Forest Service Rd 1601 to
Stateline Lookout
. Sunset views over Lake Tahoe and
the snowy mountains are all around. A nature trail loops around the site of the former fire
lookout tower - nowadays there's a split-level stone observation platform. To find the
trailhead, drive up Reservoir Rd, just east of the Tahoe Biltmore parking lot, then take a
