Donner Memorial State Park

 Pioneer Monument with 22 ft (6.7 m) of Snow Depth at the Top of the Shaft

We had a very interesting time visiting the Donner Memorial State Park while we were staying at the Ritz Tahoe. It’s only about a half hour up the road and definitely worth spending some time to see the actual area that the poor Donner party spent the horrible years 1846-1847. 

Emigrant Covered Wagon in Museum

It’s a brutal story and it’s estimated that about two hundred thousand visitors, mostly curious about the extremely unpleasant cannibalism facet of the Donner story, stop at the state park each year. What happened to those people is one of the most terrible stories of the Old West.

Face of this Rock formed the Fireplace of the Murphy Cabin

In April 1846, a group of Midwestern families left Independence, Missouri, bound for California. Their wagon train went pretty well over the Great Plains and through the Rockies, but was seriously delayed when a “shortcut” leading southwest up and through the Sierras where they were stopped by an early and brutal snowstorm. A breakdown in civilized behavior followed: the emigrants quarreled constantly; one man killed another; an old man was left on the trail to die.

Donner Creek

The severe snowstorm that prevented passage over the High Sierra forced the doomed Donner party to spend the winter near present-day Truckee. Forty-one of the 89 would-be settlers perished. When their provisions and oxen were consumed, the desperate emigrants were eventually forced to cannibalize their dead friends and relatives to try to stay alive.

There’s an interesting Emigrant Trail Museum and a short nature walk where you can see where some of the original cabins were stood. The Pioneer Monument is quite interesting too. The shaft of the moment shows the 22 foot depth of the snow. The Breen cabin originally stood near the monument.

Fun at Donner Lake

Donner Lake is a very beautiful place to just come and hangout. There’s boats to rent, trails to hike and beaches to swim from at the lovely lake.

Highly recommended!

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King's Beach Tahoe

King's Beach in Action

We had the perfect summer day at King’s Beach. We got to the beach pretty early but parking was still quite full. Somebody tried to block a space for his friend but we just moved the pylon and it was ours. It was even in the shade!

Story of Lake Tahoes Name

The beach itself is pretty nice. The sand is soft, with the exception of some pieces of wood from the surrounding trees. It does get hot walking around bare foot, so bring your flip flops. 

Relativly Quiet Area of the Beach

There's a wooden pier off to the side and lots of families bring or rent beach toys (giant water tricycles, rafts, jet skis, etc.). Off the beach there's a wooded area that provides lots of shade and there's several picnic benches. Even out of the way closer to the street, there's a paved path with benches along the way. Very nice summer scene.

This seems to be the main beach that everyone seems to go to, and with good reason. Its location is perfect for those staying in the Truckee area. About a15 minute drive from the Ritz. 

Highly recommended!

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The Ritz Carlton Tahoe

The Ritz Carlton Tahoe

Had a great time at the Ritz-Carlton Tahoe as a part of our summer trip. We Got a wonderful corner room on the club floor.

Corner Room on the Fifth Floor

Driving up to the Ritz was amazing. The view on approach is absolutely stunning. The hotel sits on the side of a mountain and looks like a huge rustic mansion that you would imagine in the Swiss Alps/Colorado. As we pulled in the service that the Ritz Carlton is known for is the next thing to be seen. The valet waved us in with a smile and a warm greeting. 

Ritz Bath

We got to the Ritz around 12pm and the room wasn’t quite ready so they gave us a magic key that got us into the club for a comfortable wait. When the room was ready, the manager brought us the keys and walked us to our nice corner room on the fifth floor. Really wonderful space that served as a great base for our summer experiences at both the Ritz and in the North Lake Tahoe area. 

Room 508

Manzanita Restaurant

View From the Room's Window

Then there’s the Manzanita Restaurant. This is the place to enjoy relaxing meals and very good drinks at the bar. Service and food are excellent and live up to the Ritz standards. They have good food selections on their menu and all the dishes were quite good. We’d always leave smiling after having wonderful food and a good time, especially the drinks with Ben the Bartender.

View From the Other Window

The Ritz Carlton Tahoe was a great summer experience and we can’t wait to get back and go skiing there in the winter.

Highly recommended!

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Edgewood Restaurant

Edgewood Restaurant

Ended the trip to South Lake Tahoe with a wonderful dinner at the Edgewood Restaurant on the edge of a golf course next to Lake Tahoe. It was close to the Landing Resort but they insisted on driving us to the Edgewood in the resort shuttle and gave us a number to call for a ride back when dinner was done. It went perfectly.

Foie Gras

The Edgewood is a really good restaurant in a more traditional sense. It is in Nevada so they have wonderful Foie Gras. It was so good on the savory waffles it was served on.

View from Table

Our server was Guy, a charming French speaker, who seemed to make a point to treat us well and also make us feel welcomed and comfortable. Guy cracked small jokes throughout and explained the special menu items with care. He is well-versed in his craft; a very experienced server.

Elk Chop

I then had the elk, and absolutely loved it. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare, just the way it’s supposed to be. The elk chop was tender and flavorful. The elk was paired with a sun-dried cherry relish and corn, which added a tart-sweet flavor.

Rack of Lamb

Tami had a delicious Rack of Lamb that was cooked perfectly to order, and had wonderful taste. It was a very special dish, tender and succulent.

Molten Chocolate Cake

Bananas Foster

Had a wonderful Molten Chocolate Cake and Bananas Foster for desert, a perfect way to end an excellent dinner; The Edgewood was very good.

Highly recommended!

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Heavenly Gondola

The Tamarack Lodge 

We used the Landing Resort Shuttle to get to the Heavenly base area to take a summer ride on the new Heavenly Valley Gondola and see a views of Lake Tahoe and Nevada from high in the Sierras.

The Gondola at the Base of the Slope

Going up to Tamarack

The new Heavenly Gondola is located just a half mile from the State-line casinos. State of the art cabins took us from a starting elevation of 6,360 ft (1,938 m) to over 9,100 ft (2,773 m). The 2.4 mile ride brought us to the huge deck which provides breath taking panoramic views of Lake Tahoe, the Carson Valley, and the Desolation Wilderness. 

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is 26 miles long (41 km), 12 miles wide (19 km), 72 miles around (115 km) and 1,685 feet deep ( 513 m). It’s the largest alpine lake in North America and only Crater Lake is Deeper 1,949 feet (594 m). 

  

View from Gondola

Heavenly's newest restaurant and lodge, The Tamarack Lodge, offers indoor and outdoor patio seating at the top of the Gondola. With sweeping views of both the Nevada and California slopes of Heavenly in Lake Tahoe, it's the ideal spot to take an on-mountain break.

Chairlift to the top

After the visiting the Tamarack Lodge, head up the Tamarack Express chairlift with your Scenic Gondola ticket for some of the best views of Lake Tahoe and access to a series of hiking trails, ranging from beginner to expert. The chairlift ride was filled  with great views anywhere you looked and you get to10,040 ft (3,060 m) at the top. Very enjoyable.

View of Carson Valley in Nevada

The Gondola is a great thing to do if you find yourself in south shore Lake Tahoe. We look forward to returning to ski in the winter.

Highly recommended!

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Jimmy's Restaurant

Entrance to Jimmy's

Had a wonderful dining experience at Jimmy’s while we stayed at The Landing in South Lake Tahoe.  It was not inexpensive compared  to other upscale restaurants in south Lake Tahoe, but the Greek style food was much more interesting.

Jimmy's Bar

What makes the dishes special its that they are a fantastic modern take on classic Greek food by British celebrity chef Maria Elia who oversees Jimmy’s Restaurant, serving wood-fired Greek seafood and locally sourced California cuisine. 

We had an interesting discussion with the talented Chef de Cuisine, Mylan Schmidt who, beyond being a friendly and modern chef, was very informed and knowledgable about contemporary dining and the local sourcing which made Jimmy’s so good. 

Savory Baclava

We started our meal with  the delicious Savory tomato, feta, almond baclava which we had for lunch earlier and had to have again for dinner. It’s so good.

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Feta

The next dish was a fresh heirloom tomato salad with feta cheese and basil.

Grilled Black bass

The main dish was a whole grilled fresh black bass with roasted potatoes and capers that was fantastic. Along with that was a side dish of white polenta and lemon olive oil.

White Polenta

Jimmy’s is one of the best dining experiences we've had at Lake Tahoe. We look forward to returning.

Highly recommended!

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Echo Lake in the Sierras

Water Taxi to Upper Echo Lake

While in South Shore Lake Tahoe we drove back up into the Sierras to explore the beautiful alpine Echo Lake. There’s actually 2 Echo Lakes, a Lower large Echo Lake and an upper small Echo Lake which is reachable by a 10 minute water taxi that is quite a fun and fast experience. Except for the channel, that's slow speed movement. The water is clear and cold.

The Channel That Connects the Lakes

We took the water taxi up to the trailhead and took the part of the Pacific Crest Trail back to the lower lake where the car is and is a nice 3 mile hike along the lake. The trail is beautiful and provides photo ops at every turn.

Wharf in Upper Echo Lake

The Pacific Coast Trail is 2,663 mi (4,286 km) long and runs from the Mexican Border to the Canadian Border. It’s quite a trail and our little 3 miles of it was fun.

On the Trail

More Trail

This is a popular trail, winter and summer. Parking can fill up early at the little Echo Lakes Marina area but there is overflow parking about 1/2 miles back up the road.

Snow Line

Leash-free dogs are welcome but be sure your dog has good trail manners and be prepared to leash him to pass other hikers if they ask you. All the dogs we saw were friendly and having a good time.

Homes at the Lake

Few More Homes at the Lake

There are homes at Echo Lake but the owners can only get there by boat in the summer and skis or snowmobiles in the winter. No roads, no cars. There's actually not many homes there. They're old and have passed down through generations of owners.

Fisherman Catches Trout 

The Trout that are being caught in the lower lake near the marina is a non-native species that is taking over lower Echo Lake. The National Park Forest Rangers want to protect the lake and bring it back to its original condition.

View of Tahoe Basin From the Top

All Sierra waterways are prone to giardia so be prepared to carry your own water or bring a good purifier. Also remember to dress in layers as it can be quite cold in the shade &/or wind, even in mid-summer.

Echo Lake is a beautiful place to see and hike in.

Highly recommended!

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Greek Lunch

Jimmy's Restaurant

Had a great lunch at Jimmy’s, the Greek Restaurant at The Landing Resort. The dishes are a fantastic modern take on classic Greek food by British celebrity chef Maria Elia who oversees Jimmy’s Restaurant, serving wood-fired Greek seafood and locally sourced California cuisine. 

Wood Grilled Halloumi Cheese

Chef Maria is known for her thoroughly modern take on the traditional dishes from her Greek heritage, an approach that served as the basis for her recently published third book, Smashing Plates: Greek Flavors Redefined.

Wood Grilled Octopus with Peas

Jimmy’s is an elegant restaurant. It has a gorgeous decor and chic modern appearance along with original artwork. Seated in a lake view table, We had a 5 for $45 menu, each dish elegantly presented and delicious. The waitress was also terrific, knowledgeable and very attentive.

Kalamata Toast

Tomato, Feta and Almond Baclava

The idea displayed by the 5 for $45 concept of sharing small plates was very good set of dishes. We really enjoyed each dish and were astounded by the complexity of the foods. Each one was good.

Zucchini Keftedes

Overall, Jimmy’s was an outstanding dining experience and we look forward to our next visit, hopefully soon.

Highly recommended!

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