My sweet boyfriend surprised me with a weekend getaway to North Lake Tahoe this past weekend for my birthday and it was wonderful. For this week's things I love, I'm highlighting my favorite things we did (and one thing we didn't do, but plan to in the future!) in North Lake Tahoe in hopes that it's of use to you for future trips to that big, beautiful blue lake. Most of my trips to Tahoe have been to the southern part of the lake, so it was awesome to explore somewhere new!
I love a good brewery, and I especially love a good brewery that serves food after a long hike (see the next thing). Alibi has a few locations, and we got to see two because we accidentally went to the brewpub that wasn't serving food, and again - we needed food after the long hike desperately (again, see below), so we drove another couple of minutes down the road. Alibi has delicious beer, including one that uses honey from the hives they harvest from that are located on their brewery roof and another that's a plumcot (plum + apricot) berlinerweisse. So good! We sat outside which was great, and loved the folks who worked there as well. We will be back!
I'm not going to pretend that this was easy. No amount of yoga could prepare me for this hike, as holy altitude, you climb about 1,800 feet on this hike, and you're already starting at a decently high elevation (around 5,000 feet above sea level). I felt this, quick. We had a tough time once we got close to the lake, because we lost the trail slightly, but we got there and it was awesome to make our way to an alpine lake that had no one else around. It was beautiful - we spotted a hawk that dove down and snatched a fish out of the water and flew away, which for someone like me, was remarkable. A high majority of the hike had beautiful views of Lake Tahoe which is of course, always welcome. The hike is a lot of uphill, and then the way back is mostly downhill, so be warned on that front. We had to walk through some snow at various parts (we did the hike May 1st), but it kept it interesting! I'd recommend it if you're looking for a challenge, with a sweet reward where you turn around to make it back home. Get there in the morning so you have plenty of time in case you get lost like we did (we added a mile on accident... so this 6 mile hike was more like 7), plus parking is limited. Most importantly, bring plenty of water and BRING SNACKS. I was super grateful for the refuel at the turnaround point.
My boyfriend took me to dinner here for my birthday and it was beautiful! The views were awesome, and the food (I got a fish special) was good. You just can't beat this view, with a glass of wine and loved ones. If you're looking to get crazy, they have a vast variety of cocktails, including frozen rum drinks. It's a fun lakeside spot.
We didn't get to kayak this time around because it was windy and the water was too choppy. I'm not trying to fall into 49 degree water, you know? However! We did drive past Sand Harbor, which looked like a turquoise water dream of a cove to kayak or SUP in. The lot fills quick, as it's a popular spot, but it certainly seems like somewhere we'd arrive early to enjoy.
This is where we stayed, and I'd definitely recommend it! They actually had kayaks for use (no charge), cozy rooms, and it's right next to the lake with a deck overlooking it, plenty of chairs, a heated pool, hot tub and grills. It was wonderful.
Happy Travels!