Lake Tahoe 2015/16 - Year of Godzilla Baby Jesus

[LightRanger]

Rent bikes at Spooner and shuttle the Flume. That's pretty much a must-do tourista activity.

The Lone Eagle Grille at the Hyatt in Incline is nice if you're looking for a date night-type location. A ways up the lake from where you mentioned camping though.

[Mr. Toad]

Nice score on finding camping at Nevada beach. Its one of the nicer spots in Tahoe and some people reserve a year in advance. Agree on keeping driving to a minimum. Rent cruisers at South Shore bikes which is walking distance from the beach. You can ride over to Timber Cove beach and take a water taxi (bikes allowed) over to Richardson Camp for $15. You'll get a glimpse of Emerald Bay where all the cool pics are taken by TahoeBC and powdork. Have a rum runner at the Beacon and check out the babes on the beach and ride bikes back to your camp. Public transportation is pretty good. You can take a bus to Stagecoach and ride down Van Sickle trail. Its more gnar than what a beach cruiser can handle but if a $179 Huffy can make down a double black DH course, it can be done. There's a bus that'll take you pretty close to Tallac trail head from Stateline. Food sucks in SLT. BBQ your own.

[AKbruin]

After a long day of doing stuff, go to Freshies in SLT and get fish tacos and a pint or two of Pliny the Elder on tap.

The Bridgetender in in Tahoe City is also great if you're up that way.

If you're in Incline and want craft beer, hit up Alibi Ale. The beer is solid, you can bring food in, and the beer garden is great.

Rent an MTB and do the Flume Trail out of Incline if you want amazing views. Ride Corral Trail/Toads if you want great trails. (There are many other great trails as well.)

Also, you probably know this, but this is prime tourist season. Loads of people everywhere.

[SchralphMacchio]

^ disagree about the food sucking around town (just need to know which spots), agree about BBQing his own ... summer weather in SLT is much nicer than SLC

[TahoeJ]

Ride Corral Trail/Toads if you want great trails. (There are many other great trails as well.)

While camping over at DL Bliss last week I finally got to check out some of the trails around Myers (long overdue). I'm always too lazy to drive around the lake from Truckee when there's good riding without getting in the car. Corral is pretty sweet - I wasn't expecting to ride down into the woods and be greeted by table top jumps and 6-foot berms. Easy climb with that road right there all the way up to Armstrong.

Closer to where mbillie is staying (when accounting for traffic), that downhill at Chimney Beach is awesome.

Plenty of good food all around the lake if you know where to go. It can definitely be hit and miss, though.

[Mr. Toad]

Ok, familiarity breeds contempt.

Not mentioned yet but other good places to eat are Fresh Ketch (blackened fish taco with nice outdoor seating), Lotus pho ( legit Vietnamese cuisine), Blue Angel, Edgewood. Cafe Fiore, Evans, if you're trying to get laid.

[mall walker]

Thanks for the info! I'm stoked to come, busy season or not. Pliny the Elder on draft ferchrissakes it's not Utah huh?

If you see a blond ponytail guy with a Norwegian flag tattoo on his arm smelling strongly of Pliny the Elder, say hey!

^ I'll definitely check out Fresh Ketch too, good outdoor seating often dictates my restaurant/bar choices more than the menu

[SchralphMacchio]

Mr. Toad, in comparison with the population centers in California, then you could say that quality food options are limited in Tahoe.
In comparison with other ski towns that have 1500' or more of skiing, in town or a short distance, from town ... you should appreciate what you have! (this is coming from someone who loves the food in Berkeley, Oakland, SF, etc. ... food sucks in most ski towns but SLT in particular has the most quality ethnic cuisine and a lot of solid places worth serving the snooty bay area types)

mbillie1, there are quite a few places with great IPAs on draft >4%
Sidellis, Cold Water, Divided Sky, Freshies, just to name a few.

Surprisingly there are not a ton places in Tahoe that have outdoor seating with actual lake views. That's where BBQing comes into play. The day use area at your campground will have that.

[TahoeJ]

if you're trying to get laid.

They should make that a category on Open Table. ;-)

On the beachside note, the restaurant and bar at the Hyatt in Incline Village is pretty nice... or at least it used to be, it's been a while. If you make it around the lake towards Tahoe City there's lots of options on the lake there too (Jake's, Sunnyside, West Shore, etc.)

[TurxSki]

Also...
Coop has been on a few morning "news" shows pimping the Summer stuff at Heavenly.
Dunno if your Pass will get you a Gondi ride in?

The "Coaster" thing on rails didn't look half bad...but if it's like most "rides" expect it will suck.

Yay for Freshies! They get me...have not been up on the roof though!

[Ottime]

Epic or Tahoe Pass will get you on the summer Gondi.

Agree with Schralph. Although T-ride has way better food than Tahoe.

That is all.

[Flounder]

mbillie1, there are quite a few places with great IPAs on draft >4%
Sidellis, Cold Water, Divided Sky, Freshies, just to name a few.

Was out there the last week of June. Sidellis is making really good beers and they are worth a stop. Cold water was decent as well, it just seemed the staff there were a bit too into themselves. The beer was good but not great enough to act like you are doing us a favor by letting us buy some. Sidellis was the complete opposite, laid back, friendly, and great beers. They've got some good sours if you're into that, we are.



Not a local by any means, only out there once a year or so but agree with the statement on food. Plenty of decent places but haven't found what I'd say is a must go to place. Usually buy food and cook. The only must do is getting Mrs. Flounder a pear and arugula pizza at basecamp.

[SchralphMacchio]

More beer ... Alibi Aleworks in Incline Village makes fantastic beer, if riding Flume Trail or Chimney Downhill or just in the general area ... they really are up there in beer quality with a lot of Northern California picobreweries. (I won't throw Northern Nevada in that bucket until I see more from that state!)

[Dhelihiker]

I was looking for a hooker under 4' tall and a teener of blow, do you guys have any leads?

[TahoeJ]

I was looking for a hooker under 4' tall and a teener of blow, do you guys have any leads?

Reno, of course.

[mall walker]

Thanks for the help everyone! Wife and I had a blast in the Tahoe area this weekend. We hiked Tallac, bummed around the beach, had ridiculously good fish tacos at Freshies, breakfast in Truckee at Squeeze In, went for an 8ish mile run around the South Lake Tahoe area... was a nice time. Great food and beers, friendly people, hilarious people watching with drunk tourists on the Nevada side. The campground (Nevada Beach Campground) was super chill, we were about 200' from the water. You all still have some snow up there still too!

What is the canonical backcountry skiing guidebook for the Tahoe area, btw? Tallac looked like it had loads of options, including that nice obvious cross-like couloir facing the lake.

Cheers!

[LightRanger]

Thanks for the help everyone! Wife and I had a blast in the Tahoe area this weekend. We hiked Tallac, bummed around the beach, had ridiculously good fish tacos at Freshies, breakfast in Truckee at Squeeze In, went for an 8ish mile run around the South Lake Tahoe area... was a nice time. Great food and beers, friendly people, hilarious people watching with drunk tourists on the Nevada side. The campground (Nevada Beach Campground) was super chill, we were about 200' from the water. You all still have some snow up there still too!

What is the canonical backcountry skiing guidebook for the Tahoe area, btw? Tallac looked like it had loads of options, including that nice obvious cross-like couloir facing the lake.

Cheers!

Here's the most recently-published one:
https://www.amazon.com/Backcountry-S.../dp/0615280633

There are a couple of others out there.

Online guides here:
http://www.thebackcountry.net/bb/viewtopic.php?t=1297
http://www.skitahoebackcountry.com/

[TahoeJ]

I've never seen that book... Although with some access changes it's likely already outdated. Considering how big the area is I'm surprised there isn't a better guide, although I like the whole just figure it out thing, especially with limited parking. Even the mtb trails are kind of that way aside from the obvious stuff. However, a local rider is about to put one out soon, which will be cool... I think.

[~mikey b]

It was outdated when it came out. There are a few places to ski that are not even in there due to difficult access. There are tons of places to go with quick legal access to rad skiing that will never make it in any book.

[powdrhound]

I wonder when the $9334.02 copy of the book sells...

[powdrhound]

Caltrans is in the process of repaving 8 miles more of Highway 88. And, signage saying they are doing the next 6 miles, ending past the Shot Rock passing lanes, the section that tries to shock my little rig apart. Yea.

[jorion]

Tallac looked like it had loads of options, including that nice obvious cross-like couloir facing the lake.

Ha, the "cross-like couloir" is called the Cross.

[jimw]

My favorite guidebook for the area is the George Hurchalla one:
https://www.amazon.com/Backcountry-S.../dp/0974733504

Lots of interesting commentary and stories in there besides just route descriptions.

[LightRanger]

Dang. $60 for that thing now. I'll hold for another decade and see where we're at.

[TurxSki]

...so Kirkwood has a new General Manager? Has anyone else heard the same?

(Have heard "unofficially" that he is righting at least one "wrong" from last season...)