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Archive for the ‘Tahoe hikes’ Category
Saturday, August 21st, 2010
Then do what the locals do: instead of anything-priced activities you can head over to the North Tahoe Regional Park, an all-outdoors make-your-own-fun zone. It’s huge, has tons of offerings and is also right near two of the nicest, sandiest, public beaches in all of Tahoe (one is also a boat ramp).
 Free Tennis in Paradise Super young ones can slide, steer and stair-step all over the nice-sized playground. Another adjacent one is great for 3-6 year olds. There are 5 nice tennis hardcourts, three are lighted. Remember those 70’s exercise deals called Par Courses, well there’s a really nice one of them as well and it’s in great shape.
 Frisbee Golf 'Hole' You’ll also find soccer and baseball fields, an artificial surface multi-sport field and generally lots of mowed grass. There’s a volleyball court, hiking and biking trails, a community nursery and a Boy Scout camp. New this year is a real deal frisbee golf course. And on top of it all, the place is never crowded plus it’s got a tranquilo, far-off Tahoe lakeview.
 Artificial Tahoe Turf So if you want to keep the Vacation Vacuum out of your pocket, head over to the Regional Park - oh, and I lied a little bit: it costs a few bucks to park…
Tags: north tahoe regional park, tahoe frisbee golf, tahoe par course, tahoe playground
Posted in Summer, Tahoe hikes, Tahoe outdoors | No Comments »
Thursday, August 5th, 2010
I’m not sure if it’s because I somehow became a little more refined since my last birthday or it’s because we had such a late (and great) ski season, but this is the most abundant crop of wildflowers I’ve ever noticed in Tahoe.
You can see wildflowers in any sloppy backyard, unimproved road culvert and lovely meadow, the likes of which appear to have been stolen from the best hiking guide books. The most opulent of Tahoe’s wildflower scene is probably the lupin. These statues are really neat because down at lake level you’ll see them blooming over a foot long, but take a walk to locations higher up (like Paige Meadows directly accessible from Granlibakken via the Tahoe Rim Trail in our back 40) and you’ll see that these hardy veggies shrink in size with substantial elevation gain. On the upper Mt. Rose Meadows you’ll see these babies at around 9000′ and they’re 1/3 of the size. It’s a very cool way to witness Mother Nature at her smartest - and it appeals to those who’ve never hiked a day in their lives because the flowers’ size is reminiscent of those mini-corn cobs found in any self-respecting casino buffet line.
For more info and actually accurate florsal information, surf a little online, visit the Tahoe City Library and grab a book on the subject or get jumpstarted with this link.
By the way, this post was so-named in reference to Fleur du Lac - the former Kaiser Estate in Homewood; incidentally this was the site for some of the scenes in the movie Godfather II.
Tags: tahoe wildflower hikes, tahoe wildflowers
Posted in Summer, Tahoe hikes, Tahoe outdoors, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Sunday, July 18th, 2010
 Nordic Center Vista This is just another one of those ridiculously sweet views of Tahoe that you can get from a twenty minute walk in the woods. It’s fine for lowlanders, big families and those who generally don’t want to push it too far on vacation. I’m tempted to give you the quick and dirty on how to do this exact one but must say that, a) it’s easy to lose one’s way in the woods, b) AlpenGlow Sports in Tahoe City is a great place for hiking advice, and c) I get lost all the time.
The famous Tahoe Rim Trail passes right through Granlibakken’s backyard and offers some of the best hiking in the country. I’ll do a full post on that another time. The trail these photos were taken from is well below the Rim Trail (yes I get lazy, too) on a knoll at the T.C. Nordic Center…oh yeah, let AlpenGlow tell you how to do it.
 Looking toward Desolation Wilderness © 2010 Alex West, copy and photos
Tags: Tahoe hikes
Posted in Summer, Tahoe City, Tahoe hikes, Tahoe outdoors, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, September 21st, 2009
Ever think you deserve a quick zip to some resort for an easy getaway? It’s kind of a tough thought given the current economic climate – maybe the job’s a little shaky, or your tapping what’s left of the home equity line, or maybe you’re just keeping things a little tighter to the belt.
 Three Lanes of Heaven
Well check this out: you can come to Granlibakken, stay for a great price and feast every morning on an expansive (and free) spread. If you’re feeling ambitious you should know that just about everything I’ve written about in the blog posts below is still a possibility. It’s a great time for mountain biking and hiking, you can swim in the Lake at any time of day and into the evening, the fishing is getting better and better (though not on the Truckee near Tahoe City), stand-up paddling is perfect, you can motorboat in the mornings and sail most afternoons. It’s heaven-time up here!
After you’ve (maybe) done one of these activities after breakfast, you can waltz on down to the crystal clear waters of Granlibakken’s pool-a-palooza. If you’re one of those people who think it’s always chilly in Tahoe then start in the mammoth hot tub replete with its own island. This ought to heat you up enough to hop in the pool (which is also heated & has some lanes) which for me is the perfect place to start (by the way, there’s also a kiddie pool). Then take your pick of the chaise lounges, umbrella’d tables or the lush grass which are all poolside. This time of year things are quiet enough in Tahoe that you’ll feel like it’s your very own personal r-e-s-o-r-t, ahhhh!
 A Slab of Heaven
If you’re not like those lucky people who can sit by a pool for hours then choose from a list of mellow options to fill the rest of the afternoon – tramp on the famous Tahoe Rim Trail right from the ‘backyard,’ roll a cruiser bike to Tahoe City, stroll down to Granlibakken’s tennis courts for game or two. Or, since most of the rooms at Granlibakken are so nicely laid out, you can just chill back at the pad and listen to the wind blow through the trees…
 Ahhh those sweet trees, Heavenly!
Tags: tahoe resort "lake tahoe resort" "tahoe resort" pool pools swimming tennis hiking Squaw skiing "mountain biking"
Posted in Holidays, Summer, Tahoe City, Tahoe hikes, Tahoe outdoors, walking | No Comments »
Saturday, August 29th, 2009
Is your idea of a vacation just sitting by a pool, sipping on something delicious and generally being about as active as a manatee? Well, believe it or not Tahoe is the place for you!
 The View from Crystal Bay Fire Lookout There are a number of really easy hikes in the Tahoe Basin some of which offer incredibly vast views of the Lake. Honestly we don’t deserve these vistas given the effort put forth but they are here and I am going to tell you about them.
The best one, which happens to be only 3 miles south of Granlibakken (you can bike or drive) is called Eagle Rock. It’s a huge rockpile located right on West Lake Blvd just after Sunnyside and before the Tahoe Pines neighborhood. On a bike (or in a convertible/sunroof car) you go past this incredible thing and feel as if it’s leaning over you. That’s the beak of the eagle. Park right at the base and start heading up, simply keeping an eye on the summit will get you there via obvious trails. Once on top you pick your way among old lava flows to get to the end and the most incredible view of Tahoe. This is a great date spot, a fantastic place to watch the full moon rise, and one of the coolest places to be when a storm is blowing into town. It’s perched at the base of Blackwood Canyon so wind and snow flurries get funneled through at high speed. Normally you’d have to be on top of a ‘real’ peak to feel this kind of angry nature but all you did was walk for 10 minutes!
The next best one is the fire lookout above Crystal Bay Point and the north shore casinos. It’s a paved road that makes one big switchback so in about 20 minutes your at the top, looking directly over King’s Beach and due south down the length of Tahoe. It’s another phenomenal view with way more risk than reward.
Both of these are also great in winter, by the way. If you’re not in a rush it’s relatively easy snowshoeing, especially above Crystal Bay because it’s a wide trail.
 The View from Vikingsholm The third yet most popular of all Tahoe hikes is Eagle Falls. The reason it gets the most numbers is because it’s located in the number one tourist stop here: Emerald Bay. Supposedly each year hundreds of thousands of long-pants’d and leather-shoed visitors make their way to the bridge that’s about a half-mile above the parking lot. It’s a neat spot but I also like to hike down to the Lake from a nearby parking lot. At the end of this 1-miler awaits Vikingsholm and tiny Fannette Island, tow of the most intriguing places in all of Tahoe.
So have a huge breakfast at Granlibakken, venture out for a little while, and I guarantee you’ll be back with lots of time to laze around the pool and generally make like our big friend, the manatee.
Posted in Tahoe hikes, Tahoe outdoors | No Comments »
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