Lake Tahoe Features

At least three months remain before the mountain hiking season segues into the snowshoe season, so there's still lots of time for walks in the woods.

It took a corps of volunteers 20 years to create the eight-segment, 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail, which officially opened in September 2001. It was an incredible feat.

The late rains, snow -- and now snowmelt -- have had a positive effect on one Tahoe-area recreational pasttime: whitewater rafting on the Truckee River.

Celebrating National Trails Day in Northern California is easy because of the proximity, variety and number of trail systems.

"Since Altitude opened, it has been the most popular nightclub in northern Nevada," said John Packer, director of entertainment for Harrah's Lake Tahoe. "Now it's going to be even better."

Our single-file group of 14 snowmobilers -- some riding tandem, some solo -- followed the guide's hand signal and pulled over to the far right of the 10-foot-wide groomed track. Elevation: 9,000 feet.

My snowshoe partner Elle and I had steadily traveled up a steep hillside and now stood high above Highway 89, panting out plumes of wintry breath, our poles and shoes firmly planted in the crunchy snow. Below were sparkling Emerald Bay and Lake Tahoe, empty of boats.

Conventional wisdom says, "If you can hike, you can snowshoe." True enough, but that's a deceivingly simplistic guideline for novices. Experts advise beginners to rent snowshoes before they buy, take a lesson and become accustomed to snowshoeing in a controlled environment such as a groomed trail at a ski resort before taking off into the backcountry.

It may not be a nice nickname, but it has endured: Boreal Mountain Resort on Interstate 80 has long been referred to as "Boringhill."

There's nothing like a hike with a scenic "payoff," at the top, and there are few better payoff trails than those above Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe's southwestern shore.

Cool trips on the Truckee River are just the outing for a hot summer day in the Lake Tahoe area. Vacationers have two options for excursions on the river.

We've left Tahoe City behind as we continue on Highway 28, passing through Cedar Flat, Carnelian Bay, Kings Beach and Brockway. Soon we arrive at the Cal-Neva Resort in Crystal Bay, near the Crystal Bay Club and the Tahoe Biltmore.

If you're a mountain bike racer and want to test your skills, you have two chances this weekend at Northstar-at-Tahoe.

While you're counting your blessings, be sure to include Lake Tahoe -- recent earthquake activity notwithstanding. We're a mere two-hour drive from a year-round playground that is increasingly becoming a destination for travelers worldwide.

When the word "snow" is in the name of a festival, there's a good chance there will be some outdoor activities. That's certainly true of the North Lake Tahoe Snow Festival, which kicks off Friday and continues through March 13.

Ice climbing tends to summon images of grizzled mountaineers and their loyal Sherpas on Mount Everest - everyone wielding heavy ice axes on their slippery summit attempts.

The fraternity of West Coast ice climbers rates the Lake Tahoe area as a hidden gem of frozen waterfalls and icy cliffs.

The entrance to the High Roller terrain park at Heavenly Lake Tahoe is posted with distinctly ominous warnings. Helmets are recommended. "Inverted maneuvers" are not.

Looking ahead to Sunday, perhaps after you've eaten too much holiday home cooking, it'll be time to create a little balance with fresh air and exercise. One tempting choice -- provided the weather cooperates -- is a beginner's snowshoe outing at Donner Memorial State Park.

Winter snow has covered the 165-mile-long Tahoe Rim Trail, a miracle of volunteerism that sweeps along the ridges and mountaintops around the Tahoe Basin. Ranging in elevation from 6,200 feet to 10,333 feet, it takes hikers through meadows and forests, and around lakes and granite cliffs.

A majority of skiers and snowboarders who drive from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe resorts are day-trippers, but some of the best deals -- and best experiences -- are reserved for those who spend the night.

Aug. 8-14 is Wooden Boat Week at Lake Tahoe, a celebration of nautical life from the early part of the 20th century.

The Tahoe Rim Trail, which encircles jewel-like Lake Tahoe, will be honored Saturday as one of the West's great hiking routes.

Sacramentans love Lake Tahoe: Just witness the cars cruising up the hill on any weekend morning -- and the exodus in reverse at the end of the day.

Mark Twain proclaimed the air at Lake Tahoe to be "the same as the angels breathe," and that's probably closer to the truth than not. We Sacramentans often take for granted the paradise that lies only 100 miles to the east, a celestial playground that draws visitors from all over the world.

OK, let's face it: The past couple of weeks have shown how terribly torrid, screamingly scorching, horribly hot Sacramento can get in summer.

"This is the best job in the world," says Jan Hunt. "You're outdoors in a beautiful place and you don't get the problems that are common in the cities."

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, ski-area operators around Lake Tahoe were casting nervous looks at a bright blue sky, wondering how long it would be before the bare earth beneath the chairlifts would get a frosting of white.

The economic boom of the 1990s may be over, but the golden eggs it laid around Lake Tahoe are just starting to hatch.