Today, facilities at High Camp, elevation 8,200 feet, include an expansive pool and hot tub, changing rooms and lockers, an open-air, Olympic-size ice rink (converted this summer to roller skating), a museum devoted to the 1960 Olympic Games and two newly resurfaced tennis courts.

The trip up the mountain in Tahoe's only stand-up cable car (bench seating is available around the edges) easily ranks as the most dramatically scenic ride at the lake. What makes it so are not just the lake views, which are spectacular, but the squeezed granite formations over which the conveyance passes during the course of its 2,000-foot ascent. They look like something a giant might have made while dribbling sand from a humongous hand.

The pool complex at the top, now dubbed High Camp Lagoon & Spa, is a sparkling turquoise gem in a setting that stays emerald well into September. It's cool up here, no matter what the temperature below, and the heated water feels great on knees gone achy from hiking.

About those tennis courts: Play is free if you bring your own racket, but you'll need weighted balls to compensate for the extra bounce delivered at this altitude. You can buy them - and rent rackets - at the mountaintop sports shop.

Swimming, sunning and skating aside, most visitors make the trip to High Camp at least in part to hike. Options range from a gentle loop around a wildflower-filled meadow to strenuous traverses up the shoulders of surrounding peaks. Hikers willing to sacrifice the cable-car ride down can travel the distance on foot via a gently graded fire road or the more strenuous Shirley Canyon trail.

Special events remaining this summer include guided sunset hikes scheduled for Friday and Saturday, and a mountaintop campout timed to coincide with the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower on Aug. 16. Another special event sure to draw the fun crowd is Friday Funk night, featuring disco roller skating at the Olympic Ice Pavilion on Aug. 15. Dress in disco duds and get $5 off your cable-car/skate ticket.

And have fun: The last cable cars down in August don't leave until 9:40 p.m.

One last note: Leashed dogs are welcome on the cable car and hiking trails, but not in the pool or restaurant areas. If you bring your pet and want to swim before or after you hike, go to the back corner of the pool area, where there's a gate. You can tie your dog to the fence and use the opening to handle clean-up and watering chores.

Northstar-at-Tahoe

Something's different here - and no, it's not Halloween in August. All those people in crash gear that makes them look like so many Darth Vaders are here to experience some of the most diverse lift-assisted mountain biking in the West.

Northstar's mountain bike park has expanded rapidly over the past three years to increasingly attract riders from Southern California and out of state as well as enthusiasts within day-trip distance.

From jump parks and black-diamond, expert-only trails like Boondocks to smooth cruiser runs like the new Easy Rider, the park accommodates riders at all levels.

"We have over 100 miles of trail on the mountain and killer access to thousands of miles of trails in every direction for cross-country biking," says park manager Kyle Crezee. "People are riding here from Tahoe City, Kings Beach and Truckee. The Tahoe Rim Trail is multi-use in this section, too."

But you don't have to have wheels to enjoy the terrain or the views at Northstar - and you don't have to have money, either.

Mountain biking aside, Northstar is a hiker's heaven made all the more attractive because riding the lifts in summer is - get this - free.

"We see people riding the lifts who don't ski or snowboard and have never been on one before. Watching their faces, you can tell it's a thrill," Crezee says.

Northstar operates three lifts in the summer: the Gondola Express to mid-mountain and the Zephyr Express and Vista Express from mid-mountain to points higher up. Most trails are designated hiker-only or biker-only, though a few, like the broad Village Run from mid-mountain to the base area, are shared.