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South
Lake Tahoe
The South Shore of Lake Tahoe is a land of many uses and stretches
from Emerald Bay to Spooner Lake.
Lake Tahoe has the largest number of Alpine ski resorts in
any one area of North America, a total of 15, and 3 of those
resorts are on the South Shore; Heavenly, Kirkwood and Sierra-at-Tahoe.
There are also several outstanding cross-country ski areas,
including Camp Richardson, where skiers can stride along the
shore of Lake Tahoe. You can also enjoy snowmobiling from
the crest of Hwy 50 at Sooner Lake, offering spectacular panoramas.
Some of the finest mountain hiking trails in the Sierra, such
as Horseshoe Falls, are just over the Western Slope where
the trail takes you up to the magnificent Desolation Wilderness.
Biking on mountain trails offer easy pedaling or demanding
pumping. Also, year-round horseback riding will take you to
back country where trails are historic and challenging.
Historically, the South Shore was home to the Washoe Indian
Tribe, who came to the South Shore in the summer to enjoy
the cool weather, the excellent fishing and to gather flowers
and plants that were used as medicine. The Washoe called
the
lake "Da ow a ga" or Lake of the Sky. Faulty translation resulted
in "Tahoe". The Washoe would camp in a meadow bordering the
edge of what is now Stateline, across from the Lakeside Inn
where Tahoe's first airport was built. The meadow is still
there, preserved by a gift to the National Forest Service
as the Lam Watah Trail, which leads from Hwy 50 to the Nevada
Beach through open land, across creeks and between rising
hillocks of giant boulders.
The discovery of the Comstock Lode some 25 miles away at Virginia
City and the clear-cutting of the basin's forests resulted
in the Washoe giving up their annual visits to the lake. The
Comstock Lode discovery and the urgent need of timber to shore
up the mines denuded much of the Basin, but some of the South
Shore forests were left intact simply because it was to difficult
to get the timber out of the Basin and on to Virginia City.
Although the Washoe no longer visit the lake on an annual
basis, a summit meeting in the summer of 1997 with President
Clinton, Vice President Gore and local officials resulted
in the return of land around the lake to the Washoe for future
settlement and construction of an Indian visitor center.
The modern era at Lake Tahoe's South Shore began when explorer
John Fremont climbed a ridge trail from the Carson Valley
and became the first European to see Lake Tahoe. That ridge
and the Fremont camp site is now part of a hiking trail that
starts at the top of the Tram at Heavenly Ski Resort and is
probably one of the most popular short hikes around the Tahoe
Basin.
By 1895, most of the timber was gone and the Comstock was
beginning to run thin. The South Shore slipped out of view
for a few years until lumber tycoons Duane L. Bliss built
a narrow-gauge railroad from Truckee near the Donner Pass
to shore side Tahoe City. The rail line suddenly made visits
to the lake easier, and soon many luxury steamships were taking
visitors around the lake in comfort. That tradition today
is carried on by the Tahoe Queen and MS Dixie II, which offer
lake tours. In 1931, engineers blasted two tunnels through
Cave Rock near the eastern extremity of the South Shore, completing
the road around the lake and ending the era of the luxury
excursions and the narrow gauge railway.
Today, South Lake Tahoe is the home to approximately 24,000
hard-working, outdoor-loving citizens, who enjoy all the usual
pleasures of small-town ambience while having the Sierra as
their backyard.
South Lake Tahoe is also home to five major casinos offering
gaming and entertainment: Harvey's, Harrah's, the Horizon,
Caesars and the Lakeside Inn. The showrooms present major
entertainment and dining in sky top restaurants that offer
spectacular views and outstanding international cuisine.
Whether you like the summer activities of hiking, biking,
and sailing, or the winter activities of skiing, cross-country,
and snowmobiling, or perhaps a combination of both, there
is something here in Tahoe for everyone.
Courtesy of Katy Spivy |
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