South Lake Tahoe
Winter at the South Shore of Lake Tahoe has taken a hiatus. Apart from one nice snow dump on February 17, it was a dry month and March may be more of the same unless El Nino shows up and gives us what locals call a “Miracle March.” The lack of snowstorms aside, the amount of activities at Tahoe haven’t been hampered at all.
Some of those activities to be had can be located right off Kingsbury Grade or Nevada State Route 207. First off, the skiing is still pretty primo: the storms in November, December and January made the base of snow at the upper elevations the best since the big winter of 2011. Go to the top of Kingsbury, take a right turn at the summit of Daggett Pass and head to Heavenly Nevada and Stagecoach Lodge. Stagecoach is a great jumping off point to enjoy the enormous resort of Heavenly. The Stagecoach Express, a high-speed quad chairlift whisks you to the top of the hill even higher than the 7,480 ft in elevation from which you started. From there you’re free to roam all of what the mountain has to offer. Heavenly is great for all types of skiers, and starting on the Nevada side is recommended. If you can get up in March on a weekday there may be no lines at all.
Dry spells in the middle of winter also mean the snow melts just enough at the lake level to allow some of the hiking trails to thaw, and you can go enjoy a nice stroll. One place to go is the recently made Lam Wa Tah Trail at
Rabe Meadow at the bottom of Kingsbury Grade, off Highway 50 onto Kahle Drive adjacent to Lakeside In across from the Douglas County Sheriffs Station. The trail starts in the meadow, then goes into the woods before coming out to the lake at Nevada Beach. Along the way you go from paved paths to dirt paths and boardwalks that go over marshes and creeks. You pass Willow trees and Aspens, then enter a forest of Jeffrey Pines and Evergreens into the forest service campground, and then it ends with the big blue lake and all its wonder.
During the walk, the sound of heavy machinery can be heard at the Tahoe Shore Mobile Home Park at the end of Kahle Drive. The neighborhood that runs parallel to the meadow is in a state of upheaval as the mobile home park is being demolished to make way for The Tahoe Beach Club — new residence right on the lake that is another redevelopment at South Lake Tahoe and is sure to be impressive when completed. (More information at thetahoebeachclub.com)
With all the walking and skiing going on, one can build up an appetite for food and spirit, and there’s plenty of good places to choose from around the Kingsbury Grade area.
I decided to go with the new place in town, Audible’s Sports Bar and Gaming, which is located in the former Goal Post Bar and Grill, just opened up in February. The name suggests gambling an
