Fun, Free and just a few steps away…
Congratulations, it’s summertime in Tahoe and you’ve just picked up the keys to your rental at Hauserman Rental Group. Nice. Now what? Before heading out to your lodging, stretch your legs a bit by walking across the street to The Common’s Beach, and experience some of the best our little town has to offer.
Head down the rock lined staircase to the beach and playground. Here you can sit on a bench and marvel at the lake, while the kids have at it at the playground. Starting in mid-June you can spend a Sunday afternoon here with a crowd of happy picnickers, who gather to see old friends and enjoy the music on the lakeshore. If it’s a Thursday morning, all the fixings for a picnic can be found at our lakeside Farmers Market (during the crowded mid-summer period the market moves just above town to the Tahoe Lake School).
Once you reach the Lakeside Trail you can turn left or right. Either way is easy walking with plenty to see. If you turn left, the wide, paved path will take you along the lakeshore past overhanging caves, lakeside restaurants, and the Marina and Boatworks Mall to where the pathway switchbacks up the hill to Highway 28 and the Safeway.
A right turn at the playground winds you through a parking lot, briefly back to the road, and then along the lakeshore to the Truckee River outlet at Fanny Bridge and the Gatekeepers Cabin and park. Stroll behind the dam and be sure to view the information on how much water is in Lake Tahoe and released into the Truckee River. Wander through the grounds of the Gatekeepers Museum and collect extra points if the kids can find the giant ant hill.
Back at the Dam, you can cross the highway and continue downstream on the bike path along the Truckee River to 64 Acres, the Transit Center and the Tahoe Rim Trail. Notice across the river that folks are embarking on their rafting trip down the Truckee. Or you can step out onto Fanny Bridge and gaze down at the humongous trout below (once you are leaning over to get a good look…you will understand how the bridge got its name). Just to the north is the North Tahoe Information Center, a great source for all things Tahoe.
So there you have it. In less than an hour of easy walking you’ve seen the beauty of Tahoe and a brief sampling of what Tahoe City has to offer. One you get back to the Cobblestone Parking lot, perhaps a beer at the Tahoe Mountain Brewery or picking up an interesting gift at The Trunk Show might be the way to go. Enjoy.