Just a few days in the US? Visit Lake Tahoe first!

Many of us have limited time when it comes to vacations. However, if you are touring the US and have just a few days to spend at famous attractions, my top spot would go to Lake Tahoe!

On our recent California trip, after spending a couple of days in San Francisco, our next major destination was Lake Tahoe – the largest freshwater lake in Sierra Nevada, largest alpine lake in North America, and second deepest in the US. It is known for the clarity of water (as some spots you can even see 62 feet deep) and the picturesque mountains surrounding it.

A major tourist attraction in California and Nevada, I strongly suggest driving around the lake and spending some time at the must-see spots. You can do all of that in 2 days, but one can even spend a week in the area, depending on how close to nature you are. If you ask me, I could have stayed there forever!

We started from South Lake Tahoe and drove clockwise, first stopping at Emerald Bay – one of the lake’s most photographed and popular locations. Emerald Bay State Park is home to Eagle Falls and Vikingsholm mansion. We thought of covering the mansion next day, but Saru developed a cramp later in the day and the castle requires a steep walk for a mile each way – at an elevation of over 6,300 feet…so we had to miss the mansion.

There is also this island visible from the Bay – Fannette Island. I photographed it from various spots.

As far as taking these breathtaking shots are concerned, I would suggest trekking those trails that are less popular and hence less crowded…but not completely deserted, so as to avoid wildlife there. We did a bit of hike towards the Eagle Point to see the lake from the top and the views were hard to believe!

To do justice to the beauty of the place, I am going to divide the spots across multiple posts.