a splashdown. The greens were true, the air was thin, and the views were distracting. Finishing the 18th with the Lodge looming in the background felt like completing a masterpiece, exact- ly how championship golf in the high mountains should be.
from panoramic summits to intimate lakeside strolls. For serious climbers, explore the Mount Tallac Trail, a challenging, 10-mile round trip (gaining over 3,500 feet), which will test your lungs in the high altitude. The reward, however, is unparalleled: the summit providing the ultimate 360-degree panoramic view, laying out Lake Tahoe, Emerald Bay, Fallen Leaf Lake, and the vast expanse of the Desolation Wilderness all below. For a more moderate, scenic walk, the Rubicon Trail, running from D.L.
Bliss State Park to Emerald Bay, offers continuous, jaw-dropping lakeside views as it hugs the clear shoreline. The trail’s sheer proximity to the sapphire water made it feel less like a hike and more like an immersive tour, and its five-mile one-way length makes for a perfect half-day outing. Finally, for a quick hit of beauty, the popular Eagle Lake Trail provides a short, steep climb (about two miles round-trip) to a pris- tine alpine lake, a perfect appetizer of the Desolation Wilderness landscape. Beyond hiking, the lake itself offers endless activities. Paddle board rentals are available near the Edgewood beach. We saw several paddle boarders spend- ing a peaceful morning gliding over the clear waters. A quick trip to the nearby Heavenly Village provides excellent boutique shopping and access to the Heavenly Gondola, offering another perspective of the basin from above and access to more high-alpine trails. While golfing in Lake Tahoe may not be on most visitors to do list, and while the offerings for golf are few and far between, the rewards of bringing along your clubs allow you to take advantage of the spectacular experi- ences that are available in and around this impossibly beautiful destination. Getting There Nonstop flights are offered from O’Hare to both Reno, Nevada, as well as Sacramento California. Reno provides a bit shorter drive but we found more options and better times into Sacramento. You’ll want to rent a car either way ,and both drives take you on an incredible journey through the mountains down into the lake Tahoe basin. Where to Stay For the South Shore, the top tier is the Edgewood Tahoe Resort itself— unmatched for luxury and lakeside access. Other prominent options include the large casino resorts on the Stateline side, such as Harrah’s and Harveys, or non-casino hotels like the The Landing Resort & Spa for luxury right on the beach. For the North Shore, you’ll find more variety, ranging from the opulent Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe near Truckee, to the full-service Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort in Incline Village. Beyond the resorts, there are hundreds of small- er, charming inns and vast numbers of vacation rental homes available across Truckee and Tahoe City.
Alpine Adventures Beyond the Fairway
To balance out the hours spent on the tee box, I dedicated some time to Tahoe’s famous hiking trails. Here you can discover a spectrum of experiences,
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