The Vine: June 10, 2011
Your readers recently gave brilliant advice for a southern-U.S. road trip, and you and your readers were also really helpful to me in my running-related problem last year (thanks again!). I’d be interested to hear what suggestions you might have for this…
I am heading over to San Francisco for a three-day congress at the beginning of August this year. My husband and I thought we’d make a road trip of it. Neither of us has ever been to North America before. Taking into account time constraints (we have pets that will have to be taken care of while we’re away, so it’s three weeks tops), we’ve hashed out a preliminary plan.
We’d start in Vancouver and make our way down to San Francisco by train over the space of about a week, stopping in Seattle and Portland and whatever the best places to stop are along the way. There’s nothing to stop us from renting a car for a day out during this part of the trip. Then it’s the three-day conference in S.F., during which we’ll be able to do plenty of sightseeing as well (plus there is a Bay dinner cruise as part of the conference). Then we’d rent a car and drive down the coast road to L.A. or San Diego and fly back from there. We’ll have another week or so for the road trip, which makes it about 17-18 days in total for the whole trip. (Plus a couple of days for the trans-Atlantic flights.)
Of course we’ll take a look at the major cities and do the “compulsory” sightseeing, but I was wondering what suggestions you all might have for things to do and see along the way — perhaps something a little different from the obvious. We love culture and history but we’re also into nature, so one or more national parks is a given, hiking included. Yosemite would be an obvious choice, but is it too far out of the way considering the time constraints?
Neither of us is a wine drinker, so Napa is not a must for us. We’ll probably have time to take in a couple of museums, but which ones? Also we thought a baseball game might be fun. Would that be in S.F.? Depending on dates, we thought we might take part in a fun run somewhere (e.g. the Golden Gate Bridge Vista 10K, if it is on again in August). Shopping we’re not that interested in.
I’d also like to get an idea of how to divide our time — mostly we’ll only have one day per town/site (aside from S.F.), but I guess we can stay longer in a couple of places.
I’m thinking of buying the Road Trip USA: Pacific Coast Highway book, or is there something better? From the previous road trip recs, I’ve already bookmarked roadsideamerica.com.
I’m excited about this trip already, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Eva
Dear Eva,
Maybe we can meet up for a drink; Big Country Little Car Tour II: The Minnesotaning is happening around that time. Watch TN for details.
In the meantime, visit the Safari West website and see what you think. Friends of mine got married there, and in addition to enjoying the lovely wedding, I had a really fantastic night’s sleep in my cabin on stilts.
I’d also recommend the aquarium in Monterey (although I haven’t gone in 15 years, so if it sucks now, somebody speak up in the comments). Yes, there’s plenty of baseball in and around San Francisco; the Giants’ park is really nice (and they’ve got a bunch of home games in early August). I haven’t gone to an Oakland game, but they’re on a road trip at that time — in Seattle, which I’ve heard has a nice park too. You can Google team names and “schedule” to see if there’s anything you like — in L.A., you’ve got the Dodgers and Angels, too, so no doubt you can find some MLB to watch.
And the next time I head to San Fran, I plan to go on this.
My last piece of advice: layers. Fully three quarters of the scarves I own, I bought in S.F. in August.
Readers, it’s time once again for you to plan a road trip. Keep it to three (3) suggestions each for ease of reading, please.
Tags: Alfred Hitchcock Ask The Readers r(o)ad trips rando travel
Will second the Muir Woods recs. It’s so convenient and so beautiful. While, completely worth it, Yosemite is a trek and the wait to even get into the park is LOOOOONG during the summertime. If you want the experience without the hassle, you may want to go to Hetch-Hetchy – http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hetchhetchy.htm. The other place I would recommend is Point Reyes National seashore http://www.nps.gov/pore/index.htm which is another beautiful eye grabber.
Seattle for the win, baby!
In addition to the suggestions here (really listen to the poster who said DON’T eat at the Space Needle–food is okay and so is the service, but it is insanely overpriced)here’s some random stuff:
Archie McPhee’s in Wallingford. Their website is cool, but the actual store is cooler. It’s also near Ballard if you’re doing the Ballard Locks.
Museums: The Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park is georgous, and right next to the Lakeview Cemetery, where Bruce Lee and his son Brandon are buried. (Go early in the day or you may get locked in–really. I had to climb over the gate once.)The Wing Luke Asian museum in the International District is great too. While there you can check out Uwajimaya and the many fantastic restaurants.
Food: I will be happy to buy you a Pagliacci pie in one of our thirty or so pizza outlets (hell, I’ve worked at the phone center long enough!) We use a lot of meats from Salumi, mentioned above, but there’s lots of veggie options too!
If you want to have a guide for a day and I’m available, it’d be great to show someone around the city! I’d be happy to get you my contact info if you’re interested (that goes for any other Seattle members of the Nation, too.)
Monterey Bay Aquarium is amazing, and stopping by will give you a reason to drive down to Big Sur. That place is famous for a very good reason. I think everyone must see the true old-growth redwoods, and a very convenient place to see those is Muir Woods…accessible and still amazing. For a good earthquake stop (with amazing scenery to boot), Point Reyes National Seashore has an Earthquake Trail where you can see exactly how far the land moved during the 1906 quake. I personally love the ruins at Sutro Baths in San Francisco: you can start walking from Lands End at the Legion of Honor and have a great walk along the edge of the SF peninsula. You can see what Californians consider to be “old” by going to Mission Dolores (founded 1776) in the Mission District, and getting a burrito while you’re there.
If you’re driving down from the north, cool things to see along that drive include the pygmy forests of Mendocino and the Darlingtonia fens in Northern California. If you find a place that sells smoked salmon, stop by. Farther south, you can detour to Pinnacles National Monument and see if you can spot California condors.
Wow, I’ve done so much of what’s been recommended here! I agree with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Sisters, Oregon–and try to see the Lava Beds! Crater Lake, Columbia Gorge and the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk are all good, too. To add to the list:
Consider minor league baseball. Here in Oregon you can see the Eugene Emeralds or the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
If you’re coming down I-5 you’ll have to pass through Ashland, OR, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (we have more than Shakespeare) which is the largest (almost) year round reparatory theater in the US. I will warn you that it’s chilly at night, even in August so keep that in mind if you do the outdoor theater.
I love the Portland Museum of Art and just across the street is the Oregon Historical Museum (those covered wagons–wow, not a comfy ride).
Would love to see a follow up and hear about your adventures!
Yes, driving down the coast is great, but the bits in Washington and Oregon into Northern California are extremely winding and slow. Which may be exactly what you want…but it’s not evil to take I-5 part of the way. And the WA, OR, and Northern CA beaches are fantastic, but food and lodging can be a bit tricky along the way (though we always have dogs, so our choices are more limited).
We’ve driven Seattle to Mendocino for a couple of years, and have really enjoyed stopping in Eugene, OR (which is, I believe, on the train route as well). Great walking, nice college town.
Ashland, OR has the Shakespeare festival, but I don’t THINK the train stops there. Worth looking into, though.
Mendocino is fantastic if you do drive…but it’s really hard to get there. Not for the carsick. worth the drive if you can make it, though.
Someone mentioned the Battlestar exhibit at the SFM, which shares space with Experience Music Project, where there’s a big Nirvana retrospective, if that’s more your jam.
You can’t go far wrong. I don’t know of a better book than you mentioned, so just read a little, don’t sweat what you miss, and have a great time.
I second and third the Olympic Peninsula and Powell’s books suggestions. Especially the Oly Pen – there is nothing else like it in the US (or possibly in North America). Awe-inspiring trees, mist-shrouded valleys, Twilight kitsch in Forks if that’s your thing.
Also Pike Place Market is one of the few major public market areas in the US that doesn’t allow chains, so you really will have a unique experience if you go there.
Good luck!
Near Victoria, there’s these lovely gardens that I’ve always meant to go to – the Butchart Gardens – everyone always raves about them.
I’d recommend only taking the train over the border into Seattle. (Also, one of the most civilized ways ever to cross one.) Then drive the rest like everyone else is saying. This is a drop dead gorgeous part of the world, and you won’t see much of it from the train. (I took it back in January, and while I love trains, drive!) Also, then you don’t have to worry about the whole dropping-off-a-car-in-another-country thing.
Roadside America is awesome.
Also, Muir Woods, site of my 30th birthday!
And Cowgirl Creamery, if you can time it right, in Pt Reyes.
Enjoy!!!
Although I agree that driving the whole route would be ideal, it won’t work for crossing the border because you I doubt you’ll be able to rent a car in Canada and drop it off in California. If it’s even possible it will be an expensive hassle.
The Amtrak Cascades train looks like a very nice route from Vancouver to Eugene, but you can also just take it to one of the first stops in the US and rent a car from there. But it might be nice to have a few more days off from driving to relax on the train.
In Vancouver there are tons of outdoorsy/active things to do. If you have time, heading up to Whistler would be nice. If you have a shorter stay, rent bikes and ride through Stanley Park. It’s a gorgeous way to spend a day.
Alcatraz is really cool, but make sure to book NOW, because it’s a tourist hotspot. Try the nighttime tour for extra creepiness.
Hearst Castle is great for beautiful and over the top architecture & furnishings. If you liked Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous you’ll like this.
The Mission District in SF has lots of quirky shops and delicious food from just about every cultural group you could think of.
One note, SF City Hall may be gorgeous but it’s also surrounded by aggressive panhandlers.
One thing to know about Amtrak is that their timetables are a suggestion at best… my best/worst travel adventure involved an 11-hour train trip for a distance that was maybe 4 hours by car. Not a good idea if you need to be somewhere on time. The drive down the coast is incredible and you won’t be sorry. Keep your eyes open on Highway 1 south of SF… accidents happen.
I’ll Nth Port Angeles/Olympic Penninsula, and anyplace in the Sierra Nevada will be WELL worth the time to get over there. Yosemite, Mammoth, Lake Tahoe, even just the drive from Sacramento over to the desert side of the range is eye-popping beautiful. If you can’t get lodging in Yosemite, try a mini-road-tour and consider Kings Canyon or hiking around the Minarets as a lovely alternative.
On your way down the coast, consider a pit stop in Morro Bay. It’s a little touristy, but the Embarcadero is nice to stretch your legs and Montana De Oro State Beach (just south of there) has some lovely beach/blufftop trails.
Oh, I hope you have a wonderful trip! Please post your trip blog or Flicker if you have one.
I can’t say enough about the coast drive. I’ve seen coasts in many, many places, but it’s hard to top this one, especially because you can drive along it for such long distances.
Mount St. Helens: It takes a few hours to drive all the way up, but if you don’t have the time, the visitors’ center is easier to get to, and has some amazing before and after pictures of the eruption, and a view of the mountain.
I’ve taken a tour boat from Seattle Harbor through the lakes and the locks and back out to Puget Sound. Very interesting, since you can watch the locks work from close up, and see the houseboats people live in on the lakes, and see the seals out in the harbor. You can also get whale watching cruises from the San Juan Islands (I’ve taken them from Anacostia).
Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge (or walk halfway out and back). It’s an incredible feat of engineering, and great for pictures and views. Bundle up, though (and I’m writing this in Minnesota) because it can be windy and damp!
I’d say see as much of the natural world as you can, because while there are amazing cities along the route, there are places on the West Coast like nowhere else in the world.
Just a word of warning about buying camp sites for Yosemite off of Craigslist. Yosemite is trying to stop that by having the reservation name match the name on the photo id you now have to show when checking in. http://tinyurl.com/yosemitescalpers
Yes to all of the suggestions. I think the Southern Oregon coast is some of the most beautiful coastline in the U.S., and it’s all accessible- there was a bill passed in the ’60’s that allows pedestrian easement on private beaches, which is pretty cool. I would recommend spending a day in Portland, driving down to Eugene the next day, and heading over to Florence from there and then driving down the coast highway to California. Once you hit the last few miles of Oregon you are in the Redwood National Forest, which is amazing. The towns of Bandon, Coos Bay, and Gold Beach have some great things to do there, and the dunes just south of Florence are really cool as well. There are some lovely towns on the Northern California coast as well- Ferndale, Arcata, etc.
Also, to shamelessly self-promote, I own a bakery/cafe in Portland so if you want some delicious breakfast, stop by and I’ll buy you a coffee!
http://sweetness-bakery.com
I don’t have anything helpful to add, but can I just say this entire thread has me in nostalgia break-down. I grew up on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound and my parents dragged us all over the west coast on road-trips and camping adventures: Olympic Peninsula, Vancouver, every national and state park you can think of. At the time it was like, “what, more trees?” but, man. Thanks, Mom and Dad. Those memories are crystal-clear and precious. I have to travel for work now to LA and SF all the time and I’m utterly jaded, but this thread has made me think I need to take a leisurely drive along the coast.
I will third or fourth or whatever seeking out a minor-league park for a slice of Americana. More accessible, more relaxed, and cheaper than major-league baseball.
@Megan- nope, the train does not stop in Ashland. It’s either Eugene, about 3 hours north, or Klamath Falls, about 1.5 hours east. Either drive is really beautiful- I recommend the Greensprings Highway (66) from K Falls. Twisty, steep, but gorgeous!
I also recommend the Hearst Castle. I know you said you are not big wine drinkers but I would recommend going to one or two vineyards in Paso Robles, it is in the same general area as Hearst Castle. Cambria a small coastal town between the two, is also worth a stop.
Hmmm… Everything worthwhile to do in Seattle has been mentioned already. Seconding going to the Arboretum if you’re there. You might also want to visit Kerry Park. It’s a tiny park in Queen Anne, but the view of downtown Seattle is spectacular, on a sunny day it rivals that of the Space Needle. If you’re traveling by car and have time to spare, I’d also hit Snoqualmie for a day (beautiful falls, and an awesome day spa right next door), since it’s only about 25-30 miles inland taking 90 from downtown Seattle.
If touristy is more your bag, then Pike Place is a must (before moving here permanently, I stayed in town for a summer – I must have walked to Pike Place from Pioneer Square every single day that summer, just because).
1. Definitely second the recommendation to visit Victoria on Vancouver Island. You could take a ferry or sea plane to there from Vancouver, spend the night, and then take another ferry or sea plane into Seattle and pick up a car there. (Not sure if you would have any issues with a 1-way car rental staring in Canada and ending in the US) You can take tours on the island; I’d recommend a stop at Butchart Gardens.
2. REDWOODS. I haven’t seen them yet, but everyone who does is just babbles on and on about them.
3. Not too far North (and East) of Portland: Mt. St. Helens. But, be sure you check the visibility on-line before you head there, or you’ll end up taking a picture of yourself in front of a huge cloud, with nary a mountain in sight. Like me. (Then again, the desolate scenery along the way to St. Helens herself was fascinating, and I honestly don’t regret the drive there and back.)
If you want to have a food experience that’s pretty specific to the US, and to the West Coast in particular, try Portobello in Portland. They serve vegan Italian-American food, and it is spectacular.
Also regarding Portland: it’s way further inland than Frisco, and it can get super hot in the summer. We never know if it’s going to be chilly or stifling on any given day in August. But we also have a shit-ton of tree-filled parks, so you might want to get a map of the city parks so you know some shady places you can stop and rest while exploring.
Oh, also! Joni Mitchell has a summer house near Vancouver, and a winter house in LA. So on the off-chance that you’re a Mitchell-head like me, I’m gonna suggest making the pilgrimages out to look at both of them from the road. It would also make for nicely symmetrical bookends to your trip.
This is my first time posting, but I can’t help myself! I love San Francisco and the California coast! And I am going to reiterate some of the responses of others…
In SF, please try to get to Golden Gate Park and go to the California Academy of Sciences. If you can get out the the Mission District as well, you have to try a mission style burrito at one of the many taquerias, I would recommend Papalote on 24th St. and Mission. Or if you are looking for something a bit nicer, Delfina on 18th and Dolores is really delicious as is the Bi-Rite Creamery across the street for ice cream.
If you get to San Diego, definitely check out Balboa Park. The world famous San Diego Zoo is located there. But the park itself, is awesome and the Prado restaurant in the park is excellent.
Sounds like an amazing trip…have fun!
In addition to the great Portland recs already posted, I would suggest the Chinese Gardens (gorgeous) and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry – especially if you can get in on one of their after-hours events for adults (they serve wine and let you handle exhibits, although in general it’s a very hands-on place with lots of interactive stuff).
One place in Portland that I love but rarely see recommended is The Grotto, formally known as the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother. It’s a 62-acre park/shrine with gardens, wild space, waterfalls, labyrinth, sculptures scattered everywhere, and a giant cave carved into the side of a cliff with a life-sized Pieta in it. Even if you’re not Catholic or religious at all, it’s peaceful, beautiful, quirky (a lot of weird little touches in the decor and layout), and a nice way to spend a few hours outdoors in the calm when you’ve been running around downtown too long. It’s free to visit the bottom part, but you pay a few dollars for an elevator pass to get to the top part. The elevator looks terrifying and decrepit from the outside, but is actually very nice and safe inside, so don’t be scared.
If for some reason you end up in SE Portland in the Belmont/Hawthorne neighborhood, check out the Bagdad theater. It’s another McMenamin’s property and is a gorgeous old movie house that serves pizza and beer.
Thank you SO MUCH for all the fabulous suggestions so far!! I will take plenty of time poring over them and planning our trip.
Since I wrote our plans have been concretised a little. We’ll actually be driving south to north, flying into LA and out of Seattle. Flying out of Vancouver turned out to be so much more expensive that we’ve decided to save Canada for some other time and just go as far as Seattle. And we’ll probably drive all of the way, sticking to Highway 1 most of the way (apart from a detour to Yosemite?).
Anyway, thanks to everyone and I’ll let you know how it went!
Echoing the “yes, it’s worth it!” refrain regarding Yosemite. We live in Sonoma county, and no matter how the drive/traffic is, it’s always worth it the second I hit the valley. It’s impossible to describe to someone else. Seriously. DO IT. And if it’s your first visit, do visit Yosemite Valley. yes, it’s crawling with people, but you will see Half Dome, El Capitan, the Falls – all of the biggies. Drive up to the Tunnel View as well, and you’ve got pretty much a perfect first visit.
LOVE Big Sur. They had a major closure this spring south of Carmel so check first, because that could really add lots of travel time. Hearst Castle is right along the way, as well.
Amtrak’s Coast Starlight is really great, Seattle-Oakland. Splurge for the bedroom and your meals are included, as well as a glass-domed viewing car for your time.
Vancouver resident here. Eat Sushi and Oceanwise fish while you are here — you will never find better. Blue Water Cafe is an unparalleled dining experience. I second the recommendation for The Museum of Anthropology at UBC, it’s something extraordinary. Our aquarium is nice and tourists generally head there but I don’t think its unique and would sooner choose the Steinbeck version in Monterey. I find Stanley Park overrated; the vistas are so ubiquitous here that I prefer to take them in on the way to something else, e.g driving over the Second Narrows bridge to the Dollarton Highway to Deep Cove for Honey’s “Donuts.”
If you like historical re-enactment/living history type attractions, our Cannery Museum in Steveston or Historic Ft. Langley are both pretty drives and interesting venues.
If you won’t have a car in Vancouver, I’d say a walk around Gastown and a trip by aquabus to Granville Island are highlights that will give you a taste of the city. There are easy-to-use shuttle buses to Seattle, where you can pick up your rental car — others are right that you shouldn’t try to take a one-way rental across the border. Or you can go with Kristen B.’s excellent suggestion of crossing into the US via the ferry from Victoria.
I would drive if it is possible. Do Seattle/Olympic Penn. Down I-5, maybe Mt. St. Helens, and then to Portland. From Portland out to the coast and drive 101 down the coast of Oregon. Great towns along the coast, and the Tillamok cheese factoryhttp://www.tillamook.com/cheesefactory/index.html (yum) Sea Lion Caves, http://sealioncaves.com/home/ Cannon Beach, etc. Ashland is a great place on the CA/OR border as is Crater Lake! So many possibilities with a rental car.
If you go through San Jose, check out the Winchester Mystery House – it’s fascinating — also, I second the recommendations for Monterey Bay Aquarium and Hearst Mansion — esp. Hearst!
In San Francisco, try to make it down to the Presidio. Also, the Cal Academy of Sciences is a cool museum with aquarium, planetarium, etc., and is a super ‘green’ building. They also have a thing there called NightLife every Thursday where they have drinks, etc…I have to say aquariums and planetariums are pretty interesting after a few drinks. :)
Since you’re there in the summer, there’s a boardwalk in Santa Cruz, and the craziest thing to me about central California (as compared to the East Coast), is that the wildlife is just kind of hanging out there where people are swimming. Otters, sea lions, etc…just kind of right there. Monterey is nice too. The aquarium is great, but I suspect packed to the gills (ha ha) in the summertime. But if you go, their jellies exhibit is not to be missed, and since the Aquarium is literally right on the water, they have this outdoor viewing deck area where you can see many animals. Monterey Bay is a federally protected national marine sanctuary (think underwater national park). It’s the largest national marine sanctuary in the U.S. (there’s a marine national monument that’s larger), and one of the only ones that includes shoreline.
If you make it down around Santa Barbara, I would encourage you to head out to Channel Islands National Park…they have naturalists that provide tours, etc. The Park is on the Islands, and the Islands are surrounded by Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, a federally designated marine protected area. Island Packers is the company that provides boat service back and forth to the islands.
I’ll second (third?) Crater Lake in Oregon. While I love Yosemite (and completely agree with whoever said skip the valley, go to Tuolumne Meadows), the lake is hands down the most beautiful place I have ever seen.
Also, definitely hit up some of Oregon’s great breweries! I’ve only been to Rogue Brewery – where they make beers like the wonderfully named Dead Guy Ale – but I’m sure there are other fabulous ones.
Yosemite is breathtaking so i agree with everyone who has You would want give it at least a couple full days there though, so it would be better to fit that in before the conference. you might also consider going to yellowstone or grand teton national park/ jackson hole earlier in your trip. Or it might be easier to do lake tahoe, which is beautiful and offers virtually every outdoor activity i can think of. If possible, those are also definitely worth a visit.
In san francisco, i recommend visiting alcatraz. you could also venture to palo alto and visit stanford
Oh also, i just read the running post, and even if your problem was resolved long ago, i highly recommend joining dailymile.com. It is a fantastic site where you log your running workout and people comment to tell you how great youre doing-ie they really care about how hard you are working, your progress and your races, whether youre building up to run 3 miles or run a marathon in under 3 hrs. Does wonders for your mood and self esteem.
To the person who mentioned the late Amtrak: I used to take the Coast Starlight (the route that goes from Vancouver to San Diego) all the time, because I went to school in Eugene but had to drive over snowy mountains to get home to Southern Oregon for holidays. (Eugene is the last I-5 stop it hits in Oregon. After Eugene it goes east and then back south again from there).
Anyway, it USED to be that if it was less than four hours late, you were lucky, but they’ve really been working on it and have done much, much better in recent years. It’s rarely late now. Keep in mind that it COULD be, but it really has gotten better, I promise.
If you haven’t booked places to stay just yet, try the Seaquest Motel in South Bend, Washington. It’s definitely a hidden gem. Husband and I drove up from SF to Seattle via the coast last September, and this place was a shot in the dark when we booked it that turned out very well.
I also recommend stopping at the West Coast Game Park walk-through safari just south of Bandon, Oregon, on Hwy 101. They have a walk-through petting zoo type safari, where the goats WILL mob you for food, but their star attractions are a rotation of super cute cubs. They take big cat kittens and wolf pups from other zoos, and hand raise them to acclimate them to being handled – and they’ll let you pet and play with the cubs! When we were there last fall they had 16 week old twin tiger cubs and 8 week old twin black panther cubs. Not many people seem to know about it, but it’s totally worth it.
Finally, the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is not to be missed.
I second (third?) the Pt. Reyes National Seashore and Muir Woods recommendations. They contain quite a few of California’s micro-climates and terrains, have a variety of activity possibilities, and can be done on a day trip from SF.
Speaking of Hitchcock, if you’re into that, “Shadow of a Doubt” was filmed in Santa Rosa, and “The Birds” in the tiny towns of both Bodega, and Bodega Bay. Not a whole lot left of the specific set pieces, but fun trivia.
And! Layers! definitely.
Yosemite is an absolute must. If you’re heading through in the peak of summer, avoiding the valley is a good idea, maybe spend a day seeing all the waterfalls and then head up to the Tuolumne meadows area.
Big Sur and Lassen are great, less traveled areas to explore and camp.
North Lake Tahoe is also very worthy of checking out. There are some amazing hikes up there, and the lake and beaches are amazing. There is also some incredible food on this side of the lake. Try T’s in Incline Village for a lunch to take the the beach!
Don’t miss out on the American River between Tahoe and the Bay area, the South Fork is great for families and the Middle Fork is class 4 for more adventurous people. Whitewater Excitement is my favorite company to go with and always have great recommendations for the areas…check them out at http://www.whitewaterexcitement.com