We went here and walked around the lake with our lovable lab. It was a beautiful area. The trail…read morewas flat but I suggest hiking boots this time of year as there was some icy snow in spots. The bathrooms were available at the trailhead and were well maintained.

We had an amazing hike around Spooner Lake back in June. It's an easy walk with just a few…read moremosquitos around. Peaceful and filled with bird sounds, not many people when we were there on a weekday. Bring your binoculars to check out the many birds and woodland creatures around. Definitely wear good walking shoes and bring some water. This trail is a short drive from where the casinos are and well worth the time to get away from the people and hustle bustle that can sometimes be found in Lake Tahoe around state line.

An awesome Historic building in history-rich Nevada. The Ranch has an eye-appealing view of the…read moreSierras, the staff is personable and informative, and the events held during the spring/summer/autumn season are exceptional. The museum is first rate, clean, interesting and informative. The Director, Event's Manager, Staff, Docents and Sponsors are top notch!!! If you are traveling to Nevada, to Douglas County, to Minden/Gardnerville, the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park should be on your journey's agenda.

After living in the Carson Valley for over 27 years my wife and I decide to make our first visit to…read morethe Dangberg Ranch, and we walked away wondering what took so long. We were there to enjoy one of the speakers in their summer series, Christina Thomas, "Songbird: The Story of the Paiute People" and she was great as she shared the history of the Paiute people in the Great Basin. The Dangberg Ranch is located on HWY 88 just south of its intersection with HWY 395, and you'll head west onto a dirt road for about a mile to get to the ranch, and the road is a bit rough, and on the day we went, muddy from recent rain. Was it worth it? Absolutely, here's the web-site, and I'd encourage you to add this to your tour of the Carson Valley: http://www.dangberghomeranch.org/ As a side note, the view of the Sierra Nevada from this location are incredible.

It's been years since I last hiked this loop on a hot Summer day in July…read more This is a steep trail and there are parts that narrowed out, but hubby and I walked single file through those parts. We spent a day hanging out here, but we stopped halfway for a break and lunch in some shade. There are plenty of little rivers that flow below the waterfall. Hearing the waterfall kept us chugging along because we were ready to cool off. This wasn't the biggest waterfall, but we enjoyed our time in it. It was very private once we actually got down there and so happy we were in our own little oasis; we had the whole place to ourselves. With all the precipitation we received this year I can only imagine how beautiful and full everything is. I'm planning on revisiting this Summer to see how everything has grown.

Beautiful hike, spectacular views with a waterfall, this hike offers up rewarding treasures that…read moreonly Genoa can deliver. We set off on this trail that starts in the historic town of Genoa at the end of Carson Street which is north of Main Street (same side as the Genoa Bar - look for the Orchard House). You will see a gravel parking lot and the Genoa Loop Trail sign at the start of the trail. We opted for the 6 mile round trip to the waterfall adventure on this particular day as we headed out. With an elevation gain of 1410ft and many switchbacks be sure to carry plenty of H20, wear appropriate footwear, maybe bring something like a granola bar or fruit and as always pack out, what you pack in. The trail is well maintained, but can be narrow & steep at times with bicyclists and furry companions allowed on the trail too. Please be sure to bring leashes along with doggy mutt mitts aka poop bags, there is a trash can and mutt mitts at the beginning of the trail but better to be prepared and there are no poop fairies. Remember everyone is out there to enjoy the beauty of the Great Outdoors so ENJOY IT! We thoroughly enjoyed this hike, stopping along the way to take in the spring flowers, beautiful views, grab our binoculars to look upon Genoa, the Carson River & Jacks Valley. We crossed the creek throughout the trail with foot bridges, butterflies, and the reward of our hiking adventure was the Genoa Waterfall as it cascade over as we listened to it surrounded by the pine trees. So get out there, this is a GREAT waterfall hike with stunning views added bonus you are already in the quaint historic town of Genoa so why not check out the cute town and grab a bite to eat or libation. Enjoy and #moveyourbody!!

6/26/25 Big Meadow trailhead serves as an entrance to the…read moreTahoe Rim Trail, with access to popular day hikes to Scotts Lake, Round Lake and Dardanelles Lake. When approaching the sign for the trailhead, the entrance comes quickly and not real visible, so slow down or you'll miss it. Also, you will have to cross the road to continue. At the trailhead, there is a paved parking lot and bathrooms available, as well as a map of the area. Our hike today was to Dardanelles Lake for the day. The wild flowers are blooming all throughout the trail and the mosquitos are out, so prepare accordingly. I love this hike in the Summer and the lake is absolutely beautiful! Hands down a 5/5 hike.

This is a newer park that has a fishing pond, dock, clean restrooms, parking lot and happens to be…read morealong the Martin Slough Trail. It's a great place for families and the views of the snow capped mountains are incredible from here. It seems to be a popular place on a Sunday afternoon. We saw several people enjoying fishing and/or walking along the trail around the pond. The trail around the pond is dirt but flat enough to push a stroller along. There are park benches and a covered pavilion as well. There's not a lot of shade unless you are under the pavilion and if you venture along the paved Martin Slough Trail make sure to wear a hat and sunscreen because it's pretty exposed to the sun as well.

It was a perfect day to hike this past weekend. It wasn't too hot nor cold. With our local weather…read morecooling it was probably the warmest weekend we'll have in awhile. I'm glad I was outdoors and got some much needed vitamin D and my blood pumping. It's not the easiest trail so I'd rethink this if you're bringing smaller children. We ran into other couples on the trail, but we were able to stop and enjoy our lunch midday away from anyone and start heading out before it started cooling down. We thoroughly enjoyed hiking this trail and look forward to returning next year.

The Carson Valley Trails are a diverse cluster of expertly built and maintained trails in the…read moreCarson Valley. I spent the most time on the Pinyon Trail, the only Carson Valley Trail east of Gardnerville. It was carved into the side of the desert mountain with stunning views of the Sierra Nevada range. The trail wound around the side of the mountain with lots of turns, elevation gain, and elevation loss. It is the best Carson Valley trail for mountain biking if you want something manageable and not too dangerous. It has the most "flow" of any of the trails for biking. The best overall trail for mountain biking was the Clear Creek Trail. It started in a fire scorched desert section near a school and slowly wound its way up into the dense pine mountains. I could tell how much effort it took to build the trail because some sections hung on to the side of the mountain. Maybe I was overly cautious, but I slowly crept up each bend in the trail, cognizant of a potently biker whizzing down from above. The trail wasn't big enough for two bikers unless one biker was hugging the mountainside. I made it up to Knob Point before I was thoroughly exhausted and turned around. This was only about half of the trail. It's hard to explore all of the trails and still have a full time job. Fortunately, when I turned around I didn't have to exert much energy besides slamming on the brakes and guiding the bike down the mountain. It's a trail that one could push to their limit, then turn around and the let gravity bring them back.

There's something so special about hiking in the beautiful Lake Tahoe area. Maybe it's the tall…read moreTahoe Pines or the secluded beaches. Or maybe it's the views of the rocky coastline or rampant wildlife. Maybe it's the breathtaking trailheads and the smell of fresh pine that hits your nose. Whatever it is; I just love it. The Whale Beach Trail offers all of those lovable Tahoe accents that I love. I found this trail through the AllTrails app (Secret Cove Beach to Whale Cove Beach) and it was the perfect way to check out several secluded beaches along the way. The Secret Cove Beach to Whale Cove Beach Trail loop is a short 3 miles long, but it's a great way to hike down the beaches and relax along the way. You can take the shorter version of this trail which is just the Whale Beach Trail and it's about 1.5 miles long. I started at the parking lot above Chimney Beach. If you plan on starting here for the loop trail, get here before 8 am. Otherwise, parking will be full and you'll have to find a spot down the road. The trail starts off pretty easy along a single track sanded path through the beautiful pine woods. The trail begins to widen and open up to some wonderful views of the lake and gorgeous secluded beaches down below. The trail passes by several beach coves (Secret Cove, Secret Harbor {aka Boater's Beach}, Creek Beach, and Whale Beach) and ends at Whale Beach. Not a ton of elevation gain, but the ups and down of the path will give you a nice workout. Pair that with climbing to and from the beaches and you've got yourself a nice little moderate hike with plenty of exploration opportunities. Most people seem to use parts of these trails solely to get down to the beach. Because of this, the trail is relativity calm which leaves you with many opportunities to have the trail to yourself. It's mostly shaded with a few open spots to allow the sun to peek through. There are several restrooms along the trail and also near the beaches. Saw several birds and lizards all throughout the trail. It's super peaceful and gorgeous. A trail that I would come back to simply because it allows access to so many different beautiful beaches. Whale Beach itself is lovely and secluded with the clearest water and super soft sand. However, Sand Harbor Beach is by far the most beautiful of all the beach coves along this trail. It's also not nearly as crowded as Secret Cove which is a total relief. This was easily one of the most memorable Tahoe hikes that's I've done simply because the views are unparalleled. Such an amazing trail that you should check out sometime.

Our family LOVED this trail! Parking was a little rough. We ended up facing south on SR-28 on the…read moreside of the road. There are stairs down, so you should try to find those. (Not that they are much better than the rocks down, but they're something. ) We zig-zagged down the trail taking the farthest-most route to Whale Beach. There were other turn-offs that would have taken us to Secret Cove/ Boaters Beach/ etc, but we kept straight. I wouldn't say the trail is super-well marked, though. It helps to know where you're going (we used the All Trails map). We took our puppy, and she was off-leash most of the time. There were other dogs at the beach, so they had fun playing. We were excited to see parta potties as we got closer, too! (No wash stations, so BYOHS). The climb back is ... a workout. We we're able to take one path down, and another loop back - not that you can quite tell from the map picture as apparently my watch wasn't actually tracking the whole time. But, still fun! All of the kids (3, 7, 8, and 9) made it there and back without having to be carried. We have hiked before, but I wouldn't say we're expert level. So, it's doable!

I just found out about Lam Watah Trail (in South Lake Tahoe/Stateline in the Nevada side) and…read morewalked it recently. The name in Washoe means permanent mortar by the stream. The trailhead is right within walking distance from the casinos and Stateline/Highway 50. If walking the strip/Stateline is not your thing, don't forget about the free Lake Link shuttle service. The trail leads to Nevada Beach. It's 2.8 miles roundtrip. Flat, no inclines. My kind of walk. Portions of the trail are packed dirt or paved with the majority of it paved. The trailhead has a small paved parking lot, it's free with no time limits but no overnight parking allowed. There are public restrooms. If they're open, I suggest using those because in the winter all the other restrooms on the trail and the beach are closed. We discovered that the hard way. There are two options of trails at the trailhead parking lot. You can use the paved path or the dirt path. The dirt path provides a view of Jennings pond and field as it is right next to it. Even though the pond itself is about 4 feet, you or your fur babies don't want to fall into that ice cold water so stay on the path. The field and pond tend to blend together in the winter scenery. The paved path doesn't provide views of the meadow or pond. Both trails link together. At this intersection, there is a foot bridge that crosses the Burke Creek. Even in the middle of winter, the creek had a trickling flow of water. The sound was relaxing and serene. The path from this point on is paved. Right now, sections of the path have ice and snow even on a warm sunny winter day. So be prepared with the right footgear. Along the way, there are info boards describing the history. I found out that the indigenous Washoe lived in the area before European settlers, and Rabe meadow served as the Sky Harbor casino and air landing strip in the 1940s. Crazy to think there was a casino and air strip here. On the opposite side of the meadow are large, beautiful granite boulder clusters viewable from the path. And Aspen grooves which I imagine are flaming gorgeous in the Fall. The trail leads to the beach. The beach has a walking path made of a composite grooved decking about 3-4 feet wide. The beach can also be reached by driving to it; it has a paved parking lot and street parking. On the weekday I walked the trail, it had a good number of folks and dogs. Leashed dogs are allowed on the trail but not allowed on the beach.

Short walk from Stateline also accessible via free Lake Link shuttle service is this flat level…read morepath that goes to the beach also connects to other trails. Bikes and pedestrians. Lot of dogs some not leashed. Lots of fowl wildlife and waters along the way.