West Shore Explore

Fannette Island, Lake Tahoe

March 20th, 2021

A couple weeks ago, we were bored on a Sunday so we hopped in the car and drove the circumference of Lake Tahoe. The loop — with its many twists and turns — is about 72 miles, filled with vistas at every point. Our first stop was just above Emerald Bay overlooking Fannette Island. There’s only one island in Lake Tahoe and this is it, with a tiny stone house at the top of it where Lora Josephine Knight, heiress and owner/builder of the Vikingsholm estate, enjoyed tea on summer afternoons from about 1930-1945.

Best seat in the house

Farther down the road we stopped at Sugar Pine Point State Park where we had the entire shoreline and view to ourselves. The park is the site of the historic Hellman-Ehrman Mansion built in 1903. The view from the dock was truly clear and sparkling, typical of winter days in Tahoe and the lake’s renown clarity with a maximum depth of 60-75 feet in recent decades.

Twinkle, twinkle

Tomorrow we’ll take a look around the grounds of the mansion.

See you then,
Kelly

Post of the Day: Adding a bit of light to the darkness as we get through the pandemic together. This series features travel photos from my archives, shared with you while staying close to home.