Lake Tahoe News

Spring is waterfall season in the Sierra Nevadas, and with this year’s record-breaking Spring snowfall amounts in North Lake Tahoe, the waterfalls are a sight to be seen. Here is a guide to finding some of the best waterfalls:

Eagle Falls (North Shore’s most prominent falls) - not far from Emerald Bay on the West Shore.

Lower Eagle Falls can be seen from the roadside on Highway 89’s Emerald Bay/Vikingsholm parking area. To get to the base of the lower falls, a one-mile walk, take the maintained trail from the Emerald Bay parking that lot leads down to the lake. Upper Eagle Falls is a short quarter-mile hike up from the Eagle Falls picnic area.

Lower Glen Alpine Creek Falls, or Fallen Leaf Falls, can be found from Fallen Leaf Lake Road, three miles northwest of the Highway 50 junction on the West Shore. From Fallen Leaf Lake Road, turn left on road 1216 to signs for the falls.

Cascade Falls - access to the trail is at Bayview Campground, opposite Emerald Bay’s Inspiration Point on the West Shore.

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Caesar’s Tahoe will soon change owners and subsequently its name. It will soon be known officially as MontBleu, which is scheduled to open with all the new changes on May 24th.

The doors will never close. About the only visitors who will see an immediate effect are the gamblers. There will not be entirely too many changes, except changing the chips on game tables to MontBleu instead of Caesar’s.

Columbia Sussex, who bought the casino from Caesar’s Entertainment Inc, plans to change their demographics to a younger crowd, targeting the 21 to 40-year-olds. They are really attempting to bring more of a Vegas feel to Tahoe, touting the slogan “Tahoe on the outside; Vegas on the inside.'’

There will still be plenty of slots and table games, as well as world-class restaurants, shopping, and nightlife.

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The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival will be this summer from July 13th to August 20th. This year marks a record 39 nights of performances highlighted by “Othello” and “Twelfth Night.” The open air ampitheatre has breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe.

The festival also offers an array of gourmet menu selections from a variety of local restaurants serving patrons directly from the theater. Or pack a picnic dinner for a more intimate experience.

The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival is a 501 C (3) non-profit organization established for the cultural benefit and enjoyment of all residents and visitors to Lake Tahoe and Reno. The annual festival advocates the finest cultural events in the area while educating future generations on the importance of the arts, theater and music.

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Lake Tahoe is higher now than it has been in 5.5 years. The lake’s surface elevation as of Thursday was 6,227 feet, and it will most likely fill another two feet to its upper limit at 6,229 sometime this year, according to Federal Water Master Garry Stone in Reno. High precipitation numbers last year officially brought the region out of drought, according to the National Weather Service in Reno. But the lake was so depleted from years past, it took a year to catch up to normal levels.

Under federal law, it’s Stone’s job to make sure it doesn’t exceed that 6,229 level. This law was set up to make sure that high water levels do not erode the shoreline.

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With Sierra-at-Tahoe receiving 18.5 feet of snow in the month of March and Northstar-at-Tahoe receiving 12 feet, both resorts are blowing away their seasonal snowfall averages. Sierra’s average annual snowfall is 420 inches, which it has surpassed by a whopping 100 inches already with 240-520 inches falling so far this season. Northstar’s average annual snowfall total is 350 inches, which the resort has already exceeded by 10 inches with three weeks still remaining in the season.

This is great news for Skiers and boarders who still arent quite ready to put away their winter gear.

Both Sierra and Northstar are offering great Spring Break packages to encourage college spring breakers to go to the mountains instead of the beaches. Lift tickts are only $41 to Sierra and Northstar Resorts with your school ID.

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The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company announced that it will operate a new luxury hotel planned at the Northstar-at-Tahoe ski resort near Truckee, California. Company officials say the 172-room Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe will be modeled after the upscale mountain lodges built in the West a century ago.

It is not scheduled to open until 2009, but brings some great luxuries. There will be condos, homes, hotel accomodations, restaurants, swimming pools, and a spa.

In addition to the hotel, it will include 75 Ritz-Carlton Residences available for full ownership and 77 Ritz-Carlton Club residences available for fractional ownership on a deeded time-share basis.

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This time of year in Lake Tahoe usually sees the beginning of Spring, with snow gear and skiing a memory of the now-over winter. But not this year. Tahoe has been experiencing some unusually wintery weather this week, with snow storms and temperatures well below average. Chains were required on both Interstate 80 and U.S. 50 in California early Tuesday and chains or snows were the order of the day on most highways from Reno to Elko until temperatures warmed. Serial storms over the last three weeks have kept Reno cloudy and gray, dumping feet of snow at the higher elevations and raising the snowpack. On Monday, the Lake Tahoe basin had 20 percent more snow than normal, and the Walker River Basin 40 percent more than normal.

Monday’s high was 43, 15 degrees below the normal 58

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Lake Tahoe is the world’s second largest alpine lake, nestled in the Sierra Nevadas, and full of major attractions such as world-class ski resorts, magnificent golf courses and excellent casinos. First of all, what do you want to do? If casinos and glittering entertainment is more your style then a vacation rental in South Lake Tahoe makes sense. Book a mountain cabin or a vacation rental home in North Lake Tahoe if you are drawn by the pristine natural beauty of the mountains in North Lake Tahoe.

Besides a renowned holiday spot, vacation rental in Lake Tahoe is also ideal for a wedding as it is a popular wedding destination. You can opt for a lakefront vacation rental condo overlooking the breathtaking Lake Tahoe or an authentic 1920’s mountain cabin with pine paneling and interiors that invoke an old world charm.

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Organizers for this year’s North Lake Tahoe Snow Festival are planning a tribute to North Lake Tahoe’s special Olympic connection during the Tahoe City Parade Saturday at 11:30am. Tahoe area Olympic athletes planning to participate in the parade include Eric Poulsen, Sandra Poulsen, Bill Hudson, Kristin Krone, Jeff Hamilton, Mark Wellman and Nate Holland. The Parade is sponsored by the Tahoe City Downtown Association and its theme is ‘An Olympic Moment,’ with many past, present and future Olympic athletes and fans planning a variety of festive Olympic themed floats and displays.

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Special events in Lake Tahoe have come and gone over the years, the ones that stay are the ones with a heavy volunteer base and that can draw visitors. In its March 7 meeting, the city council may entertain the idea of providing funding for the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority to put on special events. Many South Lake Tahoe residents would love more special events, but they of course take lots of work, time, and money. One Lake Tahoe Visitor’s Association board member says the town is in desperate need of special events, but events planned other than during the summer. The problem is finding an event that can bring in tourism to boost the economy, such as Oregon has with the annual Shakespeare Festival.

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