Located right on the border between California and Nevada; the western half of Lake Tahoe is in California while the eastern half is in Nevada. It is also home to a number of casinos on the Nevada side.

By car, Lake Tahoe is ~4 hours from San Francisco and ~2 hours from Sacramento. By flight, the nearest major airport is Reno-Tahoe Airport (RNO) which is 40 minutes to Incline Village (northern end of Lake Tahoe).

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My Trip

I was lucky enough to be invited to a seminar at Harvey’s Resort and Casino (South Lake Tahoe), and stayed there over a four-day period in Sept-2014.

The period was at the tail-end of Lake Tahoe’s warm season. However, it is a pity that the weather was mainly cloudy with intermittent rain when I was there; with my resultant photos not doing justice to the absolute beauty of the place. Not surprising, the temperature was cold enough that I did not observe anyone doing water sports in the lake.

Harvey’s and Harrah’s are the two major resort/casino on the Nevada side of South Lake Tahoe. Both belongs to the same company and are located across the street of each other.

Heavenly Village

A short 5 minutes walk from Harvey’s and Harrah’s is Heavenly Village, site of the Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort. Heavenly Mountain Resort is the largest ski resort in California/Nevada. The gondola station which leads up to the ski area is located in the village.

Since it was not the skiing season, it was no surprise that the village was essentially deserted during my visit. However, the gondola was still operating and offers visitors the chance to travel up to the mountain for scenic views of the lake and surrounding. In addition, summer activities are also available in the resort. Unfortunately, rain and strong wind prevented me from taking the gondola ride up the mountain for a panoramic view of the area.

A short distance next to the Gondola station is an amenities centre. There are a major supermarket and some retail stores here, including a huge sports equipment store. Parking is ample. Much to my relief, I managed to stock up on some food and essential items at the supermarket as there weren’t much marketing options near Harvey’s.

Exploring the lake | Lake Tahoe Scenic Drive

The easiest way to travel around the lake is to self-drive. It takes 2-3 hours to do a leisure drive round the entire lake (~68miles loop), taking in all the magical sights of the area.

Renting a car

If you’re planning to rent a vehicle on location, especially in South Lake Tahoe, do make reservations in advance as there’re not an awful lot of car rental companies in the area. Doing a 1-day rental just to make a round trip of the lake is still cost-effective, more so if you can pack the car with 4-5 pax. More importantly, it allows for flexibility in being able to stop at any scenic turnouts along the way.

However, do take note of the opening hours of the car rental companies. I noticed that some company’s opening hours can be rather limited; not sure if it’s due to the off-peak season or the “small-town” nature of the area.

Collecting our car

Being a cautious individual, I made my car rental reservation a couple of weeks in advance. Collection point was just across the road of Harvey’s, at Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel. On the day of rental, I collected my vehicle just after lunch and immediately began my circuit of the lake.

Finding your way round the lake is extremely easy; just follow the Lake Tahoe Scenic Drive which makes a circuit of the lake and hugs the entire lakefront (map below).

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Tips

There are a number of vista points along the drive that offer great views. As such, be prepared for impromptu stops along the way. For this reason, it is best to do the drive via going around the lake in a clockwise direction. This way, you’re driving on the side of the road (i.e. right) nearest to the lake and it’ll be far more easier/safer to drive your car into the vista points. (FYI, USA driving is on the right side of road)

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Best viewing points around the lake

Of the few designated viewing points, Sand Harbor (NV), Memorial Point (NV) and Inspiration Point vista (Emerald Bay; CA) must be the three best points to view the lake. All three are conveniently located along Lake Tahoe Scenic Drive and prominently signposted.

Inspiration Point vista (Emerald Bay; California) (map)

Without doubt the best-elevated viewing point on the entire lakefront. Inspiration Point Vista is located on the southern tip of Emerald Bay, which joins into Lake Tahoe. In the middle of the small bay is a mini island (Fanette Island).

“600 feet above Lake Tahoe, Inspiration Point provides the perfect overlook for all of Emerald Bay, the boats, Vikingsholm, and Fanette Island.” (Source: USDA, www.fs.usda.gov) 

Given its excellent view and proximity to South Lake Tahoe, Inspiration Point Vista is extremely popular among visitors. Consequently, finding parking space at the vista can be tricky especially during peak timings. Amenities include coin-operated telescopes and toilets.

Sights at Inspiration Point Vista

Memorial Point Overlook, Nevada (website) (map)

Located merely 0.8 miles north of Sand Harbor, Memorial Point Overlook is a reasonably sized vista point complete with parking, visitor centre, toilets etc. The visitor centre is slightly elevated, thus offering good views of the area. The area around the visitor centre has a number of short pathways that lead right to the lake. There are many large granite rocks along the lakefront which makes this area unique.

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Sand Harbor (website) (map)

The views are simply magical. Even though I arrived at Sand Harbour late (~6 pm) on a cloudy day, the views are still fantastic.

The beach here is one of the best that I’ve seen around the lake and a number of amenities are available (e.g. shelters, benches, toilet). The harbor seems to be as popular with locals as I saw a few group of them having gatherings in the area.

Parking is ample. Located 0.8 miles south of Memorial Point Overlook.

Sights at Sand Harbor

Afterthought

• Scenic Coastal Highway in California (Pacific Coast Highway)

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Before my trip, I was having slight doubt about how scenic it can be; considering that I’ve driven on some great coastal routes in Australia (Great Ocean Road, Victoria), Iceland (Ring Road) and New Zealand. After experiencing PCH for myself, I wasn’t left disappointed!

The coastal views are simply magical and there are endless miles of it! There are so many vista points and impromptu turnouts that you could take photo at, you’ll be numb of the views by the end of the day.

California State Route 1 (SR 1) is a major north-south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California. Highway 1 has several portions designated as either Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), Cabrillo Highway, Shoreline Highway, or Coast Highway. (Source, Wikipedia: California State Route 1)

Technicalities aside, tourist (like myself) simply call it Pacific Coast Highway; the most famous being the stretch between SF and LA. Most guidebooks and reviews would go further to agree that the most scenic of this stretch is that between Monterey and Cambria.

The Journey:

I started the trip from Half Moon Bay, then driving south to Santa Cruz, Monterey (overnight), Big Sur, San Simeon, Cambria and finally overnight at Morro Bay (end). Given 2 full days to cover from Half Moon Bay till Morro Bay, the pace was just right.

For this trip, it’s good to start north and travel south. This is so that you’ll be driving on the side of the road nearest to the coast, and will make it safer/easier to drive into any vista points/turnouts that you wish to stop for photo shoots.

The highlight has to be the 17mile scenic drive (Monterey; Pebble Beach), Bixby Bridge and the entire coastline from Big Sur to Cambria.

With countless vista points and turnouts along the way, you’ll learn that you couldn’t stop at every one of them. Focus on those labeled vista points and be selective on turnouts. By the end of the day, you’ll be too exhausted to stop by what seems to be YET ANOTHER scenic turnout.

Santa Cruz:

A nice little city that is home to University of California and the O’Neill surfwear brand.

 

I drove into town via West Cliff Drive (it runs along the coast) and found it to have a few nice spots for photo taking. Needless to say, I stopped for a few quick shots.

Just a few minutes along West Cliff Drive will bring you to the town’s main beach and the Boardwalk Amusement Park. I stopped for a simple lunch at one of the pizza shops near to the beach before proceeding to explore the beachfront.

The beachfront was great, just a pity that I do not have the time to get into the water.

Situated just beside the beach is the Boardwalk Amusement Park. It was closed when I visited. Turn out that it only operates on certain season; thus be sure to check their website to find out when they’ll be open. http://beachboardwalk.com

(for more info/photos on Santa Cruz; click here)

Monterey:

Driving out of Santa Cruz, follow the PCH heading south and you’ll reach Monterey in 1hour (~45miles). By the time I reached Monterey, it was dark and after quickly checking in to my motel (Sunset Inn), I went to a Japanese restaurant (beside Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf) based on the recommendation of my motel’s receptionist.

After dinner, it was a brief stroll along the Fisherman’s Wharf. The wharf pales in comparison to San Francisco’s version of its namesake. It’s nothing more than a single stretch of touristy restaurants and cruise shops. The crowd was thin (maybe due to season or timing of my visit). I was disappointed and retreated back to my motel to plan and refresh for the next day.

Based on my prior research, a few of the more famous attractions in Monterey include Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, Fisherman’s Wharf and the 17-Mile Drive.

Next morning, due to time constraint (and more so to the fact that I’m not exactly an “animal” enthusiast), I’ve decided to give the aquarium a miss. Having said, I understand that the aquarium is really impressive and should be a top “priority” for anyone visiting the area and have a few hours to spare.

And so, the first stop of the day was Cannery Row.

Cannery Row

This is the site of the now-defunct sardine canning factories of Monterey. Starting from early 1900s, it grew over the 2 World Wars before the industry started to die off after WW2. During its heydays, Monterey’s sardine canning industry was one of the biggest in the world. The last of the factories closed in 1973.

After spending 15 minutes to snap a few “I was here” photos, it was time to proceed to the Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf (~5 minutes drive), again. Not satisfied with my visit there the previous night, I wanted to see if a visit in the morning would change my perception about the wharf. It wasn’t to be.

Other than having an obviously clearer view in the day, Fisherman’s Wharf didn’t offer me more reason to stay any longer.

I took a walk to the end of the short wharf and there’s a restaurant (Rappa’s Harbor View Restaurant) there which offers a free viewing platform on its 2nd floor (seems to be accessible 24hrs). You could have a clear view of the harbor from the viewing platform, though the view is nothing exceptional.

After snapping a few photos of the less-than-fantastic harbor, I marched back to the carpark (there’s a massive carpark just beside the wharf). There’s a small cafe/marketplace at the entrance of the carpark (Wharf Marketplace/Cafe) where I opted to have a simple breakfast before continuing for the day.

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17-Mile Drive, Monterey :

Before leaving Monterey wharf area, i was mulling whether to explore the 17-mile Drive. I had thought that there’s only one entrance to it via Asilomar Ave (which happens to be my previous night motel’s location). Having to explore the Drive would meant taking 1-2hours off my already water-tight schedule; all the sacrifices for a Drive which I’m not entirely sure will be worth the effort.

I subsequently decided against it, and proceed to get onto PCH to get out of town.

As luck would have it, shortly after getting onto PCH I saw an exit leading directly to the 17-mile Drive. Being impulsive, I jumped at the opportunity thinking that maybe I could just briefly skimp thro the Drive without losing too much on my schedule.

This turned out to be the best decision for the day!

The drive

The 17-mile Drive is a looping circuit that has 21 points of interest (a.k.a. scenic spots) along it. It’s located in a private/gated community and as such, you need to pay USD10 to drive on it (map will be given at gate). It includes the famed Pebble Beach golf course; widely recognized as one of the most beautiful golf course in the world.

There are a few entry/exit points. One is along PCH and another is on Asilomar Ave. Being a looping circuit, it doesn’t matter which entrance you enter from; just complete the loop and you’re done.

While at the entry gate, the guard informed me that the entire loop takes 45minutes.

As things turn out, I took 3hours to complete it as there are too many photographic opportunities! The most picturesque part of the drive is when it reaches the coast. You’ll end up stopping every few hundred meters for taking photos!

This is definitely a drive NOT to be missed!

(for more info/photos on 17-mile Drive; click here)

Bixby Bridge:

After leaving Monterey, continue south onto PCH for ~19miles (30minutes) and you’ll get to the next major highlight of PCH; the Bixby Bridge.

“It is one of the tallest single-span concrete bridges in the world and one of the most photographed bridges along the Pacific Coast due to its aesthetic design and location.” (Source, Wikipedia: Bixby Creek Bridge)

The Bixby Bridge is certainly one of the poster boys of the PCH. You could sense it by the number of cars that stopped to take photos.

The only safe place to stop is the northern end of the bridge, where there is a parking area. You could take photos from either the coastal side or the inland side of the bridge (see examples above). Both offer great view of the bridge and is sufficiently spacious enough to handle the loads of tourist.

I’ve yet to see anyone walking on the bridge; probably because the narrow lanes doesn’t make it a safe undertaking.

Be prepared to spend ~10-15minutes for a photo shoot here.

McWay Waterfall, Big Sur:

From Bixby Bridge, drive south ~24miles (40minutes) to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. At the entrance of the Park, pull over by the side of PCH for a brief stopover to enjoy the next scenic attraction; McWay Waterfall. The waterfall is a short 5-10minutes stroll from PCH.

McWay Waterfall, the tiny strip of water fall on the top-left corner of the beach.

Though a small waterfall (and you can’t get close to it), it’s nevertheless rather scenic and is well worth the time. Prepare ~20minutes for a return trip + photo taking.

(for more info/photos on McWay Waterfall; click here)

The coastal views:

After a brief pit-stop at the waterfall, it’s time to continue south on the PCH which has been increasingly scenic since leaving Monterey.

From Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, drive south ~15miles (25minutes) and you’ll come to a Rock Shed at Pitkins Curve/Rain Rock.

The Rock Shed essentially looks similar to a partially covered tunnel and serves to protect the highway/traffic against landslides that are common in the area.
(for more info on the Rock Shed: click here)

There’s nothing much worth stopping for at the Rock Shed. Anyway, I didn’t saw any turnout near the shed to enable stopping; which might be logical since it’s probably not safe to stop at an area that’s prone to landslides.

Views

The above time-lapse video shows the coastal view (which is typical along the entire PCH) and the Rock Shed (0:11sec in the video).

Note in the video that there are numerous turnouts/vista points with scenic views along the PCH. This is true for the entirety of the PCH.

At the beginning of the drive, first-time visitors (like myself) are extremely tempted to stop at every other of these turnouts/vista points for photo shoots. The next turnouts/vista points always seems to offer increasingly better views than the last. Thus in order to prevent regret (who knows what’s the view going to be down the coast?), it’s always “safer” to stop at the next turnout for yet another photo shoot.

But alas, after a short while you’ll soon realize that there’s simply NO END to it!

The PCH offers endless miles of excellent coastal views. It hugs the coast from Monterey right up till Cambria after which it turns inland. This 100miles of coastal road (Monterey to Cambria) offers non-stop heavenly views. There are so many turnouts/vista points with excellent views that you’ll soon get “tired” of the view.

My suggestion is to be selective on your pit-stops and engage only those labeled vista points. Forget about turnouts, these are usually not as scenic as the labeled vista points; vista points are constructed/labeled as such simply because the locals think that they are more scenic to warrant making them into vista points. Let’s take heed from them.

Elephant Seals Vista Point, The Piedras Blancas rookery, San Simeon:
(website: click here)

Continue driving south 32miles (1hrs) will bring you to the next attraction; Elephant Seals Vista Point.

The vista point is right beside the PCH. It’s clearly labeled; there’s no way you could miss it. It’s essentially a big carpark with a viewing platform next to the beach where the elephant seals gather.

From the viewing platforms, you could observe the colony of elephant seals resting and getting along with their activities on the beach. The viewing platform is open every day and there’s no fee involved.

It’s definitely worth the stop.

Hearst Castle, San Simeon:

A short 5miles south of the Elephant Seals Vista Point, you’ll arrive at Hearst Castle.

Hearst Castle is the mansion belonging to newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951. You’ll have to book a tour in order to tour its grounds. From what i gather, it’s very famous with millions of visitors yearly.

However, due to time constraint I had to give it a pass and continue my drive south.

(http://hearstcastle.org)

Moonstone Beach, Cambria :

Another 6miles south of Hearst Castle, you’ll arrive at Cambria. Look out for signs leading you to turn into Moonstone Beach Drive (right turn).

Along Moonstone Beach Drive, you’ll find a row of motels facing the beach. It seems a great place to stay for the night, just a pity that I’ve already booked accommodation at Morro Bay (23miles away).

I’ve read online that you could collect unique moonstones along the beach (hence its name). My wife insisted on trying her luck at finding the moonstones; I had to oblige as all obedient husbands should.

Initially it seems to me that it’s a myth; i could only find regular stones on the beach. However, upon closer inspection, i realized there’s indeed small moonstones of various colors scattered on the beach; i was initially expecting larger stones. I wasn’t particularly keen on the stones (my wife was), rather, the views got the most of my attention.

We spent ~40minutes collecting moonstones and taking a few photos before hurrying off. It was getting dark and we need to drive another 30minutes to get to our motel at Morro Bay.

(for more info/photos on Moonstone Beach; click here)

Morro Bay:

Just 20miles (25minutes) south of Cambria, we arrived at Morro Bay in the dark of the night and promptly proceed to check in to our motel (Sundown Inn).

Its a small town with little to offer after dark except for a few eateries. Upon the recommendation of the motel owner (Taiwanese), we make the 1minute drive into the waterfront area for a Chinese dinner (Golden China) before calling it a day.

“The town’s most striking feature is Morro Rock, a 576 foot high volcanic plug.”, “There is no public access to the rock itself because it is a reserve for the peregrine falcon.” (Source, Wikipedia: Morro bay)

Early next morning, I drove back to the waterfront area for a quick photo shoot of the Morro Rock and harbor. From what I gather, there isn’t much else to explore in Morro Bay.

End:

With this last photo shoot, it was time to call an end to my 2 full days adventure of the PCH.

The extraordinary views and sights experienced in the 2days has certainly been nothing short of magical. Before the trip, I hadn’t expected places as developed as California would offer such heavenly views; I’m glad I was wrong.

PCH stretches all the way down the Californian coast right up to LA. Driving (at leisure pace) the entire route to LA would probably take up another 2-3days from Morro Bay. I didn’t have the luxury of time and had to head back up north to San Jose.

If you’re looking for a faster/shorter route to travel back up north while on the PCH, you could do a “U-turn” at Morro Bay/Cambria region and use inland Highway#101 instead. From Morro Bay, Highway#101 would get you to San Jose in 185miles (3hours) compared to PCH in 193miles (4hours). Without the numerous turns found on the PCH, Highway#101 is definitely a faster route to travel north.

As for me, what’s left to do now is the 3hours boring drive back to San Jose via Highway#101. I hope I wouldn’t fall asleep.

Related post:

• Lake Tahoe in pictures, California/Nevada (Sept-2014)

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The post Pacific Coast Highway | Scenic Coastal Highway in California appeared first on Balukoo Travel Blog.

“Nice little drive in Santa Cruz”

West Cliff Drive is a nice short drive from highway#1 that will bring you to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk area. This road has a few photogenic spots.

To access West Cliff Drive, drive along highway#1, then turn into Swift street and go till the end to reach it.

Once along West Cliff drive, head east along the drive and it’ll lead you to the Santa Cruz boardwalk area.

17-Mile Drive, Monterey, California

“DO NOT miss this!”

This is a drive NOT to be missed if you’re around Monterey. The coastal views are fantastic!

The 17-mile drive is a looping circuit that has 21 points of interest along it. It’s located in a private/gated community and as such, you need to pay USD10 to drive on it (map will be given at gate). It includes the famed Pebble Beach golf course.

There are a few entry/exit points. One is just along highway#1 (Pacific Coast Highway; PCH) and another is on Asilomar Ave. The entire loop takes 45min to drive. However, I took 3hours to complete it as there are too many photographic opportunities. The most picturesque part of the drive is when it reaches the coast. you’ll end up stopping every few hundred metres for taking photos.

http://www.pebblebeach.com

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McWay Waterfall, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur, California

“Nice little waterfall in a beautiful cove”

This is a beautiful (though small) waterfall right at the edge of a beautiful cove with turquoise water. The colours are fantastic. Definitely worth checking out since it’s just right off the highway.

To get to it, stop at the roadside of highway#1 when you reach Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Park your car beside the highway and on the coastal side of the highway look for a trail immediately beside it. Follow the trail for approximately 5-10minutes to the end. The view of the waterfall/cove is better at the end of the trail.

http://www.parks.ca.gov

Moonstone Beach, Cambria, California

“Good beach to find unique stones”

Nice beach front with a row motels lining the street. Good as a pitstop along highway#1. The beach was full of small unique stones and it was fun trying to collect a handful of colourful ones.

Link back to Pacific Coast Highway blog

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