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Welcome
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Magical West Shore
By Katherine E. Hill
 The
West Shore is perhaps the most alluring of Tahoe’s
shores from the mouth of the Truckee River – Lake
Tahoe’s only outlet – to the old Tahoe estates and
sights along the shore to Homewood.
The
West Shore begins at the Tahoe City dam, which
has regulated the flow of water from Lake Tahoe via the
Truckee River since the first dam was built in the
1860s.
Heading south along the West Shore, the hamlet of
Sunnyside is about 2.5 miles south of Tahoe City.
(Caution: South of the first buoy field after leaving
the Truckee River Outlet area, there is a large boat
house at the site of the former Tahoe Tavern with many
underwater hazards.)
As
you reach the first bay, head to shore for a meal at one
of the West Shore’s best restaurants, to stock up on
supplies for your own picnic, or for marine services and
gas. Sunnyside Resort is a popular spot for
visitors and locals where you can grab a sandwich on the
vast deck overlooking Lake Tahoe or dine in style inside
the Chris Craft Room. Whatever your dining choice, be
sure to ask for a slice of Hula Pie for dessert. The
restaurant offers a complimentary water taxi and buoys
for its patrons on a first-come, first-served basis.
Navigation aide:
The lights from Sunnyside Resort can be used as an aide,
along with the row of four lights from the private beach
at Tahoe Park north of the resort. Heading north along
the West Shore, you’ll see the row lights from Tahoe
Park before Sunnyside comes into view.
Leaving Sunnyside and rounding the next point, you’ll
enter Hurricane Bay with a more than 1.5-mile
stretch of public beach. The rocky beach is a popular
spot for sunbathers, and Hurricane Bay is an ideal spot
of water skiing and boasts one of the best fishing spots
on the lake. This also is one of Tahoe’s few public
beaches where dogs are welcome.
Heading south, a small rocky outcropping hides a lagoon.
The lagoon is the remnant of a failed attempt by two
brothers in the 1980s to illegally build their own
marina. As the story goes their construction project
landed them in the slammer.
Continuing south, you’ll come upon Kaspian Picnic
Area with public restrooms, picnic tables and
barbecue grills (dogs also are welcome). This end of
Hurricane Bay is generally less crowded and there’s a
public access pier – it’s the only one without a gate.
From the pier, head left on the bike trail to the
restrooms and picnic area.
If
you’re willing to walk a bit, head left from the pier
along the bike trail to climb Eagle Rock, a
volcanic outcropping towering above Lake Tahoe. This
quick hike offers a panoramic view of Lake Tahoe and the
Sierra Nevada; it’s about .2 miles from the beach.
McKinney Bay,
home to the community of Homewood, lies south of
Hurricane Bay. As you enter the bay, you’ll notice the
majestic stone chalets of Fleur du lac built by
Henry J. Kaiser in 1939 in only 29 days. The location
for the winter home of Don Corleone in “The Godfather,
Part II,” Fleur du lac is a private community featuring
a rocked-in inland waterway, a red brownstone breakwater
with a lighthouse, drive-in boat storage, a double
swimming pool, amphibious plane landing and a water ski
take off. Please respect the resident’s privacy and do
not enter the marina.
Elegant, outdoor dining at West Shore Café is a
great way to relax with tables arranged on its pier over
Lake Tahoe and they offer complimentary water taxi and
buoys for its guests.
Two
marinas serve boaters at Homewood, with Homewood
Marina on the north end and Obexer’s Marina
to the south side. Both offer gas and pump services,
along with a chandlery. If you want to stock up on
supplies and grab a bite to eat, tie up at Obexer’s and
visit Obexer’s Market featuring an espresso bar,
deli and a upscale market, or cross Highway 89 to grab a
bite at the Old Tahoe Café or Pisano’s Pizza.
Homewood is also the location for the Tahoe Maritime
Museum, which pays tribute to Tahoe’s maritime
history and houses Shanghai, a preserved launch from the
1860s that was resurrected from the bottom of the Lake
and restored.
As
you head out of the south side of McKinney Bay, you’ll
come to one of Lake Tahoe’s most popular gathering spots
– Chamber’s Landing. Located on the end of a
pier, Chamber’s Landing Bar is said to the oldest bar on
Lake Tahoe. It is famous for its Chamber’s Punch and is
a popular viewing area for summer sunsets. Dogs also are
welcome on the piers at Chamber’s Landing.
Navigation aide:
The lighthouse at Fleur du lac marks the north end of
McKinney Bay, with Chamber’s Landing rounding out the
south end. In succession from north to south at night
are the lights of Fleur du lac, Homewood Marina, West
Shore Café, Obexer’s and Chamber’s.
Continuing south are Sugar Pine Point State Park, Meek’s
Bay, Rubicon Bay home of Tahoe’s Gold Coast, D.L. Bliss
State Park and Emerald Bay. I’ll cover this section of
the West Shore in a later column.
Katherine E. Hill loves
being on the water and is always looking to hitch a ride
on the Lake. If you have any ideas, suggestions or are
planning an outing on any of our beautiful lakes and
need a deck hand, e-mail
editor@tahoethisweek.com or visit
www.tahoeboating.blogspot.com.
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