Tahoe opens early — see how on trek to Crag Lake (photo gallery & video)

[SF Chronicle RSS Feed - Tom Stienstra]

Tahoe and its world-renown recreation, from the Lake Tahoe shore up to Desolation Wilderness in the remote high country, is opening up. This early access to Desolation, one of the most popular wilderness areas in America, means you can have many pristine lakes and streams without the crowds that always arrive in July and August. To see it with my own eyes (and cameras), I headed to the Meeks Creek Trailhead, off Highway 89 near the western shore of Lake Tahoe, for the trek to Crag Lake. This is a 12-mile round trip with a 1,250-foot climb, the easiest climb into Deso, yet with jaw-dropping pay-offs. My story about this [...]

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