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Hop on your bike — or lace up your hiking boots. Fall is the perfect time for a jaunt along the shores of Lake Tahoe. The leaves are turning, the air is crisp and a pedal or walk makes a memorable way to explore Big Blue. Here are three ideas for autumn outings:
1 Camp Richardson Bike Path
Far from the hectic bustle of Stateline, grab those handlebars and cruise along the Camp Richardson Bike Path from the retro General Store to the stately grounds of the Tallac Historic Site, with its lavish bygone estates, museum and stunning natural vistas. The museum shuts down for the season in mid-September, but you’ll still see aspen trees aflame with fall colors as you snake towards the Taylor Creek Visitor Center on flat, paved roads.
Follow the boardwalk until you get to the Stream Profile Chamber, where you can venture beneath the creek for an eye-popping aquariumlike underwater view. In the autumn, the creek is well worth a visit, as schools of wild salmon force their way upstream in boisterous fashion.
2 National Forest Bike Trail
Whether you’re biking or hiking, the flat, paved National Forest Bike Trail runs for miles along the edge of Lake Tahoe. Rent a bike from the Mountain Sports Center at Camp Richardson or from Anderson Bike Rentals, at the beginning of the South Lake Tahoe trail, or bring your own. Or join the trail in Tahoe City or any of the other lakeside towns. The Tahoe Lake Bicycle Coalition offers handy, printable bike trail maps on its website.
3 Tahoe Ale Trail
What better way to motivate yourself to conquer the mountain than with the prospect of frosty adult beverage after your exertions. Never before have foam aficionados had so much high-end craft beer to down or a handy interactive map to plot out their wanderings from watering hole to watering hole. We’re talking about the Tahoe North Shore Ale Trail, of course, which includes eye-popping hikes for beer lovers. If you’re short on time or have kids along for the day, try the Stateline Lookout, which starts near the Tahoe Biltmore on the North Shore and offers gobsmacking views of the lake, as well as autumn leaves — and refreshments at the Mellow Fellow Gastropub in nearby Kings Beach afterward.