Images of Lake Tahoe – Northeastern California and Western Nevada, taken in July 2018.

Billed as the “Most Beautiful Drive in America” this 72 mile drive certainly is beautiful but can also be a little frustrating. There were several spots where construction had the road narrowed to one lane which caused delays but that happens. What was more painful was the commercialization and crowds. Particularly on the east side of the lake, the most popular area, where it seemed like every bit of shoreline was built out; no place to stop and hardly anywhere to even see the lake through the development. This is a place that could easily been some sort of national park. Lake Tahoe is North America’s largest alpine lake and the second deepest (second only to Crater Lake in Oregon). The only difference between this place or a Niagara Falls and Crater Lake or Acadia in Maine is that Crater Lake and Acadia had people invested in preserving them, and Tahoe and Niagara had people invested in exploiting them for their own personal gain.
Luckily there are special areas that have been protected; one of the most striking is Emerald Bay. I remember seeing this area when I was here many years ago and it’s still an amazing, pristine site.