Two Days in Tahoe

There are two types of people in the world. Ones who don't care to celebrate their birthday and ones wh

o love to celebrate their birthday. I lean towards the latter. My parent's used to joke that my birthday was really a month more than a day with how much I celebrated it. Over the years though, how I have celebrated it has changed as I have gotten older. What used to be birthday parties and birthday presents is now going anywhere outdoors or getting away. This year I decided on Tahoe. My husband and I dropped the kids off at my parent's house and made our way up to the mountains for a fun little weekend getaway just the two of us.

I've always been lucky enough to have Tahoe in my backyard. I grew up going several times a month with my family. We would spend weekends bike riding, hiking trails, or kayaking in big blue. It's become a place so familiar to me that my husband and I thought it would be fun this time to discover places that neither one of us had seen or been to before.

We booked a cabin for our stay at Desolation Hotel (formerly known as Sorenson's) in Hope Valley which is off of hwy 89 and about 20 minutes outside of South Lake. I have only been on the property once before for a photography workshop and had always hoped to get the chance to go back and stay. It's the most quaint, cozy property with several little cabins ranging in size and character. It is surrounded with hiking trails, a fire pit, a fishing pond, a sauna, and a restaurant. While there is wifi at check in, the hotel itself is unplugged (meaning no cell service in the cabins) and encourages guests to put away their phones and truly be present in nature and the people they are with.

Since check-in wasn't until 4pm, we had some time to adventure when we got into Tahoe. We began over at Vikingsholm in Emerald Bay State Park. With the increase of tourism in Tahoe, many places get really busy, quick. And this one was no different. We got lucky and someone was coming out right as we were going in. The cost to parl is $10 per day or $3 per hour. You can also use the state parks poppy pass like we did. We parked the car, grabbed our backpacks and my camera and made our way down the 1 mile trail. I should warn that while it is only 1 mile, it is a switch back and is downhill the entire way which means the whole way back up there will be a climb. The walk down was so beautiful though. The sides of the trail were covered in beautiful wildflowers, greenery, ferns, and even a few serenating waterfalls. At the bottom we were met with a dock that led out to the most beautiful blue Tahoe water. We decided to sit on the dock for a bit - taking in the views as the warm sunshine soaked into our skin; people watching as families jumped off the dock into the water next to us. Once rested, we decided to walk around the grounds a little bit. We got an up close look at the Vikingsholm Castle which is a big piece of Tahoe history and they offer tours if that is something you find interesting. We then made our way into the little gift shop and bought two coconut ice-creams to cool us down from the summer heat and made our way up the granite stairs to lower Eagle Falls.

We were getting hungry so we decided to make our ascent up the steep trail, back to the car. Along the way we were met with a family who was struggling a bit to cart their paddleboards up the hill. My husband helped the husband push their wagon while I chatted with the wife. They were locals to the area and come up a couple of times a year with their grandkids, who they had that weekend. Something I love about my husband is his willingness to help others. He sees a need and jumps in. Whereas I am a little more introverted and am not as great at just jumping in. I loved getting to chat with them though and help make walking back up the steep hill a little less daunting. Once at the top we said our goodbyes and parted ways. We decided Base Camp Pizza/ It's one one of our absolute favorite places to eat in Tahoe. We always have the intention of trying new places when we go, but because we don't go that often it's hard to veer from a place we just know and love. The weather is usually perfect this time of year and it's right in the middle of Heavenly Village, so it's a prime spot for people watching. They offer live music outside on the patio and their pizza is sooo delish!

By the time we finished, our cabin was ready for check in. We rented the Fox Cabin, which is a single bed cabin tucked in the back of the property. It comes with a kitchen, fireplace, and a single bathroom. It wa so quaint and cozy. We got ourselves unpacked and then headed out to Hope Valley, which is about 3 miles west of the hotel. I wanted to catch the sunset and grab some photos of just the two of us since it's not something we get to do often. Something I love about Hope Valley is how quiet it is. It's a little gem that is tucked back from Tahoe and you just feel so at peace out there. I am always in awe of places like this and that we live close enough to get to explore them. We ended the night with our glass of wine, cozied up by the fireplace, and the sounds of nature saronating us.

The next morning we took our time making breakfast and enjoying our coffee. I sat on the porch of the cabin reading my book and taking in the mountain air. When we were ready, we headed out and walked the trail next to our cabin, which we discovered had this really fun tree swing. When we got back, we packed up and went on a search for a local coffee shop. With our coffee in hand we made our way to the lake to end our trip reading at the beach.

We headed back home, not quite ready to leave but our souls feeling refreshed nonetheless. Tahoe is a gem and there's so many hidden places along it that even to this day we are still discovering. I can't wait to go back again and discover more. Until next time!

-Hayley