Reno-Tahoe

Some people say it’s the end of the summer but I don’t buy that. In Reno-Tahoe America’s Adventure Place summer is here until the end of September so we still have another month of summer activities!

We’ve really enjoyed this summer with 2 little ones (we have a 2 year old and a 5 month old baby) — lots of camping, hiking, beach volleyball, bike-riding… the kids love the outdoors, they play with each other and learn to enjoy nature from a young age. I couldn’t think of a better area to grow up in!

Our favorite camping spot for families with young kids is Fallen Leaf Lake Campground. We took our German friends tent camping for the first time a couple of weeks ago and they absolutely loved it! The weather was perfect, we had a fire and roasted Marshmallows, checked out Fallen Leaf and took our kite to Baldwin beach.

Check out what the US Forest Services has to say:
Fallen Leaf Lake Campground is uniquely situated 1/4 mile away from Fallen Leaf Lake and offers easy hiking around the lake. The Taylor Creek Visitor Center is directly across Hwy 89 and has interpretive programs, guided walks on the Rainbow Trail and to the Stream Profile Chamber. The first weekend in October, the annual Kokanee Salmon Festival is held at the Visitor Center.

Also near by are:

Tele Girl

Wow, it’s already Friday and I’m finally writing about Memorial Day weekend! Well, better late than never… we had such a wonderful adventure that I need to tell everyone about it, especially young active parents with babies.

We weren’t sure what we were going to do so we keep it pretty open. That’s important with when you have kids, flexibility is key.

We had reservations for Friday night at Sugar Pine Point State Park so we camped there the first night — to test the weather and see how Cielo liked it. We got there around 5pm and went for a nice hike. After dinner we went to bed (early) so we’d be ready for the next day. We got up early and enjoyed a great camp fire while eating breakfast. Since Cielo slept great and we didn’t get cold at all during the night, we decided we would go backpacking for one night.

We got our permits for Desolation Wilderness and we started at the Bayview Trailhead (Emerald Bay area). Joe carried Cielo and the tent and I carried the rest! The pack was heavy (40+ pounds) — I’ve never carried that much stuff, but I had both of our sleeping bags, food and clothes for the 3 of us, diapers, stove, etc. etc. It was a great workout!

We hiked for 3-4 hours, took a little break by a waterfall/creek and hiked some more. Cielo loved it! She even took a nap while in the backpack.

We endep up near Lower Velma area, since Lake Azure was really hard to get to.  Some areas were covered with snow and others with water, so finding a spot to camp was challenging. But we found a great spot!

On Sunday we decided to stay at Bayview Campground since there was a site open. We put Cielo down for a nap at 5:30pm and she didn’t wake up until the next morning! She was exhausted from her first backpacking experience!

Monday morning we went for a hike with some friends to Cascade Falls and then we took a hike to Eagle Falls and explored Emerald Bay.

What a wonderful weekend! We highly recommend both campgrounds and of course, Desolation Wilderness is like heaven for backpackers who love solitude and breath-taking beauty. It’s a place to enjoy God’s creation to the full!

This weekend I discovered another great thing about living in Reno — not only this area is filled with cool places to explore — but also the entire state of Nevada has more adventure opportunities that you can even imagine!

We went camping to Central Nevada, just a few hours east of Reno. We left on Friday night with a bunch of friends and stayed at Ione. On Saturday we visited the Berlin Ichthyosaur State Park where we went for a mine tour and ghost town tour, we rode our bikes and had a great time exploring the area. Then we went to Big Creek, where we spent Saturday night. Some of the guys even went backcountry skiing on Sunday morning!

Me pregnant riding my bike to the State Park

On our way back to Reno (probably around 90min from Reno) we discovered some sweet hot springs in the middle of nowhere! So for anybody visiting Reno-Tahoe, I recommend checking out these hot springs and also Sand Mountain for some sandboarding fun! Sand Mountain is located only 83 miles east of Reno on U.S.50.

Checking out the hot springs

Hubby enjoying the hot springs

What many people don’t know about the Sierras in the Reno-Tahoe area is that there are countless alpine lakes available for your fishing, swimming or boating pleasure. Most visitors come here to see Lake Tahoe, but some of the true charm of the area can be found at the lessor known alpine lakes.

Alpine lakes are filled with snow run off, meaning the water is extremely clear and pure, and the lakes are most often surrounded by pine trees, making for a beautiful backdrop to your summer adventure.

This past weekend, the hubby and I camped at Bullard’s Bar, which is in the California foothills of the Sierras. The water in the reservoir was about 72 degrees this weekend, and it was a beautiful turquoise color. Just look:

There was excellent mountain biking around the circumference of the lake, which we took advantage of in the morning. Then, after a quick lunch, we launched our boat and did a bit of water skiing and open water skiing. Truly a perfect Sierra summer day!

Speaking of alpine lakes, another beautiful one is June Lake, which is right outside of Mammoth. We went there last year, and spent a good amount of time on the beach and swimming, where you could see hundreds of fish. Here is a picture of June Lake:

And finally, another great Sierra alpine lake is Lake Davis, located northwest of the Reno-Tahoe area. Last year, we went camping near this lake, where we enjoyed biking, hiking and swimming. Here is a shot I took at Lake Davis:

Whether you’re into backpacking, hiking, swimming, boating or fishing, I encourage you to explore the Sierras and find those hidden alpine lakes. You’ll be glad you did!