Lake Tahoe’s setting amid the Sierra Nevada Mountains provides the perfect stomping ground for outdoor adventure, including plenty of group-oriented pursuits.
Tahoe Adventure Learning Institute (www.tahoeadventurelearning.com) conducts a Challenge Ropes Course amid the tall pine and cedars at the 74-acre, family-owned Granlibakken Conference Center and Resort along the northwestern shore of Lake Tahoe. The “power and beauty of natural outdoor settings” inspires participants during team-building events and after, according to the company, which offers other activities such as fly-fishing and sailing at Lake Tahoe.
Visitors to Lake Tahoe take home memories of glorious scenery, but no sight may be as stunning as Emerald Bay, a glacial-carved inlet on the southwest side of Lake Tahoe, where kayakers can see nesting osprey and soaring bald eagles as they paddle the clear waters. Groups organized by Kayak Tahoe (www.kayaktahoe.com), the only outfitter with permits to operate in Emerald Bay, follow guides to circumnavigate the bay and land on Fannette Island. An extended version takes groups to Vikingsholm, the historic bayside estate.
Lake Tahoe Adventures (www.laketahoeadventures.com) takes groups on snowmobile excursions into the beautiful Hope Valley, which lies at 7,200 feet just south of Lake Tahoe in Alpine County. Participants follow guides into the backcountry, seeing the dramatic Sierra Nevada mountain range with peaks topping at nearly 10,000 feet and passing historic cabins built by early settlers. Planners can also add a mountain-top lunch to the program.
Tahoe Adventure Company (www.tahoeadventurecompany.com) offers groups a variety of options for mountain biking in the Lake Tahoe area, including an exhilarating ride along the Flume path that begins in Lake Tahoe State Park on the East Shore. The Flume is well-known among mountain biking enthusiasts for the spectacular views of the mountains and lake. Guided mountain bike tours in the area range from easy downhill rides to rigorous uphill climbs.
Several golf courses are spread throughout the Lake Tahoe region but none provide breathtaking lake views like the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course (www.edgewoodtahoe.com) on the south shore. Designed by George Fazio and opened in 1968, it is rated by Golf Digest magazine as one of the America’s top golf courses.
