At the centre of enchanting Emerald Bay, near the southern part of Lake Tahoe, is a romantic island complete with tea house at the top. It is likely the most scenic part of the lake. From the Emerald Bay lookout, it was a relatively short hike up a rocky trail to Eagle Lake. The parking lot and adjacent roadside was packed even on a weekday so it was obviously high holiday season. There were tourists doing the drive between the northern and southern rim of the lake taking in the breathtaking view at Emerald Bay from Inspiration Point and other vista points along the way, and then there were hikers who could be gone for a few hours and rock climbers who could be gone all day. The advice always is start early, although who wants to get up early when one's on vacation!
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| Emerald Bay - there is a tea house on top of the island |
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| An enchanting little peninsula in the bay |
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| View from Inspiration Point, further south along Hwy 89 and on a sunnier day (you can see the Nevada side of the lake) |
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| Rocky cliffs around the bay |
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| the hike to Eagle Lake is along the rocky banks of this river |
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| View of the bay just a short climb up |
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| More enchantment - Eagle Lake, a short 45 minute hike (my speed) from the parking lot |
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| Many granite boulders scattered around the area |
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| Amazing shapes and locales, precariously balanced - God playing Yahtzee |
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| A rocky ridge reminded me of a very similar landscape at Zhangjiajie in China |
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| Dusk at Emerald Bay |
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