Journeys›Photograph

A Week by Donner Lake, Tahoe Day

·Truckee, California·#hiking#california#summer#lake tahoe#landscape-photography
Silhouetted pine trees frame a lake at sunrise or sunset, reflecting a golden sky and distant hills.

Our week by the lake this year is at Donner, and today was the day we left it for the bigger one. Down 89 along the west shore to Emerald Bay — first the overlooks above Fannette Island, then up the trail to where Eagle Falls goes over its granite lip with the whole bay spread out past the cedars. The water was still running hard for July; the snow hung on late this year, and the crest above the south shore still carries plenty of it.

From there we kept going to Stateline and rode the Heavenly gondola up, casinos shrinking below, the shallows off the beaches going that green-to-blue band you never see from lake level.

Came back over Donner Summit and stopped at the overlook above our own lake — three miles long, half a mile wide, dammed by the moraine an old glacier left behind, 238 feet deep in the middle and draining out through Donner Creek to the Truckee River. It looks like a puddle from up there. Boats were already carving wakes across it, and the haze from the valley was starting to slide in behind the far ridge.

High-angle view of a blue lake with boats, framed by pine branches, showing forested peninsulas, a pier, and hazy mountains.A scenic view of a large blue lake with a small tree-covered island, surrounded by dense forests under a clear sky.Waterfall over rocks leads to a blue lake surrounded by pine forests and distant mountains.A high-angle view of a blue lake with an island and boats, surrounded by dense green forest, with large rocks in the foreground.A gondola car overlooks a blue lake, distant mountains, a sprawling forest, and resort buildings.Pine trees frame a view of a valley, a large blue lake, and snow-capped mountains under a cloudy sky.Panoramic view of a large blue lake, snow-capped mountains, a town along the shore, and evergreen trees.An aerial view of a blue lake with boats surrounded by green forests, distant hazy mountains, and foreground pine trees.

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