Tahoe City, California

Tahoe City, the hub on the lake's northwestern shore manages to retain a more relaxed small-town attitude than South Lake Tahoe. Hwy-89 meets Hwy-28 at Lake Tahoe's only outlet, the Truckee River. At the mouth of the river, the Gatekeeper's Museum (May to mid-June Wed– Sun 11am–5pm; mid-June to mid-Oct daily 11am–5pm; $2), contains a well-presented hodgepodge of artifacts from the nineteenth century, and a good collection of native basketware. Rafting down the Truckee is a common activity in summer, with raft rental companies (prices start around $35 per person) clustered at the junction of highways 28 and 89.

Squaw Valley, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, is situated five miles west of Tahoe City off of Hwy-89, although the original facilities (except the flame and the Olympic rings) are now swamped by the rampant development that has made this California's largest ski resort.