South Lake Tahoe Sapphires

I go to Lake Tahoe area spring or summer for family vacation time (us 4 hares). I visited south Lake Tahoe again, two weeks before summer solstice. Tahoe area is wonderful all year round, but great during shoulder season - spring and fall, when there are very few crowds.

Stand Up Paddling (SUPing) on Lake Tahoe

If Lake Tahoe were a sapphire pendant, the southerly tributary lakes - Echo, Angora, Fallen Leaf and Cascade - would be the sparkling bijous, chained to the sapphire by creeks. These lakes are jewels created by nature. This post introduces the 3 conveniently accessible lakes.

Upper and Lower Echo Lake. In summer, you can traverse the length of the lower and larger lake (in foreground) by boat taxi, or by hiking the trail along the north side of the lake. The trail also leads to the upper and smaller lake (background). The lakes are frozen over in winter, and one can snowshoe or cross-country ski on it.
 Echo Lake is a popular entryway for hiking into Desolation Wilderness. Note the glacial carved landscape, and snow covered peaks of Desolation Wilderness in background.

Angora Lake. This is the smallest of the lakes featured, but scenery is equally dramatic as the larger lakes. Echo Lakes are on the other side of the granite wall and peaks.

Angora Lake has small resort which rents cabins, kayaks and paddle boards during summer season, only.

Fallen Leaf Lake, seen from Angora Ridge.
Lake Tahoe is in in background, ringed by mountain peaks.
Fallen Leaf is a large 3-mile long moraine lake*.
The smaller moraine lake, Cascade Lake, is on the other side of the far ridge. For visitor activity, Fallen Leaf lake is far more popular than Cascade. Fallen leaf has campgrounds, and paved multi-use trails.

Geology Challenge: *A moraine lake is made by Ice Age glacier movement that carved a bowl and pushed debris to the downstream end, creating a lake when the glacier retreated as the earth warmed again. Name another moraine lake that is named after a woman, and is considered world-famous.

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CONTRAST AT TAHOE