California Mountain Road Trip - May 2013 - Part 4 - Tallac Historic Site (Lake Tahoe)

On the southern shore of Lake Tahoe, part way between the town of South Lake Tahoe and Emerald Bay, is an area of US Forest Service land now known as the Tallac Historic Site. In the late 1800's it was known as the site of a grand resort and several large estate homes. We toured the grounds, the Baldwin Estate (now the Visitor Center) and the Pope Estate mansion, as well as the site of the former "Lucky" Baldwin resort hotel complex that was dismantled in the early 1900's. The Tahoe Heritage Foundation in conjunction with the US Forest Service have done an excellent job of restoring the old buildings and opening them for tours.

The Pope Estate is a very impressive home, which was only used in the summer. The volunteer docents provide a very good tour, with lots of information about the history of the estate and the area.

Apparently that door on the second floor used to open to a fire-escape, until a tree fell and sheared it off. Now it's a "door to nowhere".

These estates sat on some prime lakeshore, which is now open to the public. Our guide mentioned that of Lake Tahoe's 72 miles of shoreline, only about 17 of that is public access. 

Click here to see more images from the US Forest Service's Tallac Historic Site at Lake Tahoe.