A two-hour drive from the Sacramento airport and a steep, narrow climb, full of switchbacks on scenic Highway 50 led us to Lake Tahoe, California. People flock to its blue waters in the summertime and world-renowned winter ski slopes — a onetime home to the Olympics — in winter. Although, the past several years’ lack of snow has a had a negative effect on winter tourism, causing many smaller ski runs to shut down early in the season if they’re unable to produce their own snow.
Fall, on the other hand, is a quiet time in the region. Off-season prices make it a reasonable escape: it’s temperate enough to hike and admire the water, but chilly enough to light a fire and sip wine. While you might be using your hiking boots more than your ski boots, bring a bathing suit because it’s hot tub season if you can get it.
A few weeks ago, we along with a few friends looking for some time in nature headed up to Tahoe City. There is no shortage of biking and hiking trails; we explored Burton Creek State Park.
Just a few minutes’ walk from our rented abode, we climbed to the State Park’s peak for immense views of Lake Tahoe and then descended into the forest for the remainder of our 11-mile hike.
We winded past tall evergreens and birch trees, and at times the trails would narrow so much that we would question if we were still on the path — or I should say I would question.
We took a short break to sit on a log, replenished our thirst and snacked on fresh-made sourdough bread.
As with any adventure or excursion, often we look forward to the warm meal to follow. Here we are prepping the Ciabatolla recipe in Kinfolk‘s cookbook.
I made crostini with apples, blue cheese, and prosciutto with drizzled honey from a recipe in our Simple Feast cookbook.
As an east coast native, it was a nice visit to “autumn” while spending time based in the always warm and sunny, beautiful Davis.
