Getting Out: When you reach Tahoe City on Route 89 from Truckee,
a right turn will immediately take you across Fanny Bridge where
the Truckee River is born and begins its descent toward Reno and
the Great Basin. This past weekend, we were the guests of friends
who have a place close by. With their guidance, we launched several
great family outdoor activities.
When you reach Tahoe City on Route 89 from Truckee, a right turn will immediately take you across Fanny Bridge where the Truckee River is born and begins its descent toward Reno and the Great Basin. This past weekend, we were the guests of friends who have a place close by. With their guidance, we launched several great family outdoor activities.
Over the years, huge fish have gathered in the pool just below the lake outlet here. Passersby would arch their bodies over the wide concrete bridge railing for a better look. Thus, Fanny Bridge earned its informal name.
The 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail rides the crest of the mountains that encircle Lake Tahoe. The trail is open to hikers and equestrians throughout and to mountain bikers in most areas. While it offers great adventure for multi-day trekkers, it also holds scenic treats for the casual day hiker.
Early in the first morning of our visit, we set out on a walk to Page Meadows, a site that my friend was excited to show me on the Tahoe Rim Trail. Our walk began just south of Fanny Bridge on a path of interlocking pavers at the Bridgetender Tavern and Grill. Exact directions of our route to the meadows are too complex to give in full (there are several routes; check with the helpful people at Tahoe Mountain Sports in Tahoe City), but we hugged the Truckee for a half-mile before turning uphill along a footpath littered with massive sugar pine cones. After a mile, we joined the Tahoe Rim Trail and a creek that led to the meadows.
July in the Sierra is lush and lovely. Water and wildflowers decorated this final approach, but as we came closer to the meadow mosquitoes attacked like something from an Alfred Hitchcock film. One hand-swat across my calf muscle resulted in a bloody killing spree.
Never mind. The beauty trumped the inconvenience. The forest parted and a green wonderland opened with views to Alpine Meadows ski area beyond. The early morning light cast a fresh warm glow through the trees and across the meadows. There it was: a peaceful paradise just an easy hour’s walk from the mayhem of Tahoe tourists.
We were four of those Tahoe tourists, and, in the afternoon, we acted like it. Back from our hike, our wives joined us for the perfect family bike ride. Beginning at the same location near Fanny Bridge, we followed a terrific bike path along the gentle descent of the Truckee River. We were safely divided from Route 89 traffic and close by the river and its changing moods.
While the path goes all the way to Truckee, we went only a short distance past the long-standing River Ranch Restaurant where we stopped for a burger and a soda on the return trip. The dining patio here sits on a promontory that juts into the river and redirects its course around your lunch table — good lunch grub in a setting that can’t be beat.
Along the way, we observed another way to enjoy the river. Just below Fanny Bridge, Truckee River Rafting rents rafts for a self-guided drift down the same stretch of river we passed. Though it sometimes looked like an urban commute corridor, the river carried a parade of happy rafters enjoying a casual float on a lovely day.
A morning in the peace and solitude of a mountain meadow. An afternoon on a family bike ride and a burger by the river. Go to Fanny Bridge and pick your favorite, or do it all.
