We had decided on Lake Tahoe for part of our anniversary trip because of the beautiful scenery – the mountains and the lake.  We planned on doing as much hiking as possible.  Our plans changed a little when we realized how bad the smoke from the Yosemite fire was.  We had one perfect, clear day and we took full advantage of it.

We decided to get up around 6 and beat the crowds to the Emerald Bay area.  If you are planning a trip to Tahoe, you can’t miss this part of the lake.  We had heard that it was a little more crowded than the rest of the lake, so leaving early was the ticket.  We picked a short walk instead of a full blown hike because we had another hike planned for the late morning.  It was just about 2 miles round trip from the parking lot to the lake and then back up to the road.

When we pulled in the parking lot, we were the only car there and it was a beautiful morning.  We didn’t see another person until we were leaving around 7:45 and there were quite a few cars pulling into the parking lot.  Going early was the best decision.  This was one of my favorite parts of the vacation and I loved that it was just us.

Here comes the picture overload:

This last picture shows the smoke being lit up by the sunlight.  This was the clearest day that we had and it was amazing.  I’m telling you that it’s worth doing some hiking in this area.  Pictures don’t do it justice.