Camping at William Kent Campground, North Lake Tahoe, CA

Lake Tahoe from the east shore.

It was a beautiful July morning when I pulled up to the campground registration office at William Kent campground.  I had made online reservations a couple of weeks earlier, so I knew I had a space reserved for the next five days.  I am always very excited when I first arrive at a campground because there are so many things to do and see.  I can't wait to set up my tent, stove, lantern and make my temporary home in the woods comfortable and organized for the duration of my stay. 

Campsite #63 at William Kent Camp

I have been coming here since the mid-1990's.  It is one of my favorite campgrounds at Lake Tahoe because of the many varied activities that are available here.  Such as swimming in the lake, going for a long bike ride along the amazing bike path that runs in some cases, mere feet from the lake.  There's also loads of hiking opportunities on nearby trails.  You can access the Pacific Crest Trail near here as well.  Don't forget to try floating down the Truckee river on a raft or some other personal flotation device.  There's also a grocery store, hardware store and lots of restaurants in nearby Tahoe City.  This is very convenient for picking up bags of ice, cold beer or a nice bottle of wine.  It's also nice in case you forget to bring all your camping supplies or just feel like eating out.

On this trip I did all of the activities listed above and then some.  Although, since it was very hot while I was there I went swimming at the lake at least twice a day.  The water feels really good when you first jump in. At the surface the water can warm up to 68F, but this vast body of water generally averages around 50F on the surface for most of the year. Further down, the water temperature remains pretty constant at 39F.  Too cold for some but I love it.  It's so refreshing.

I also enjoy biking along the bike path, after swimming this is probably my favorite thing to do when I go to Lake Tahoe.  I biked from the campground at Sunnyside for about 10 miles south to Tahoma.  The views are spectacular everywhere you look.  The water at Lake Tahoe is noted very being incredibly blue and clear.  The contrast between the blue water and the dark green of the pine, cedar and Douglas fir trees is stunning.
The bike path meanders and is very easy to negotiate for young and old bikers.  Breathing the clean, fresh mountain air feels good.   The surface elevation of the lake is about 6,225 ft.

Boats moored at Sunnyside, North Lake Tahoe

I enjoy walking from the campground out into the adjacent neighborhoods.  There is an astounding variety of architectural styles on display in the houses and cabins in this area.  Ranging from small, relatively inexpensive cabins to large, opulent and multi-million dollar homes.  As you can see from the picture on the right. 

Private home on Lake Tahoe.

I could walk around these tall tree neighborhoods for hours.  There's so many cool things to see.  How people set up there homes, stack their firewood for the cold winters, create outdoor spaces to enjoy the beautiful outdoors.  Chainsaw carvings of bears, eagles, raccoons and scenes of wildlife.  I usually catch a garage sale or two while I'm out walking.  This results in my finding an interesting piece of camping equipment that I can use on my trip.

North Lake Tahoe home.

North Lake Tahoe at dusk.

I could write for hours about all the things to see and do while you are here.  Obviously, I would live there for the whole summer and into fall if I could.  There are so many things that pull me to come here, like the quality of the sunlight, the beautiful landscapes, the recreation, the water, the forests, the wildlife, to name just a few things.

If you have never been to Lake Tahoe, California, please put it down on your list of places to come visit.  I guarantee you won't be disappointed.