South Lake Tahoe & Stateline Guide: The Heavenly Mountain Gondola, Heavenly Village & Lakeside Beaches

At the southern end of the lake, where South Lake Tahoe, California meets Stateline, Nevada along a single walkable street on U.S. Highway 50, sits the liveliest year-round hub on the lake. Anchored by the open-air pedestrian plaza of The Shops at Heavenly Village, you can step directly from your morning coffee onto the Heavenly Mountain Gondola.

1. Ride the 'Heavenly Mountain Gondola'

Rising directly from the cobblestone square of Heavenly Village, this 3.8-kilometre-long (2.4-mile) aerial gondola climbs nearly 900 vertical metres (3,000 feet) in 12 minutes:

• Stop 1 (Mid-Station at 2,780m / 9,123 Feet), The 'Observation Deck': step off the cabin onto a massive, 1,300-square-metre granite viewing platform cantilevered out over the mountain edge. From here, you see the entire 35-kilometre length of Lake Tahoe, the glacier-carved inlet of Emerald Bay, Desolation Wilderness, and east into Nevada's Carson Valley.
• Stop 2 (Top Station at 2,790m / 9,150 Feet), Tamarack Lodge & 'Epic Discovery' Summer Adventure Park: re-board the gondola for 3 more minutes to the top terminal at Tamarack Lodge. In summer (late June to early Sept / weekends in Sept), ride the thrilling Ridge Rider Mountain Coaster, hike the scenic ridge trails, or grab lunch and a local Tahoe beer at Tamarack Lodge.

2. South Lake Tahoe's Best Walkable Beaches, 'Edgewood Tahoe' & The CA, NV State Line.

1. Stand With One Foot in California & One Foot in Nevada (2 Blocks East of the Gondola): walk 200 metres east of Heavenly Village along Lake Tahoe Boulevard across the invisible California, Nevada State Line, where California's pine cabins suddenly turn into Nevada's high-rise casino resorts (Harrah's, Harvey's, home to the famous summer Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena concert amphitheatre., Caesars Republic and Golden Nugget) and the tranquil 150-acre beachfront golf meadow of Edgewood Tahoe Resort (where anyone can book a sunset drink or dinner at Bistro Edgewood or Brooks' Bar & Deck right on the sand).
2. Lakeside Beach, Pope Beach & Lakeview Commons (El Dorado Beach): ten minutes' walk west of Heavenly Village sits family-friendly Lakeside Beach (with the beachfront Beach House tiki bar), while 3 miles west sit the pine-shaded sandy crescents of Pope Beach, Baldwin Beach and Kiva Beach.