Lake Tahoe: Spartan Race, Sand Harbor and Skinny Dipping

audrey tate
Oct 25, 2017
2 min read

I've got a lot of catching up to do.

Photos from trips from the last year have been saved on my phone and laptop just waiting until their time to shine. That "time" being: When I finally get around to starting my blog.

I'm tired of social media. I don't understand Insta-stories, I have more to say than Twitter will allow and have more photos to share than I want to create a Facebook album for.

I'm going to dive in and do it -- no overthinking allowed. Welcome to my blog! (Cue one small firework that fizzles out before reaching its full potential.)

OK then: LAKE TAHOE

Stunning -- especially in the fall. Summer crowds have gone, and the weather is getting cold.

My husband Ron and I have planned our autumn Tahoe trip around an obstacle course race called The Spartan Beast. More info here. The race took place in the mountains of Olympic Valley (just NW of Lake Tahoe) and consisted of 18 miles, over 3,000' elevation gain, over 35 obstacles and a swim in 40-degree water. It was a world-championship course. I finished. Barely.

This pic documents the first time I have ever scaled a 7" wall without a boost. Yay me! (Not going to mention 4 hours later when I suffered a low blood-sugar fit and almost passed out.)

Anyhoo -- 11 hours later, we got our medals (completing our Spartan Trifecta) and had time to actually enjoy the amazing Lake Tahoe area.

Sand Harbor is a lovely area on the Reno side of the lake, with two beaches and short trails. The water is stunning: turquoise and clear. It's a state park, so there's a fee to get in, $12 in the summer and $7 on the off-season.

We were pretty beat after the race and kayaking, but on our last day, we were still up for one more adventure. I read about a gorgeous sandy (and nude!) beach called Secret Cove. It's located about a mile south of Chimney Beach on East Lake Tahoe. We parked along the road and hiked down.

As we got closer, we were 1. Amazed by the beauty of this natural wonder amid the largest alpine lake in North America and 2. Aware of a bunch of naked people sunbathing.