Lake Tahoe is an amazing, shimmering lake by the High Sierra Mountains on the Nevada border in North California.  It is one of America’s most beautiful landmarks, its waters spanning approximately 12 by 22 miles, and it is America’s second deepest lake.  Indeed, it is the tenth deepest lake in the world with a maximum depth of 501 metres.

The area also offers a huge variety of activities all year round, including skiing, watersports of course, camping, hiking, snowmobiles or pampering spa hotels.  North and South Lake Tahoe offers world-class ski resorts and North Lake Tahoe was even the location for the 1960 Winter Olympics.  There are casinos and inns galore and yet there are still undeveloped areas.

One of the more scenic locations is Emerald Bay, its photographs distributed around the world so don’t forget to take your camera.

One unusual feature is Vikingsholm.  This is a reproduction of a Norse fortress, built by a Chicago widow, Mrs Knight, and a fine example of Scandinavian architecture.  It can only be reached by boat and makes an amazing sight with its intricate carvings of wood and turrets and it even has a turf roof.  Some of the furnishings that Mrs Knight wanted to put in Vikingsholm were of such historial importance that the respective governments would not give her permission to export them and so she had them copied to the minute detail.

If you’re a film-location spotter, you may be interested to know that The Bodyguard and The Godfather were both filmed here.

If you want watersports or hiking then June to September is the best time to go.  For skiing, try January to March but there’s never a quiet time in Lake Tahoe so if you’re looking for a luxury holiday in a place of magnificent beauty, try Lake Tahoe.