Congratulations to the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs!  TRT was included in Outside Magazine’s Bucket List for trail runners.  

TRT includes three separate races: the 50-kilometer, 50-mile, and 100-mile distances.  The 50s will take place Saturday, July 20 and the 100 will take place Saturday, July 20 and Sunday, July 21.

All three races start and finish at Spooner Lake, and weave through some of the Nevada section of the trail’s wonderful natural landmarks such as Marlette Lake, Snow Valley, Diamond Peak, and Tunnel Creek, to name a few.

Whether you’re running in one of the races, supporting a runner, volunteering, or spectating, you’re in for one of the world’s greatest treats.

And here’s the fantastic thing: the Tahoe Rim Trail is a spectacular must-do regardless of whether you’re here for the TRT races or not.  It’s available to you every day.  It’s free.  It’s beautiful.  Fun, too.

Whether you plan to run, hike, or bike on the Tahoe Rim Trail, plan for mind-bending views, delightful swims in mountain lakes, towering aspen groves, and a seemingly infinite variety of mountain flora and fauna.

Another little tip: although the TRT Endurance Races take place on a section of the trail in Nevada, the Tahoe Rim Trail circumnavigates the entire lake – so there are  easily-accessible trailheads in several locations.  Peruse the Tahoe Rim Trail Map Selection to find your favorite section:

Want to plan a Tahoe Rim Trail run/hike/bike vacation?  Many of our vacation rental homes are located mere steps from a given trailhead.

A Stone’s Throw vacation rental home (top left) is located a five-minute walk to one of the trailheads in Tahoe City; and Hiker’s Paradise vacation rental home (top right) is a ten-minute drive from the trailhead atop the Mount Rose Highway (Hwy 431).

Crystal Shores West vacation rental condominium (below left) is also a short drive to the Mount Rose trailhead; while True North at Northstar vacation rentla home is a seven-minute drive to the trailhead situated atop Brockway Summit, Hwy 267.

Just a quick update for all those ready to tee off.  Many of North Tahoe’s golf courses are now open; and many are scheduled to open soon.

Plan a trip to Tahoe and contact our Concierge to arrange your tee times.  Enjoy the below list:

Coyote Moon in Truckee (Tahoe Donner) – Opens May 24

Gray’s Crossing in Truckee – Opens May 17

Incline Village Championship in Incline Village – Opens May 15

Incline Village Mountain in Incline Village – Opens May 17

Northstar California in Truckee (Northstar) – Opens May 17

Old Brockway in Kings Beach – Open now

Old Greenwood in Truckee – Opens May 10

Ponderosa in Truckee – Open now

Resort at Squaw Creek – Opens May 24

Tahoe City Golf in Tahoe City – Open now

Tahoe Donner Golf in Truckee (Tahoe Donner) – Opens May 24

The Dragon at Nakoma Golf Resort, north of Truckee – Open now

Graeagle Meadows in Blairsden (north of Truckee) – Open now

Custom Carnelian Bay home offered at $1,199,000.

Within a two-minute drive from the shores of North Lake Tahoe, CA’s Carnelian Bay, most prospective buyers deem Moonlight Lodge a perfect Tahoe house for its close proximity to infinite water activities during summer and skiing during winter  – and they’re right.  However, appreciating the home solely for its close proximity to the lake and mountains would be remiss.

Moonlight Lodge pours forth a truly holistic space.  It carries beautiful, authentic craftsmanship of the past into the present; seamlessly marries indoor and outdoor living; and offers brilliant balance between elegance and function.  Every aspect of this home exudes warmth, well-being, health, and serenity.

Seeking a location that matched their healthy, outdoor lifestyle, owners Lisa Boudreau and Mark Griffin moved to North Lake Tahoe from Boston, Massachusetts 15 years ago.  They rented what was then a three-bedroom cabin near Carnelian Bay for a year before buying it – and ultimately evolved it into what is today Moonlight Lodge.

Great bones carried forward
Constructed in 1979 by the lauded Tahoe-based builder, Craig Beck, the original cabin was built with fortitude and longevity in mind – and its one-of-a-kind attributes (such as 16-inch, hand-hewn redwood beams; redwood balcony and stair railings; and hand-crafted redwood Dutch doors within the upper level bedrooms) remain in Moonlight Lodge today, providing elegant texture, structural strength, and an indelible connection to the original home.  Beck’s penchant for timeless quality inspired Lisa and Mark as they planned and completed the home’s remodel and additions in 2006/2007.

Remodeled with Authenticity and Quality
Lisa and Mark chose materials that reflect the original home’s high quality. Hand-scraped hickory flooring was used throughout the main house as well as the guest house; hand-crafted red birch cabinets, built by local master craftsman, Chris Thibeault, create the kitchen’s signature beauty; and the home’s south-facing, floor-to-ceiling windows maximize natural light.

Slow Food Inside and Outside
As bona fide ecopreneurs who founded and own Lisa’s Organics organic vegetable company, Lisa and Mark’s indoor and outdoor cooking and dining spaces are used interchangeably and year-round.  The indoor kitchen hosts three ovens, oversized sinks, and ample preparation space for creative chefs; and flows to the dining space, which overlooks the exterior stone patio.

The outdoor patio and barbecue area is as integral to cooking and dining as the kitchen; and is surrounded by three separate gardens: flower, herb, and vegetable.  Fruit-bearing apple and pear trees, as well as blackberry bushes, adorn the grassy yard alongside shade-bearing maple and oak.  During summer and fall, Lisa and Mark incorporate fresh produce from the gardens – literally from farm to table.

For additional information about Moonlight Lodge or to schedule a showing, contact Bill Dietz at 530.584.3454 or via billd@tluxp.com.

Details Below:

Moonlight Lodge – Main House:

• 4 bedrooms and 3 baths
• 2664 +/- square feet
• Custom hickory floors
• Custom red birch cabinetry
• Open floor plan and vaulted ceilings
• Custom outside stone patio with fire pit
• Hot tub
• Landscaped lawn and three gardens
• Filtered lake views
• 2 minutes to Lake Tahoe, 7 minutes to Northstar Ski Resort

Moonlight Lodge – Guest House

• Guest house above the oversized 2-car garage
• 784 +/- square feet of living space in guest house
• 1 bedroom and 1 bath
• Open living area with room for billiards and entertainment system
• Custom hickory floors
• Gas fireplace
• Covered walkway leading to the main house

Spaces added during remodel:

• Master first-level suite in the main house
• Stone patio
• Main entrance
• Mud room
• 2-car garage
• Guest house above garage

Remodel contractor:
Steve Funk – Black Diamond Construction & Coatings – Truckee, CA

Interior Design:
Shannon Barter – id.3 Interior Design, Osnap Inc. – Tahoe City, CA 

Predictions of strong real estate performance were actualized throughout the Nevada and California sides of the Lake Tahoe region during the first quarter of 2013.  Click here, or click the image below, to view the full report.

Buyers [who surmised that Tahoe had reached its market bottom during 2012] zealously pursued much of available inventory – which led to a decrease in available homes – which subsequently contributed to strong year-over-year median price increase.  In regions such as Incline Village, Nevada, the median price has more than doubled that of the first quarter of 2012.  Steady median price growth can also be seen throughout Truckee, California, most considerably within its enclave of Northstar, with a median price jump of 44 percent over the previous year’s first quarter.

Cheshire Estate.  Sold for $2,180,000. 3/28/13

“The pressures of dwindling inventory and strong demand have influenced median prices upward across all segments of the Tahoe area market,” said Bill Dietz, President of Tahoe Luxury Properties-Sales.  “Multiple-offer transactions are becoming common and sales prices that exceed asking prices are posting with frequency,” he added.

True to Dietz’s forecast, Tahoe’s iconic lakefront market saw an active start to the year as well, with the quarter’s highest-dollar transaction closing at $20.9 million.  “The upper tier of the lakefront market is performing very well,” he said.  “At the quarter’s close, five lakefronts were pending sale with a median price of $5.2 million and a new listing joined the market with an asking price of $28.5 million,” he added, noting the continued interest in Nevada-based lakefronts.  “Look for the Nevada side [of Lake Tahoe] to heat up as high net worth Californians look to escape higher taxes in the Golden State.”

Highest-dollar home sale during 1st quarter

For additional reports on median sales price and volume trends North Lake Tahoe, CA and NV, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, Northstar and Truckee, CA as well as Incline Village and Chrystal Bay, NV, visit TLUXP.com.

About Tahoe Luxury Properties®: Tahoe Luxury Properties® is a full-service real estate agency specializing in real estate sales and premier vacation rentals at Lake Tahoe’s North Shore, Truckee and Northstar, CA and Incline Village, NV – and includes the most extensive selection of lakefront vacation properties at Lake Tahoe.  For additional information, visit TLUXP.com or call 800.581.8828.

Upon moving to the west coast, I noticed the liberal use of the term “cabin” when anyone referred to a place to stay while visiting Tahoe.  Being somewhat of a clumsy literalist, I had conjured visions of what Webster’s denotes as “small roughly-constructed houses” dotting the forests surrounding the lake.

I soon caught onto the fact that “cabin”, “lodge”, or “bungalow”, according to native and tenured Tahoe-ites, could very well be a loose interpretation of any place to stay – ranging from the terms’ actual definitions; to ultra-modern ski-in/ski-out condominiums; to 10,000 square-foot lakefront estates.   This conjured childhood memories of the term “camp” and “cottage” to describe a similar range of “places to stay” along the east coast.

In 2004, I met a 78-year-old woman who referred to her lovely Tahoe lakefront home as “The Shack”.  The Shack sits all of a breath from the shore and is filled with beautiful decorations.

“This wasn’t always here, you see,” she told me.  “When my dad first started bringing us here, I was just a little girl – nine years old.  We’d arrive using the single-lane dirt road which is now West Lake Boulevard.  We slept out under the stars on little wooden platforms we’d made.  With every trip to this very spot, we’d create a little more of this home – a little at a time,” she remembered.  “The Shack” itself, as well as its beautiful interior, was crafted without electric saws or drills – instead, hewn from nothing more than a family’s minds, hands, and hearts.  “My entire life is filled with wonderful memories of this place.”  More than recalling this story, she smiled it.

It was then that those less-than-representative terms truly began to make sense: “cabin”, “cottage”, “camp,” and others don’t describe the structure at all.  They describe the comfortable, easy feeling that’s felt in the presence of family and friends; authentic lifetime experiences; and unconditional friendship and love.

Many of our homes offered as vacation rentals possess similar stories: owners with impeccable taste who, above all else, cherish well-lived time with family.

“The Cottage”, for instance, is available to rent for the first time ever.  Its lakefront location, seven bedrooms, and opulent style beckon a multi-generational family reunion.

“The Carousel” follows this recipe too.  Steeped in history dating back to California’s Gold Rush, guests will not necessarily find a merry-go-round at this lakefront estate; but they will feel like kids again while wandering through the home’s arched threshold leading to the gardens, hand-crafted stone patio, and lawn which skirts towering, vanilla-scented Jeffrey Pines.

Denoted, a lodge is “a rustic house or cabin used for seasonal or temporary dwelling”;  however, “Après-Ski Lodge” in Northstar offers year-round, warmth – a haven of modern-mountain beauty, hoping the visiting kids and kids-at-heart will bake S’mores, tell fireside ghost stories, and ski from its slopeside door to create a day to remember for generations.

One could even surmise that Tahoe Luxury Properties’ term, “Vacation Rental” shares in this theory.    Less than descriptions of homes, these are terms of endearment.  So live on, Lodges!  Hurray, Cottages!  And cheers, Cabins and Bungalows!  There are many more with such magical names.  Which one suits you?

“The Cottage” vacation rental

North Lake Tahoe’s holiday season is headed for “Best Christmas and New Year’s Ever” status. How do we know? Here’s the list of top indicators:

1.  Tahoe will receive 3 to 5 feet of new snow during the next few days.
2.  The one-and-only KT-22 Chair Lift at Squaw Valley opened today.
3.  Homewood Mountain Resort will open to the summit this Thursday, Dec. 20.
4.  Our gorgeous rental, Halcyon House, is the perfect ski cabin near Homewood.
5.  Santa is set to ski at Homewood during the holidays.
6.  We’re so lucky to be able to visit, play at, and live at, Lake Tahoe.
7.  Family and friends are with you for not just the holidays; but every day.
8.  Shaun White is at Northstar, CA hosting Northstar’s 40th Birthday Bash.
9.  Tahoe Luxury Properties is slowly-but-surely figuring out its G+ page.
10.Happiness cannot be bought; but it can be lived in.  Live in happiness.

With a foot of new snow and much more in the approaching week’s forecast, nothing tops off a holiday visit to Lake Tahoe like an in-person visit from Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.  Tahoe Luxury Properties will treat the first five guests to just that!  The first lucky five guests to reserve a vacation rental for the holidays will enjoy some quality time with Ol’ Saint Nick himself.

With more than 140 vacation rentals – ranging from slopeside condos, cozy cabins, luxury lakefronts, and mountain house that accommodate the entire family, Tahoe Luxury Properties offers the best selection spanning throughout North Lake Tahoe, Northstar, and Truckee, CA; as well as Crystal Bay and Incline Village, NV.

With ski resorts open and touting fresh powder, enjoy a classic Tahoe holiday season in a beautiful home.  Happy Holidays!

Squaw Valley announced today that the mountain will bump its Opening Day to Friday, Nov. 16! That’s this Friday!

The original date was set for Nov. 21.

With cold temperatures and more than four feet of new snow during the past month, Tahoe resorts are looking beautiful! We at TLuxP have indeed noticed a few post-storm powder tracks in them-thar-hills, so get excited! It’s time to break out the ski and snowboard gear and head to Tahoe!

There are rumblings and whispers that Alpine Meadows is contemplating an earlier opening date as well, but no official news on that as of this evening. Either way, see you on the mountain soon!

P.S. – Thanks to our friends at Squaw Valley for these two excellent photos!

Fast and furious was Mother Nature’s pace and demeanor between the hours of 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. last night.  Fall weather relented to plummeting temperatures, tempestuous winds – and snow that raged as if it were late for its own flight. As of 11 p.m., the inch-per-hour rate lulled to catch its breath; only to intensify again after midnight. 

The result?  Tahoe woke this morning to 8 to 12 inches of fresh, cold, light snow.  As of 10 a.m., light lingering snow continued with an occasional beam of sunshine peeking through the inflated storm clouds – as if to evaluate the new landscape.  As of 10:45 a.m., the sun gave up for the day, letting the snow claim the kingdom.

Lingering clouds and falling snow hover over Lake Tahoe – November 9, 2012

All of this seems to bring out a familiar vibe among Tahoe residents and visitors - a marked combination of excitement, expectation, sense of urgency, and forward movement toward everything that winter packs in its bag for an open-ended stay at the lake.  Like a clock set by the snow itself, this magic vibe is intangible, yet thick in the air.  

Thoughts of skiing prior to Thanksgiving are in the air too!  There, it’s been said, and it’s out there for all to relish.  And upon gazing at this morning’s beauty near some of Tahoe Luxury Properties’ vacation rentals in the West Shore’s Talmont neighborhood, the thought becomes better and better.  Squaw Valley and Northstar, CA are set to open prior to Thanksgiving; with others following suit shortly thereafter.  Last night’s snow accumulation totalled 8 inches at lake level and 12 inches in the mountains. 

The anticipation of skiing powder at Alpine Meadows never hurt anyone

Staying in one of our West Shore vacation rentals? Be sure to ski Homewood – and be sure to pack a camera.

This photo is from our extraordinary friends at Squaw Valley. Their excitement for the upcoming opening day of Nov. 21 is contageous

Lake Tahoe fans can now check out Tahoe Luxury Properties’ new Google+ and Pinterest Pages! 

We hope you’ll join our Circles, add us to yours; and check out our growing library of pins of beautiful homes, scenery, wildlife, and activities enjoyed year-round at Lake Tahoe. 

We’re not total G+ and Pin experts yet, but we’re getting there!  If you have any great suggestions on how to make our brand-new pages better, drop us a line and let us know. 

This is a screen shot of the TLUXP pages: