Tripping in Tahoe, Reno and Truckee

Above: The Links at Squaw Creek

Northwest Nevada is a long-favored golf destination for vacationing Coloradans, especially around Lake Tahoe, Reno and nearby Truckee, Calif. Cool temperatures, verdant pine forests and idyllic weather are reasons enough, but throw in premium golf, high-stakes gaming, fabulous off-course recreation and scrapbook worthy events, and it’s easy to see why these high-altitude environs have such a passionate following.

Where to go and what to do? Here’s are four suggestions why the high Sierras of northwest Nevada should be on everyone’s summer getaway radar:

Above: Montreux Golf and Country Club

1. Golf is superlative, and there’s lots of it. Must plays include private Montreaux G&CC, site of the PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship (June 30-July 3); Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, host of the celebrity laced, 26^th annual American Century Championship (July 19-24); Old Greenwood, which offers 36 holes of golf designed by Jack Nicklaus and Peter Jacobsen/Jim Hardy; and the Robert Trent Jones-crafted Championship Course at Incline Village. Golf extra: Tee it up at the Links at Squaw Creek, a Robert Trent Jones Jr. creation in legendary Squaw Valley.

Above: Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course

2. Mark Twain declared Lake Tahoe “the fairest picture the whole earth affords.” His fictional character Tom Sawyer would have relished the area’s rich complement of outdoor activities including river rafting, fishing, horseback riding, hiking, hot air ballooning (Lake Tahoe Balloons; 800-872-9294), freshwater sailing, and road and mountain biking. Overnight tip: Headquarter your stay at the AAA Four Diamond awarded Resort at Squaw Creek, which offers golf, spa, fly fishing, year-round ice skating, paddle boarding and more.

Above: Lake Tahoe Balloons

3. The special events alone are worth the trip. Don your lederhosen and enjoy the 18^th annual Sands Eurofest 2016 in Reno (June 3-5); be amazed by the region’s longest July 4^th fireworks display at the Star Spangled Sparks in Reno (July 3, 4-11 p.m.); or attend the 44^th annual Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (July 8-Aug. 21). Extra innings tip: Catch a minor league baseball game with the Reno Aces, Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

4. Reno and Lake Tahoe both offer glittering casinos, but that’s for later. Score some major splashtastic fun at Wild Island Family Adventure Park; measure your athletic prowess at Whitney Peak Hotel, home to the world’s tallest climbing wall; tour the National Automobile Museum and its eye-popping collection of more than 200 vintage, classic and special interest, and one-of-a-kind vehicles; or shoot the kayak-able rapids at the Truckee River Whitewater Park. Hoss and Little Joe extra: Saddle up and visit the Victorian-era saloons, shops, museums, mines, restaurants and churches in boom-gone-bust Virginia City.

Above: BaseCamp at Mount Whitney

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Chris Duthie is a Durango-based contributor to Colorado AvidGolfer, the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.