One hundred fifty years ago this year, Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) published this emotion-filled word-painting of Lake Tahoe in his memoir and travelogue “Roughing It.” While the beauty and serenity of the lake deeply moved Twain, his first visit to the lake had a more practical purpose. He sought to stake a timber claim on the North Shore and sell the lumber to the mines in Virginia City, Nev. He carelessly allowed his campfire to escape, however, setting his timber claim afire.
On May 20, Sierra State Parks Foundation announced the creation of the Mark Twain Timber Claim Adventure Trail, a Sierra Nevada Geotourism Historic Place. It links seven sites on the East Shore and North Shore visited by Mark Twain in September 1861. Vehicles and bikes are allowed on the trail over paved roads to nearby parking locations over its 13-mile length. From the parking areas, visitors then approach the sites on foot. Each site has an interpretive panel that explains its historical significance.
“As it lay there with the shadows of the mountains brilliantly photographed upon its still surface I thought it must surely be the fairest picture the whole earth affords.”
–Mark Twain on sighting Lake Tahoe for the first time
The trail is unique in that all these sites are on land accessible by the public. At each location, visitors stand where Twain stood, see what Twain saw and perhaps imagine what Twain felt when he gazed out on the stunning lake and mountains. Trail visitors will walk in Twain’s footsteps and appreciate his Lake Tahoe literary legacy.
Fairest Picture Overlook
“Twainiacs” (self-described Mark Twain fans) and Tahoe history buffs should begin at Tunnel Creek Cafe in Incline Village, Nev. A 2.3-mile moderately challenging hike on the Tunnel Creek Road ($2 hiker fee) takes one to the Fairest Picture Overlook. Here is where Twain first sighted Lake Tahoe, “the fairest picture the whole earth affords.”
East Shore Trail
An easy 1-mile walk along the Tahoe East Shore Trail from Tunnel Creek Cafe takes one to Hidden Beach. Twain and his friend boarded a rowboat to cross Crystal Bay: “… set out across a deep bend of the lake.”
Stateline Fire Lookout
A moderately strenuous uphill hike to the historic Stateline Fire Lookout takes one to a viewpoint that gives a visual overview of the timber claim and wildfire location.
Twain and his friend camped at Speedboat Beach on Stateline Point on his first night. Here, they slept in the sand and dined atop a flat granite rock; see if you can spot it. Parking here is minimal and a new panel is coming soon: “ … spread our blankets in the warm sand between two large boulders and soon fell asleep.”
North Tahoe Beach
The next day, the pair hiked along the shore through Kings Beach. A panel at North Tahoe Beach is inscribed with Twain’s words about the unmatched health-restoring effects of Tahoe and its pure air. “Three months of camp life on Lake Tahoe would restore an Egyptian mummy to his pristine vigor, and give him an appetite like an alligator.”
Gar Woods Grill & Pier
The two men continued hiking toward Carnelian Bay. They discovered a pioneer’s cabin and entered looking for food. A nearby panel at Gar Woods Grill & Pier tells how they played cards, commandeered a canoe and paddled back to camp: “… borrowed a dug-out and pulled back six miles to the upper camp.”
Sandy Beach
Twain returned the next day, staking his timber claim in Tahoe Vista. The wildfire erupted a few days later. At Sandy Beach, two panels tell the story of both events. “Within half an hour all before us was a tossing, blinding tempest of flame!”
If Twain were alive today, he likely would claim it was Tahoe’s first controlled burn. | sierranevadageotourism.org
David C. Antonucci is a historical researcher and author of the book, “Fairest Picture – Mark Twain at Lake Tahoe.”
