A Weekend Getaway Nevada Road Trip Samples The Best Of The Wild Desert West And Lake Tahoe Sierra

The U.S.A. is one fine destination for road trippers, there's no doubt about that. It's a land where you can cruise beside the salt stacks and stunning beaches of the Big Sur, take breathtaking, scenic drives through national parks, and conquer the mountainous Going-to-the-Sun Road of Montana. Then there's Lake Tahoe, that glimmering sapphire amid the Sierra Nevadas that's literally called "Jewel of the Sierra Nevada." Road trips in those parts knit together beaches with glass-clear waters, mountains dusted with snow, and even high desert plateaus peppered with old Gold Rush towns. At least, that's what you get on the incredible Reno to Lake Tahoe Loop Road.

Clocking up 145 miles and taking anything from two to five days to complete, the route circles the peaks and pristine lake waters on the Nevada side of the state line. It's got something for everyone. Step away from the car to wander fields of springtime wildflowers up in the Tahoe Meadows as you drive the Mount Rose pass. Splash in azure waters and laze between Tahoe's iconic boulders in the Sand Harbor State Park. Channel your inner Clint Eastwood in the saloons of spur-spinning Carson Valley.

Ready to get going? First, you'll need to head to the starting point of the drive. It's in boho-cool, casino-filled Reno, a city that oozes fun from its high perch in the north Nevada deserts. The good news is that the town doesn't just have poker tables and public art, but also has its very own airport with short-haul links all across the United States. There are stacks of car hire outlets located right in the terminals there, so you should be able to get on the road quicker than a spin of the roulette wheel.

Leave the gaming halls and bright lights of Reno in the dust and head southwest on the first leg of your drive. You're going Tahoe's way but first, you'll need to climb high on winding roads over soaring Mount Rose. This section of the route is a scenic byway in its own right, offering observation points that reveal the sweeping blue of the lake framed by phalanxes of pine forest.

It's all downhill from there as you drop from 8,911 feet above sea level to 6,225 along the Tahoe lakeshore. You'll soon be cruising right beside the Tahoe East Shore Trail, which offers access to the secluded sands and boulders of Hidden Beach below, and the Monkey Rock Trail above, which bends up into the forests to another lookout that's famous for its spectacular sunset views.

Keep going south with the glistening waters to your left and the mountains to the right. There are plenty of tempting stops to make on this stretch. Choose one of the pull outs to get on the trail to Skunk Harbor, a secluded pocket of coast hidden in the pines that's reached via an uber-pretty forest path. Or there's Zephyr Cove, one of Tahoe's main water sports hubs and resorts, where lake cruises and waterside cabins beckon.

Chapter two of this bucket-list drive swaps the lakeside of Tahoe for a return to the dry and dusty eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. First port of call is the Carson Valley, a land shaped by the pioneers and steeped in history. If fact, it's home to the oldest non-Native settlement in the state, only a short detour of the epic U.S. Route 395 (an underrated scenic road dotted with hot springs) at Mormon Station. Go there for a taste of 19th-century history and visions of reconstructed trading posts.

The farthest south the route dips will be the border between California and Nevada. It's a pretty bookend to an ultra-pretty drive, what with the waters of Topaz Lake glimmering under the gaze of the Sierra Nevada. There's fishing in abundance there, but also the Topaz Lodge Casino for slots and diner breakfasts on the edge of the Golden State.

The final leg is the grand return to Reno. It's almost directly north following the courses of the 395, though there's a last flurry of things to do as you drive a little east and then north to Virginia City. Welcome to the erstwhile home of the Comstock Load and a fabled mining town that still sports vintage saloons aplenty. In a way, this route has everything: history, outdoor fun, and, of course, plenty of scenery. And while Lake Tahoe (and the surrounding area) can be great at practically any time of year, the best times tend to be in the spring and fall unless you want to take part in summer watersports.