West Shore real estate in Tahoe: ever hear someone say “West Shore, Best Shore”? Well in a lot of ways this is true when comparing it to the North Shore. There are steeper mountains closer to the lake and road which give off that true mountain town vibe. There are more clusters of beautiful Old Tahoe homes in seemingly ancient (for California) neighborhoods. In a couple spots the road and bike path are so close to the lake that they get splashed from waves during heavy windstorms. The water off the shoreline is generally deeper which is ideal for boater especially if Tahoe’s ‘yearly tide’ is low a few seasons in a row. There are Sunnyside, Homewood and Tahoma – classic Tahoe villages with lake access and some highlight eating options. The red marina barns harken back to the Gilded Age but with a blue collar feel.

 

Headed south from Tahoe City CA, you’ll first come to Tavern Shores and the Tahoe Tavern condos. These are fantastic properties with options ranging from 2-bed right near the Blvd, to 4-bed luxury lakefront condo units. All have pool, tennis, piers and buoys available. The Tahoe Tavern was a historical landmark and grand hotel where the railroad from Truckee would pull itself out onto the pier. Passengers would disembark on one side, then walk ten feet the to SS Tahoe which would be standing by to take them to various points around the lake. Unfortuantely the Tavern, like many incredible structures from that era, burned to the ground.

 

The adjacent neighborhood is Olympic / Tahoe Sierra Estates. Private homeowners beach, pier, lawn, bbq and many homes have their own assigned buoy. My company sold a beautiful lakefront property here for about $5m. The other side of the street has the Tahoe House Bakery and a nice local neighborhood with mostly flat, sunny lots – some have views. Continuing south, a neighborhood starts sprawling on your right (though you wouldn’t really notice because most of it is behind the trees) while some of the larger West Shore lakefront properties quietly sit on your left.

 

Sunnyside is the next neighborhood and has been a tradition in and of itself for generations. Many of the homes here belong to the homeowner’s association which has an amazing 2 acres on the water, 2 piers, large buoy field, and fully developed lawns, horseshoes, bbq’s, etc. for summer get-togethers. For those in Pineland, which don’t have HOA access, there is a USFS plot between the HOA and Sunnyside Restaurant which is great for lake access.

 

Just south of Sunnyside are some of the most impressive, viewable lakefront properties in the entire Tahoe Basin. They range in price from $10m – $20m and there is almost always some construction going here on as old-time estates cave to newer demands for vacation home specs.

 

As the West Shore goes on there are a handful of homeowners neighborhoods with great access to the Lake – some of these are Skyland, Tahoe Swiss Village, and Tahoe Pines.

 

Fleur du Lac is nestled in this area, too. This is the estate made famous from the move Godfather II where bullets fly and Fredo heads out for a fateful fishing trip.

 

Then comes Homewood with the best old school feel of all the Basin resorts. Obexer’s Marina has seen a recent makeover and is now one of my favorite sandwiches on the Best Shore… You’ll notice the partially-finished lakefront townhome development on what was a grassy lawn area. The Homewood Café was recently bought by the same company that owns the ski area so some big improvements have happened there, too – mostly in menu prices coming down.

 

After Homewood, you come to one of the best West Shore neighborhoods – McKinney Shores. It’s got nice homes, all within a couple hundred yards of the lake and some have big lakeviews. There is private, HOA lakefront land with room for bbq’s and informal hangs. But one of the best things about McKinney Shores is that most of the homes have their own assigned buoy – a big plus.

 

Next is another West Shore institution – Chamber’s Landing. The bar sits over the water at the end of a pier and has been so for a hundred years. Doc boys and girls will valet your boat while you enjoy some sunshine and a cocktail. This bar gets late afternoon sun (for the West Shore) so it’s a great spot to park in the afternoon.

 

From here we have Tahoma. On the lakeside, there are some, large and deep estate-size parcels and a mix of Old Tahoe’s and newer lodges. Across the street are The Avenues – a gridded street pattern which represents the West Shore’s most affordable (read: cheapest) real estate. Sugar Pine State Park abuts Tahoma and the Ehrman Mansion within is something all full- and semi-locals should see at some point.

 

Going even further south, the neighborhoods take a break for State land and parks until you get to Meeks Bay, Rubicon and Tahoe’s gorgeous Gold Coast. I cover these neighborhoods from the Map Search page of this site so feel free to read more there.