Incline Village sits on the north-east shore of Lake Tahoe, on the Nevada side, a community of about 8,800 people with some of the most expensive lake-view houses in the country, though from the road the mood is quiet pine woods and low buildings. It is the sort of place where a casual cafe has a view of blue water, and where the boulders on the nearby beaches are so large and smooth that they seem to have been placed by a sculptor.
The ride along State Route 28, the east shore, is the star here. South of town the road hugs the lake, running past Sand Harbor, a state park with rock-strewn coves and clear green water, and each summer a Shakespeare festival is staged on its beach. Beyond that the road passes Spooner Summit and Cave Rock, a volcanic outcrop that is sacred to the Washoe, with a short tunnel cut through it. The curves are gentle, the surface is good, and the views of snow-capped peaks across the lake are lovely, though speed limits are low and tourists stop often. Cyclists share the road, so patience helps.
The Ponderosa Ranch, a theme park built around the set of the television Western Bonanza, once stood above the town, but it closed in 2004, and the land has been turned over to housing. Higher up, the Mount Rose Highway, State Route 431, climbs from the lake to nearly nine thousand feet before dropping to Reno, with long grades and fine views of the basin. The road can be icy or closed in winter, so check conditions.
Incline Village offers fuel, supermarkets and cafes, and Kings Beach, a few miles west on the California border, has more modest restaurants. The lake is cold enough that a swim takes courage, but a picnic on a sunny rock is a lovely way to spend an afternoon. Early summer, with snow still on the peaks, and September, with quiet beaches, are the best times to be here. In winter, ski areas are close, and roads may need chains.