I took the following pictures on Friday, August 20, about 5:30pm,  just before dinner during week 10 of our 12 weeks of alumni family camp.  For the younger crowd, a favorite activity is crawdad fishing off the ski dock right in front of the lodge.  Get some lunch meat from the kitchen, tie it up with some string and you’re good to go.  (Face paint option, but it can help.)

Crawdad fishing

Some other lake wildlife are hoping to score some treats from the fishermen.

Ducklings

Dinner on summer Fridays is a BBQ in front of the lodge.

Kim Grabow, fountain assistant, bringing out wine for the Friday BBQ

You always want to save room for dessert when dining at Camp.  Lighting isn’t great on this shot, but you can still see the gorgeous chocolate cakes freshly made by Kurt, our wonderful Swiss pastry chef.

Chocolate tortes

Over the next couple of weeks, I will get out and capture more images of summer fun at Stanford Sierra Camp.

Fall is a beautiful season in Lake Tahoe with endless days of clear blue skies, golden aspen leaves, calm lake waters, and vibrant green pines.  Schedule your meetings for morning and evening, then leave your afternoons free to relax or explore the Fallen Leaf Lake area.

Barbie knitting on the deck with calm Fallen Leaf Lake in the background

Active options include getting out on the water in a kayak, peddle boat, row boat or sailboat from our boat dock.

Kayaking the calm waters of Fallen Leaf Lake

Schedule a few days, so you can also hike on one of many nearby trails.  Fall weather is usually very mild and a wonderful time to get out on the hiking trails.  Angora Lakes is an excellent destination where you can hike up one trail and down another.

During the fall, time your meeting to coincide with one of many special events in South Lake Tahoe.  For the active crowd, the Lake Tahoe Marathon Week has a number of competitions to choose from September 22nd through the 26th.  If beer drinking and braut-eating are more your style, Oktoberfest at Camp Richardson is October 2nd and 3rd just minutes from our conference center.  Just down the street from Camp Richardson, watch the Kokanee salmon on their arduous journey up Taylor Creek from Lake Tahoe  to Fallen Leaf Lake at the Kokanee Salmon Festival.  The first weekend in October visit the Taylor Creek Visitor Center for activities including the Salmon feed, 5K, 10K and 1/2 marathon trail runs.

For many of us Lake Tahoe locals, fall is our favorite season.  Check our availability calendar to choose dates for your fall retreat and experience the beauty of autumn at Fallen Leaf Lake.

Over our 20-acres of lakefront property on Fallen Leaf Lake, we have some  unique locations many guests never find.  Witch’s Pond, a quiet, secluded spot to get away to read, meditate or have a private conversation is one of our hidden treasures.

Look for the trailhead sign just before the parking lot

Once you find the trail head, it’s a short uphill walk to the pond.

The trail to Witch's Pond

It will only take you about a minute to get to the pond.

The view of Witch's Pond as you exit the wooded trail

There are a couple of benches to sit on, or we have a dock and normally set a couple of chairs on the dock.

If you need help finding the pond, ask at the office, our friendly staff will be happy to help you.  Set some time aside to visit Witch’s Pond and enjoy the serenity, fresh mountain air, crystal clear blue skies and inspiring view of Cathedral peak overhead.

Cathedral Peak

This past weekend we hosted 100 alumni women along with health experts from Stanford and the bay area for the Sixteenth Annual Healthy Living Retreat for Women.  Building on the success of the program each year, this year’s event went very smooth and the attendees gave rave reviews.  Jocye Hanna, associate director at the Stanford School of Medicine’s Health Improvement Program (HIP), recruits the speakers.  Joyce looks at the evaluations at the end of each year to build the next year’s program.  This year there was a well-rounded mix of presentations on research and medical advice on women’s health plus workshops on emotional and spiritual well being.  Topics ranged from Women’s Health and Sex Differences in Human Disease to Mindfulness and Health and The Pursuit of Happiness and Health.

Marcia Stefanick, PhD leading a workshop in the Tallac Room

Another important and popular component of the retreat is fitness testing.  Exercise physiologists from Stanford measure and test participants’ body composition, muscle strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness.  Many attendees return annually, so the fitness test provides valuable feedback and results which they can compare from year to year.

Muscle strength testing

Afternoons are free for the attendees to join a guided hike, a crafts workshop or just relax in one of the many comfortable indoor or outdoor areas around Camp.

Afternoon crafts on the Old Lodge deck

The view of Taylor Creek and Mount Tallac

This year we shuttled a group of 20 to the Taylor Creek area for a walk with naturalist Debra Scolnick.  Debra led the group on an hour-long walk sharing interesting information on the flora and fauna in the area with just the right amount of humor.

Chef Dave puts together a spread of delicious healthy meals for the retreat.  Menus focused on fresh and when possible organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein.

Fresh fruit on the lunch buffet

The Seventeenth annual Healthy Living Retreat for Women is scheduled for May 12-15, 2011 with the option to arrive on Wednesday, May 11.  Please contact us for more information on the retreat or about scheduling your health-focused event at our comfortable center on beautiful Fallen Leaf Lake.

The winter crew at Stanford Sierra Conference Center were lucky to see a bald eagle on its recent visit to Fallen Leaf Lake.  According to a University of Nevada, Reno report there are usually only one or two pairs of bald eagles in the Lake Tahoe Basin in the summer.  During the winter, the eagles migrate South from Canada and Alaska due to the milder climate, then there can be up to 20 eagles in the Tahoe basin including Fallen Leaf Lake.

Bald eagle perched atop a pine tree. Photo by Brian McClintock

Bald eagles primary diet is fish, so they tend to stay near areas like Lake Tahoe and Fallen Leaf Lake.  The crew spotted this eagle just one day over the winter, but hope it makes a return visit before heading back North for the summer. If you’re visiting our California conference center this spring, be sure to keep your eye out for eagles.  If you are looking for a Lake Tahoe meeting location and would like a serene, beautiful natural setting, check our available dates.

Bald eagle flying over Fallen Leaf Lake. Photo by Brian McClintock

Contrary to the eagle’s single visit, a group of river otters have made a number of recent trips to our Fallen Leaf Lake resort.

A trio of river otters in Fallen Leaf Lake. Photo by Brian McClintock

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care in South Lake Tahoe houses the only river otter rehabilitation in California.  Visit their photo gallery for up close photos of a recently rehabilitated river otter .  During your visit, make sure to take a boat out from our boat dock and keep an eye out for those otters!

As spring approaches, we are offering discounted rates for our available midweek dates.  Your meeting attendees can relax together  and get to know each other better in front of the fireplace in the Old Lodge or Stanford Room or over a meal in the dining room.

Relaxing after a delicious meal in the dining room

Our spring sale price for our all-inclusive package starts at $123 per person, per day for shared lodging, three meals, meeting room with A/V equipment, two coffee breaks and recreation.

Meeting in the Cathedral Room

Relaxing on the Fountain deck

Weather permitting, coffee breaks are held outside on the Fountain deck and include coffee, tea, whole fruit, baked goods and water.

Row your boat on Fallen Leaf Lake

Be sure to schedule free time for your group to use our boat dock with rowboats, kayaks, peddle boats and sailboats.  The boat dock plus tennis, volleyball, horseshoes and basketball are all included in your meeting package!

See if our available dates fit your schedule for your spring retreat.

Only a few of us have access past the locked gate on Fallen Leaf Road, so I wanted to share more beautiful photos taken this winter by Brian McClintock.

Fallen Leaf Lake

Fallen Leaf Lake provides breathtaking views anytime of year.

Winter work at Camp

Jason spent most of this winter inside painting Camp’s 52 cabins and 12 lodge rooms.  Shoveling snow was probably a welcome change!

Camp's resident river otters

Jason was lucky enough to snap this photo of two river otters who have frequented Camp this winter.  The pair have been pretty shy, but if we get some better pictures we will share.

Into Desolation Wilderness

Whenever you visit, chances are you will experience beautiful blue skies, bright sunshine and fresh mountain air.  Weather is turning spring-like and the snow is melting fast.  Give us a call or send an email to schedule your spring retreat in our beautiful lakefront setting.