AAA Washington’s John King is truly a guru when it comes to inside information about the Silver State’s scenic riches. First he steered me on a side trip to Pyramid Lake when I was in Reno this past May on a travel research trip (read my recent blog about this surreal-looking body of water).

And when it was time to head back to San Francisco, John recommended a short detour: Instead of hopping on I-80, he suggested taking SR 431—better known as the Mount Rose Highway—to Incline Village. He promised it would be a beautiful drive.

Is it ever. From downtown Reno, my traveling companion and I accessed US 395 South and got off at exit 59 (Damonte Ranch Parkway), following the directional signs to the beginning of this designated scenic route. Not only does the road immediately narrow from four lanes to two, but the landscape soon changes, leaving the flat Washoe Valley and gently rolling, sagebrush-dotted Sierra Nevada foothills behind once the climb into the mountains begins.

The Mount Rose Highway doesn’t actually ascend Mount Rose; it negotiates the rugged Carson Range of the Sierras, and Mount Rose, at 10,776 feet, is one of several impressively lofty mountain peaks in this wilderness region. The road quickly gains elevation in a series of serpentine bends, with designated pull-offs offering spectacular views of the valley far below.

This is one of those drives where a different vista reveals itself each time you round a curve. It’s at times like these that I really appreciate having a friend who doesn’t mind doing the driving, because motorists really need to keep their eyes on the road.

Adding a fairy-tale beauty to the scene was the recently fallen snow that still covered the mountainsides; at this elevation, July and August are just about the only snow-free months of the year. The layer of white glinted under the brilliant blue sky like diamonds.

Mount Rose Summit, at an elevation of just over 8,900 feet, is the point where the highway crests the Sierras. After that you begin the descent toward Incline Village and Lake Tahoe in another series of hairpin curves. Whenever I got out of the car to take yet another photo the air smelled incredibly fresh—and felt distinctly nippy.  

The initial view of Lake Tahoe, a distant, sapphire-blue mirage framed by tall pine trees, is a stunner. We continued descending until the highway ended at SR 28 (Tahoe Boulevard), then turned left and headed into Incline Village, a resort town with pricey-looking homes and condo developments shaded by lush growths of pines and conifers.

A right turn on Village Boulevard took us down to Lakeshore Boulevard; we took a left and soon discovered Incline Beach (967 Lakeshore Blvd.), a little park along the lakeshore.

It was delightfully cool, an aromatic pine scent was in the air and the pebbly beach was practically people-free. The water was calm—only the slightest ripple of a wave breaking at the shoreline—and amazingly clear. Why, you ask? Nearly half of the precipitation falling on the Lake Tahoe Basin lands directly on the lake; the remaining rain and snowfall drains through soils of decomposed granite, which creates a filtering system. An hour spent in the peace and quiet of this magnificent outdoor setting was blissful indeed.

Our next order of business was finding a place to have a late breakfast. A staffer at the Incline Village Visitor Information Center recommended The Wildflower Café (869 Tahoe Blvd.).

Tucked into a little shopping center, this mom ’n pop diner wasn’t much on ambience, but the coffee was plentiful, the omelets were loaded with fresh veggies and the home fries had a flavorful crunch. 

From Incline Village it was a short hop on SR 28 to the California state line and then the junction with SR 267, which connects with I-80 at Truckee. From there it was back to San Francisco.

I do have to mention one more scenic spot: Donner Lake. It’s much smaller than Lake Tahoe, but equally beautiful—even though it’s named after the Donner Party, the group of California-bound pioneers who became snowbound in the Sierras in the winter of 1846 and resorted to truly desperate measures to survive.

If you’re heading east on I-80, a highway pull-off near exit 180 offers a picture-postcard view of this sparkling freshwater lake.