Overwhelmed by the choices? Get in your car and take a leisurely drive around the lake. It's only 72 miles, but plan on taking several hours, even in the best of weather. In the worst of weather, don't try it! Parts of the road, if not closed, can be icy and dangerous. On a mild day, it will be a memorable experience. If your car has a tape deck, consider buying Drive Around the Lake, a drive-along audio cassette that contains facts, legends, places of interest, and just about everything else you might want to know about the lake. It's available at many gift shops or at the South Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce, 3066 Lake Tahoe Blvd. (tel. 530/541-5255; www.tahoeinfo.com), which is closed on Sundays.

We'll start at the California-Nevada border in South Lake Tahoe and loop around the western shore on Calif. 89 to Tahoe City and beyond. U.S. 50, which runs along the south shore, is an ugly, overdeveloped strip that obliterates any view of the lake. Keep heading west, and you will be free of this boring stretch.

First stop is the Tallac Historic Site, site of the former Tallac Resort and a cluster of 100-year-old mansions that provide a fascinating glimpse into Tahoe's past. In its heyday, the resort included two large hotels, a casino, and numerous outbuildings. Throughout the summer the Valhalla Festival of Arts and Music (tel. 888/632-5859 or 530/541-4975; www.valhalla-tallac.com) showcases jazz, bluegrass, rock, mariachi, and classical music. Summer highlights include June's Valhalla Renaissance Festival, July's Native American Fine Arts Festival, and August's Great Gatsby Festival.

From here the highway winds north along the shore until you reach Cascade Lake on the left and Emerald Bay on the right. The Emerald Bay Lookout is a spectacular picture-taking spot. Emerald Bay's deep green water is the site of the only island in Lake Tahoe, Fannette Island. The small structure atop the island is the teahouse, built by Ms. Lora Knight, who also constructed Vikingsholm (tel. 530/541-3030; www.vikingsholm.com), a 38-room Scandinavian Castle built in 1929, at the head of Emerald Bay. Tours ($3) of this unique structure are available from mid-June to Labor Day every half-hour from 10am to 4pm. Even if you don't want to take the tour, it's a pleasant walk from the parking area down to the beach and the mansion's grounds. Just remember that you have to walk back up. Across the highway, there's another parking area. From here, it's a short, steep quarter-mile hike to a footbridge above Eagle Falls. Then it's about a mile farther up to Eagle Lake.

Continuing on, it's only about 2 miles to D. L. Bliss State Park (tel. 530/525-7982), where you'll find one of the lake's best beaches. It gets crowded in the summer, so arrive early to get a parking place. The park also contains 168 campsites and several trails, including one along the shoreline.

In about 7 miles you will reach Sugar Pine State Park (tel. 530/525-7232), the largest (2,000 acres) of the lake's parks and the only one that has year-round camping. In summer, you can visit the beaches in the park plus a nature center and miles of trails; in winter, there's cross-country skiing on well-maintained trails.

Continuing on through the small town of Homewood (site of the ski resort), Sunnyside, on the right, is a pleasant place to stop for a lakeside lunch. Or, if you feel like taking a stroll, drive on to Tahoe City where there is a beautiful paved path along the Truckee River. Check out the big trout at Fanny Bridge first. If you would like to see Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, take a left at Calif. 89. A ride on the Squaw Valley cable car (tel. 530/583-6985) will reward you with incredible vistas from 2,000 feet above the valley floor. It operates year-round and costs $17 for adults, $14 for seniors, and $5 for children under 13. Back on Calif. 28, as you leave Tahoe City, you will pass a string of interesting, small malls at 700 through 850 North Lake Blvd. If you enjoy wandering around, this is a good area to stop and eat, watch the activity at the Tahoe City Marina (parasailing, cruises on the Tahoe Gal), or visit the interesting shops.

Continuing around the lake on Calif. 28, you'll reach Carnelian Bay, Tahoe Vista, and Kings Beach before crossing the state line into Nevada. Kings Beach State Recreation Area (tel. 530/546-7248) is a long, wide beach and picnic area. It is jammed in the summer with sunbathers and swimmers. As you approach Crystal Bay, you will know you have crossed the state line by the string of small casinos that suddenly appear. The Cal-Neva Resort, Spa & Casino on the right was once owned by Frank Sinatra and has a colorful, celebrity-filled history. The state line goes right through the lodge, and gambling is allowed only on the Nevada side. This is worth stopping to see.

Your journey then takes you to woodsy Incline Village, arguably the most beautiful community on the lake. Take a right on Lakeshore Boulevard to view the estates. Lunch or dinner time? The magnificent Lone Eagle Grille, at Lakeshore and Country Club Drive, offers lake views as well as good food.

Remember Hoss and Little Joe? The Ponderosa Ranch (tel. 775/831-0691; www.ponderosaranch.com) off Highway 28 at the east end of Incline Village, home to television's Bonanza, features the Cartwright Ranch House, an entire Old West town complete with working blacksmiths, a saloon, a hay wagon breakfast, a shootin' gallery, and even live gunfights. It's open daily from April to October from 9:30am to 6pm; admission is $9.50 for adults, $4.50 for children ages 5 to 11, and free for children under 5.

The East Shore of the lake is largely undeveloped and very scenic. Drive about 4 miles south of Incline Village to Sand Harbor (tel. 775/831-0494), one of the lake's best-loved beaches, and home to the popular Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (tel. 800/747-4697; www.tahoebard.com) every mid-July through August. In addition to blue water dotted with big boulders and a wide sandy beach, you'll find nature trails, picnic areas, and boating.

Going south you will come to an outcropping called Cave Rock where the highway passes through 25 yards of solid stone. Farther along is Zephyr Cove Resort and Marina, home to the M.S. Dixie II and a hive of water sports activity. You'll then return to Stateline and South Lake Tahoe, your original starting point.