The Angora Lakes are two small freshwater lakes in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

and Lake Tahoe Watershed ~ in elevation above Fallen Leaf Lake and

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake i ...

. It is the location of th
Angora Lakes Resort
Angora Lakes Resort
/ref> a small summer outdoor recreation location. The lakes were named for a herd of

Angora goat Angora may refer to: Places *Angora, the historic name of Ankara, the capital city of Turkey *Angora, Philadelphia ** Angora (SEPTA station), a commuter rail station * Angora, Minnesota * Angora Township, Minnesota * Angora, Nebraska * Angora L ...

s that used to graze in the area. To reach Angora Lakes from Hwy 89, take the Fallen Leaf Lake Rd. turnoff for approximately . (Alternate route: Lake Tahoe Blvd. to Tahoe Mountain Rd.) Turn left and climb to the top of the one-lane road and look for the dirt road and a sign reading "1214". From there, an at times steep and at times paved road leads to fantastic vistas and ends in the Angora Lakes trailhead parking lot. There is a uphill hike to Angora Lake.

Tourist activities

The road to the lower parking lot is open from approximately May 1 to October 1, during which time the resort may be accessed on foot. At the resort at the upper lake, a small snack bar serves sandwiches, "world famous" lemonade, and ice cream. Rowboats, kayaks, and paddle boards can be rented. A cliff face at the upper lake can serve as a

jumping platform A jumping platform is a naturally occurring or human-made surface for people to jump from. It is usually situated above a body of water, or above mats, a box-spring mattress, piles of empty cardboard boxes, or other soft landing surfaces, or they ...

. The highest ledge that is typically used is approximately sixty feet above the water. During the summer tourist season, jumps are frequent. A narrow beach consisting of granite sand, located on the northwestern shore, is a popular spot for swimming and sunbathing. Parking (fee-based) in the lot at the end of Angora Ridge Road is limited. On summer weekends, the lot often fills by mid-morning. Parking along Angora Ridge Road is restricted.

Water sports

During the summer, the lake is popular for

water sports Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

, cliff jumping, and beach activities. The two cities most identified with the Lake Tahoe

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

area are South Lake Tahoe, California and the smaller Stateline, Nevada; smaller centers on the northern shoreline include

Tahoe City Tahoe City (formerly Tahoe) is an unincorporated town in Placer County, California. Tahoe City is located on the shore of Lake Tahoe, at the outlet of the Truckee River. The site was surveyed in 1863, and Tahoe House was built in 1864. The Tah ...

and Kings Beach.

Angora Fire of 2007

The so-called "

Angora Fire The Angora Fire was a 2007 wind-driven wildfire in El Dorado County, California. It started near North Upper Truckee Road subdivision near Angora Lakes, Fallen Leaf Lake, Echo Lake and South Lake Tahoe, California around 2:15 PM on Sunda ...

" started around 1:00 pm on Sunday, June 24, 2007, at the southern end of remote heavily forested land below Angora Ridge Road and extended from Meyers and Fallen Leaf Lake on the south and west to Camp Richardson near Lake Tahoe's southern shore. Strong winds caused the fire to quickly spread uncontrolled through steep terrain. Most of the devastation to homes was near N. Upper Truckee Rd. where the fire destroyed 254 homes, damaged 26 homes, numerous other structures valued at $141 million and prompted 3,000 evacuations, making it among the half dozen or so most destructive fires in U.S. history. No commercial structures were involved. For $15 million, 2,100 firefighters, 145 engines, and 9 air tankers battled the blaze, which consumed 3,100 acres (12.5 square kilometers) and filled the entire Tahoe basin with dense smoke for several days.Angora Fire Update
KOLO TV News High winds initially spread the fire and caused most of the property losses, but much calmer conditions on the ensuing three days allowed firefighters to contain it 70% with firebreak lines around it.South Lake Tahoe fire now 70 percent contained
, '' San Francisco Chronicle'' No thunderstorms were in the area at the time, and it is assumed that the fire was human-caused. The ash from the fire that falls in Lake Tahoe is considered to be a problem for the clarity of Lake Tahoe, and Governor Schwarzenegger of California pledged to spend the necessary funds to restore the land values adequately to prevent erosion from depositing the ash on the ground into the lake and further damaging it.KOLO news
/ref>

Nearby peaks and mountains

* Echo Peak 8,895 ft (2,711.2 m) *

Angora Peak Angora Peak is a summit in the Sierra Nevada south of Lake Tahoe in El Dorado County, California. The summit marks a point on the eastern boundary of the Desolation Wilderness and is in the Eldorado National Forest Eldorado National Forest is ...

8,588 ft (2,617.6 m) *

Mount Tallac Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

9,735 ft (2,967 m) * Ralston Peak 9,235 ft (2,814.8 m) * Pyramid Peak 9,985 ft (3,043.4 m)

References

External links