Lake Tahoe Gearing Up For More Than Just Snow After Four Years Of California Drought

LAKE TAHOE (CBS13) — Sierra resorts are excited to hear about the possibility of snow in a forecast, but this year they have something new for visitors combining with outdoor fun and beer.

As the Sierra waits on snow this winter, Lake Tahoe's tourism bureau is working hard to find other ways to get people outdoors and spending money.

"Everyone is real excited for winter as we typically are for this time of years," said Andy Champman with the Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Center. "We went out and just looked for where is that watering hole at the end of the trail. The watering hole at the end of your trail and the end of your dusty day."

It's called the Ale Trail, and an interactive online map shows outdoor enthusiasts 20 cool trails and local brew houses near them.

He says the map isn't set in stone.

"We're expanding it all the time," he said. "We're looking at some of the trails where maybe we haven't identified on there yet, and adding those as we go along."

The focus has been on late summer and fall sports such as hiking, biking and even kayaking. But as the snow starts to fall, Champman thinks new activities will be added to the map.

"So maybe a snowshoe opportunity or snow bikes—those are really big right now, the bikes with the big fat tires, where you can ride on packed snow trails," he said.