A Rustic Gem in Lake Tahoe —River Ranch Lodge and Restaurant
When I was a young girl my aunt had a cabin in Alpine Meadows and I have fond memories of floating down the Truckee River in inner tubes.
My mom and aunt would wait for us on the outside deck of the River Ranch Lodge. I was very happy to have a chance to return to this wonderful place.
Dating back to the late 1800’s, the River Ranch Lodge and Restaurant is a recognized landmark perched along a celebrated bend of the historic Truckee River.
When we first arrived in late May, we were warmly greeted by Danielle. She even knew my name. She went over a sheet of paper with all the details we needed to know about our stay. She was very helpful and thorough.
Our room was cozy, quaint and rustic with lodge pole pine furnishings and local antiques, overlooking the Truckee River. We could hear the rapids from our balcony. It had a King size bed with a flat screen TV, cable television, a mini-fridge, free Wi-Fi and a Keurig machine for in-room coffee or tea.
We were tired and hungry from our bike ride on the Truckee Legacy trail and headed onto the patio for some food. We had the famous Ranch nachos. They were piled high with a mountain of local corn chips, cheese, black beans, Pico de Gallo, sour cream and guacamole. We opted out for the jalapenos.
The meal could have fed 5 people, it was huge. The patio was nice and warm sitting right on the river with great music.
For dinner that evening we went to the restaurant. We had a reservation and we immediately sat at our table indoors, overlooking the river.
The wait staff was very friendly and efficient. We both had the Double-cut elk chops. They were from Durham ranch with tellicherry peppercorn-crusted, black cherry demi-glace. This was accompanied by garlic herb fingerling potatoes and wilted organic rainbow chard.
It was wonderfully delicious with huge portions. We probably should have shared a meal.
The next morning we had a beautiful ride on the Truckee River Trail which is adjacent to the Lodge. It runs along the river for many miles.
Afterwards we played golf at the historical Old Brockway course. It’s a beautiful course, close by on the shores of Lake Tahoe.
River Ranch is a great get away, whether it’s for a romantic long weekend or a family outing. Tahoe offers many activities for all to enjoy. I would highly recommend it. The food is delicious, the staff warm and the scenery breathtaking.
Our guest post comes from Dr. Lynne Sullivan who graduated as the class valedictorian from Life Chiropractic College-West in 1983. Readers of her local paper have voted her office “Best” for over a decade. She has been in practice since 1986.
Dr. Sullivan is a sought-after expert, speaker and media guest. She has been a college instructor as well as authored many published articles. Dr. Sullivan’s work has been featured in numerous media including newspaper, magazines and TV. Her first book, “The World’s Best Kept Health Secret Revealed” has been a best seller with over 25,000 copies sold.