Head for the hills … or the beach - 10 great summer retreats

Sunset, July, 1993 by Peter Fish, Marcia Williamson, David Lansing, Matthew Jaffe, Lora J. Finnegan

10 GREAT SUMMER RETREATS THAT ARE EASY TO GET TO, NOT TOO CROWDED

Drifting in a canoe on a mountain lake, a fishing line dangling half-forgotten over the side, warm sunshine and cool breezes in perfect balance . . . Strolling along an uncrowded beach, wet sand firm and soothing underfoot, the occasional breakaway wave tugging at your ankles as it slips back out to sea . . . These almost archetypal images of bygone summer pleasures have a way of working themselves into our reveries at this time of year. To help you relive those gloriously lazy days of summers past, we've rounded up 10 great spots in California where you can get away from it all for an old-fashioned vacation. The first five we describe are high-country hideouts in the Sierra; the others are low-key coastal retreats. All are places where you can have a good time doing as little or as much as you want. At most of them (with a few notable exceptions), lodging tips toward the rustic end of the scale. You should still be able to make reservations at any for this summer, though you might have to settle for midweek or late-season dates.

LAKES BASIN: Still lazy after all these years

The first time we visited Lakes Basin we stayed at an old lodge near Gold Lake. Two of our fellow guests were a pair of sprightly sisters from San Francisco, well into their 80s, who had summered in this part of the Sierra Nevada for more than 50 years. They sat on the lodge's porch sipping martinis, recalling vanished San Francisco pleasures like the Key System ferries and the City of Paris department store. So many things had changed, they agreed. How nice it was that Gold Lake had not changed.

It is nice. The 30 deep blue lakes set in granite that make up Lakes Basin, an hour northwest of Lake Tahoe and 2 hours northeast of Nevada City, seem very much holdovers from an earlier, calmer California--which is why people keep coming back here year after year.

Just as the lakes are the focus of the scenery, the lakeside lodges are the focus of visitor activity. The catch is that the lodges book up far in advance. Still, you can often take advantage of last-minute cancellations, especially if you want to stay just a night or two. September and early October (lodges close by mid-October) are also good bets.

Elwell Lakes Lodge (916/836-2347) has nine housekeeping cabins that rent from $284 to $480 per week. At Gray Eagle Lodge (836-2511), 15 cabins rent from $145 per night, including breakfast and dinner. The 11 cabins at Gold Lake Lodge (836-2350) go for $100 to $125, with breakfast and dinner. Packer Lake Lodge (862-1221) has 14 cabins from $51 per night to $694 per week. Salmon Lake Lodge (842-3108) has cabins and tent cabins from $400 to $1,000 per week. Gold Lake, Gray Eagle, and Packer Lake all have dining rooms that are open to the public.

Campers should stop for maps and other information at Plumas National Forest's Mohawk Ranger Station (836-2575), on State 70 in Blairsden. The forest's Lakes Basin Campground has 24 sites on Lakes Basin that fill on a first-come, first-served basis.

DONNER LAKE: An alternative to Tahoe

You can walk through pine-darkened forests and over glacier-scoured granite domes in the footsteps of California's ruggedest pioneers--then relax, at day's end, in a comfortable cabin just minutes from Interstate 80. Compared with nearby Lake Tahoe, Donner Lake is a sleeper, a convenient but uncrowded destination to discover in a weekend- or week-long summer getaway.

Stunningly situated in a U-shaped glacial basin at an elevation of about 6,000 feet, the lake's cobalt waters shiver with reflections of ancient conifers that both sheltered and confounded the snowbound Donner Party in the winter of 1846-47. The area has plenty to see and do, from hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding on emigrant trails to swimming, fishing, and boating in the lake to rock climbing, flower finding, and cloud gazing near boulder-strewn Donner Pass. And it's just 3 miles to Truckee, a walkable, railroad-focused town with boardwalks and several good restaurants in history-laden buildings.

Hikers can get wilderness guides and topo maps in Truckee at Sierra Mountaineer (916/587-2025). For cycling rentals and routes, check Mountain Bikes Unlimited (587-7711). To arrange a guided horseback ride, call Donner Ski Ranch (426-3635) or Squaw Valley Stables (583-7433). To swim, play, picnic, or pedal boat along a lifeguarded beach, try West End Public Beach.

Donner Lake Village Resort (587-6081) rents paddleboats, fishing boats, and water-ski boats, as well as accommodations ranging from studios to two-bedroom townhouses ($90 to $205). Other good lodging options are Donner Country Inn (587-5574; $85) and Loch Leven Lodge (587-3773; $66 to $136). The Truckee-Donner chamber (587-2757) has additional suggestions and can refer you to local real estate offices for house or condominium rentals.

Donner Memorial State Park's campground ($14) fills every summer weekend, though its day-use area ($5 per car), scalloped by small patches of sandy beach, is pleasant and uncrowded. For information on other area campgrounds, call 587-3558.