IMAGINE TAHOE WITH no one on the road but you and your (pick one) sweetie, buddy or pooch. That’s how it will feel as you climb up Highway 50 toward Carson City with the lake and its incessant traffic in your rearview mirror.
Your destination is Clear Creek Tahoe in Nevada, in the heart of picturesque ponderosa country. Clear Creek is an emerging, master-planned golf resort encompassing 2,136 acres, more than half of them protected in a conservation easement with the Nature Conservancy.
Once you reach that land you’ll find nothing — as far as the eyes can see — but stately Jeffrey pines, dramatic rock outcroppings and the Sierra Nevada mountains. Yet Carson City is just over the hill, Lake Tahoe is about 10 miles away, and South Lake Tahoe and Incline Village are less than 20 miles away.
But truth be told, once you arrive at Clear Creek, there’s not much reason to leave. Even now, in its early stages, it’s got a nifty pro shop, a friendly grill and pub and a spectacular 18-hole private golf course by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, the only private golf experience west of the Rocky Mountains designed by this respected team.
Eventually, Clear Creek will have 391 residences that reflect the character of the Tahoe/Sierra Nevada mountain experience. At present, phase one is offering 121 lots ranging in size from just over half an acre to a tad under five acres at prices from about $350,000 to $1,750,000. Several have already sold. The community also has a group of 56 cottage home sites on the market that range from one-third acre to 1.7-acre priced from $225,000 to $375,000.
In the near future, set on a rise in the heart of the Clear Creek community will be a Family Campus, featuring pools, tennis and sports courts and a base camp for summer hiking and trail riding. Also, well along in planning is a nearby wellness facility including a saline lap pool, fitness equipment and luxurious spa. By late 2019, Clear Creek’s golf clubhouse will be a fait accompli overlooking the 18th fairway.
“But Tahoe is about skiing, so show me the slopes,” you’re thinking. Not to worry, Clear Creek has that covered. All property owners have access to Twin Pines, a historic Julia Morgan–designed lake house in South Lake Tahoe that’s a mere four blocks from the Heavenly gondola. There’s even a shuttle should weather turn nasty. Plus, with 180 feet fronting the lake and a long pier and buoy, Twin Pines is a popular summer destination for boating, swimming and sunning.
Speaking of sunning, Clear Creek’s 5,700-foot elevation sees an average of 320 sunny days a year. The high in August is 83 degrees; in January it’s a mild 45. And, most important, nearby traffic does not exist; you are practically all by yourself. There is a feeling of serenity, comfort and security. Meanwhile, the Reno-Tahoe International Airport is but 45 minutes away.
This article originally appeared in Marin Magazine’s print edition under the headline: “Mountain High“.
