The waterside section of Sugar Pine Point State Park is dominated by the 1903 Ehrman Mansion, resplendently sited on a knoll overlooking Lake Tahoe and built for a wealthy San Franciscan banker. By the 1920s, the man­sion was a fashionable weekend retreat for Californian high society and now earns a living as the park’s visitor center. An eye-catching blend of timber and stone, the mansion – and its luxuriously-appointed interior – can be seen at close quarters on guided tours (summer only).

Heading inland, several effortless walking trails criss-cross the park’s General Creek, passing a wealth of vibrant vegetation plus the remains of a 19thC ‘corduroy’ road – a road built of tightly packed logs held in place by mud.