California Burger Co.

Of the two primary ways to get to Lake Tahoe from Sacramento (Interstate 80 or Highway 50), 50 is by far the more scenic—especially this year, with the American River raging at the side of the road east of Placerville. Need a rest stop? You’ll have to pay a day-use fee to park and pause in the CalTrans lot at Twin Bridges (86 miles and about an hour and a half from Sacramento), but it’s worth it to take a short walk to Pyramid Creek and the base of 800-foot-high Horsetail Falls, perhaps the most spectacular cascade in Northern California and at its peak this month. more »