Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a crystal-clear blue lake nestled among mountain peaks of California and Nevada with unparalleled panoramic beauty and an abundant choice of recreation for every season.
In the summer, enjoy hiking, biking, rafting, fishing, sailing, golf, horseback riding, tennis, hot air ballooning, parasailing, boating, and much more. It's for these reasons, Lake Tahoe is often called America's All Year Playground. We are less than 3 miles from river rafting in Tahoe City.
In The winter North Lake Tahoe is home to TWELVE nationally acclaimed alpine ski resorts. We are 8 to 45 miles from most north ski resorts. With an average annual snowfall of over 400 inches, 12 world class alpine ski resorts, and the largest concentration of ski resorts in the country, Lake Tahoe winters are the whitest and brightest in North America! Come discover what the locals know: any activity, from backcountry skiing to snowshoeing, shopping to gaming, hottubbing to dining, is best in North Lake Tahoe because our winter wonderland is blessed with more than 274 days of sun annually.
You won't find a more exciting and versatile vacation destination area anywhere. But don't just take our word for it, come see for yourself -- any time of the year.
Tahoe Facts
Lake Tahoe is the highest lake of its size in the United States and the largest alpine lake in North America.
Lake Tahoe is as long as the English Channel is wide with the width of Tahoe being half again as wide as San Francisco Bay.
With one dispersion of Lake Tahoe's water, the State of California would be completely covered to a depth of 14.5 inches.
The Panama Canal (700 feet in width and 50 feet in depth) could be filled by Lake Tahoe's water and extend completely around the earth at the equator, with enough remaining in the lake to fill another channel of the same width and depth running from San Francisco to New York.
An average 1,400,000 tons of water evaporates from the surface of Lake Tahoe every 24 hours, yet this drops the lake level only one-tenth of an inch.
If the water that evaporates from the lake every 24 hours could be recovered, it would supply the daily requirements of a population of 3,500,000 people.
Lake Tahoe's water is 99.9% pure. The water is so clear that a 10 inch white dinner plate would be visible at 75 feet below the surface.
There are 63 tributaries draining into Lake Tahoe with only one outlet at the Truckee River.
Lake Tahoe never freezes due to the constant mass movement of water from the bottom to the surface. In February 1989, Emerald Bay froze over for the first time since 1952.
MORE FACTS AND STATISTICS
* Maximum Elevation: 6,229 feet
* Length: 22 miles
* Width: 12 miles
* Maximum Depth: 1,645 feet
* Average Depth: 989 feet
* Shoreline: 72 miles
* Surface Area: 193 sq. mi. or 122,200 acres
* Volume: 39 trillion gallons or 122 million acre feet of water
* Surface Water Temperatures: Maximum - 68 degrees F, Minimum - 41 degrees
* Temperatures at 200 feet: Maximum - 47 degrees, F Minimum - 41 degrees F
* Population: South Lake Tahoe, including the Stateline area, has a permanent, year-round population of 34,000.
* Sunshine: The sun shines at Lake Tahoe during 75% of the year, or 274 days.
* Snowfall: At lake level, annual snowfall averages 125 inches. At alpine skiing elevations, the snowfall averages 300 to 500 inches each year.
* Gaming: There are six 24-hour casinos in the South Lake Tahoe area. Together, they have a total of 7,051 slot machines and 411 game tables.
* Skiing: Skiers can hit the slopes on one of the 182 ski trails in the midst of more than 8,800 total ski resort acres. The longest ski run in the area is 5.5 miles long. Lake Tahoe's greatest vertical drop is 3,600 feet. Both runs are at Heavenly.
* Fishing: The biggest fish ever caught in Lake Tahoe, a Mackinaw lake trout, weighed 37 pounds and 6 ounces.
* Famous Residents: Famous neighbors include and have included Charles Bronson, Cher, Natalie Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., Liza Minelli, Wayne Newton and the Captain and Tennile.