Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe - the crystal clear freshwater lake in Sierra Nevada, is a tourism destination extraordinaire. The exquisite panoramic beauty of the Tahoe Basin, its healthy climate conditions, its ample recreational prospects and its well-organized lodging facilities make a Lake Tahoe-vacation unforgettable.

History

Tahoe’s history can be traced back to some 2-3 millions of years when the Tahoe Basin first came into being as a result of a geologic block faulting. The Pleistocene Age (which began a million or more years ago) glaciers molded the Basin to its present shape. Later on, the thawing of glacial ice filled the lake.

The lake surroundings were inhabited by the Washoe tribe of Native Americans. They had named the area ‘Da ow a ga’, meaning ‘edge of lake’. The water-body was officially named Lake Tahoe (distorted-form of ‘Da ow’) in 1945.

Geography

The second deepest lake in the United States (and eleventh deepest in the world), Lake Tahoe stands where the borders of the states, California and Nevada bend, near Carson City. The lake’s position is 39°N, 120°W. The 501 meter-deep lake is about 22 miles long and 12 miles wide. With an expanse of 192 sq. miles, it has a shoreline of 72 miles (two-thirds of the shoreline lies in California.)

The Tahoe Lake is watered by the many streams flowing from the nearby ranges, however, it is drained by a single water-body, the Truckee River, which moves Northeast all the way through Reno, Nevada into the Pyramid Lake.

Reaching Lake Tahoe

You can reach Lake Tahoe from two major access roads, the Interstates 80 and 50. The little town of Truckee on the banks of the lake is about 3 hours drive from San Francisco on I-80 and 90 minutes from Sacramento. Whereas, South Lake Tahoe is approximately 2 hours drive from Sacramento on I-50. The nearest airport accessible from Lake Tahoe region is Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO).

Tourism And Tourist Activities

Public interest in the Tahoe basin grew following development of the area. The development work picked up pace after World War II and the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics did the rest, turning the Tahoe Basin to a tourist haven.

With innumerable gambling casinos, skiing resorts, water-sporting facilities, Tahoe area attracts tourists from all around the world.

Some of the major skiing arenas in Tahoe are:

These are only to name a few skiing resorts and you may consult any resort map for more information.

Winter sporting events like Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing or Snow sledging, Snowmobile riding are equally popular in the region.

Water sports and beach activities are the chief summer recreation in the Tahoe region. Vacationers engage in fishing, boating and sailboat racing. Lake Tahoe has its own Coast Guard Service and guided cruises.

Vacationers interested in hiking and mountain biking will have enough to like in this area. There are hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails surrounding the lake. The most popular trail, stretching some 165-miles (the Tahoe Rim Trail) fully encircles the lake.

There is no dearth of hotels and rental accommodations in the area but if you are for wilderness, you will have camping facilities aplenty.

Gambling is legalized on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe and with restaurants serving delicious cuisine, you will enjoy every moment of your stay in the Tahoe basin even if you are in a complete frolicking and gorging mood.