General Fact Sheet

Lake Tahoe General Fact Sheet

• Lake Tahoe is 22 miles long and 1,685 deep, making it the largest alpine lake in North America, and the second deepest. With 39 trillion gallons of water, it can cover the state of California by 14.5 inches. The lake can fit the entire Empire State Building standing up, without seeing the top!

• Lake Tahoe is estimated to be two million years old, and was the ancient home of the Washoe Tribe, who called the lake “daw-ow-ga”. 

• North Lake Tahoe’s 72-mile coast line includes rocky coves, white sand beaches, plunging cliffs, glacier-carved granite peaks and forests of Jeffrey and Sugar Pine. 

• Water temperature remains around 39 degrees Fahrenheit, but can warm up to 68 degrees at the top 12 feet of the lake. The water is 99.9 percent pure, which makes it clear enough to see a white dinner plate 70 feet below the surface. 

• Lake Tahoe’s tap water was named the best drinking water in the country.

• Lake Tahoe receives an average 251 days of sunshine and 400-800 inches of snow every year. The lake’s average surface temperature is 53 degrees.

• North Lake Tahoe’s 12 mountain communities span from California to Nevada, each with their own personality. Among them are the “old Tahoe” neighborhood of the West Shore, the vibrant downtown community of Tahoe City, the historic Kings Beach, and Incline Village, home to some of the area’s most awe-inspiring lakefront mansions. 

• With 12 downhill ski resorts, North Lake Tahoe boasts the highest concentration of ski resorts in the nation.

• North Lake Tahoe hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. Squaw’s Olympic Museum allows visitors to take a step back into the past and see memorabilia from the event. Local Olympians that call North Lake Tahoe home include gold medalists Jonny Moseley and Julia Mancuso. U.S. Ski Team member Lila Lapanja is also a North Lake Tahoe native.  

• The Godfather II and Bonanza were filmed in North Lake Tahoe. Hollywood icons, including Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe frequented the Cal Neva and the Crystal Bay Club. 

• The region has hundreds of hiking and biking trails. Lake Tahoe’s longest trail is the Tahoe Rim Trail which loops around the lake and is 170 miles long.

• The average lake level is 6,222 feet, and the tallest point is Mt. Rose at 10,776 feet. 

About the North Lake Tahoe Visitors Bureaus

North Lake Tahoe is an ideal getaway destination for those wanting to recreate, as well as visitors desiring to relax in a spectacular alpine setting. The North Lake Tahoe Visitors Bureaus—the Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau and the North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association—work together to promote North Lake Tahoe as a premier, year-round destination. Visitor information centers are located at 380 North Lake Boulevard in Tahoe City and 969 Tahoe Boulevard in Incline Village.

Links

North Lake Tahoe: www.gotahoenorth.com

www.twitter.com/TahoeNorth

www.facebook.com/LakeTahoeNorth

www.youtube.com/GoTahoeNorth

Media Contact:
Liz Bowling, Director of Communications & Public Relations
(530) 581-8778
[email protected]