About Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe Facts

• Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America and America’s second deepest at 1,645 ft (501 m)
• The water has a purity level of 99.9%, making it one of the cleanest natural water resources on the planet.
• The Lake is 12 miles wide, 22 miles long and 72 miles around.
• The average surface elevation is 6,225 ft (1,897 m) above sea level
• The Lake holds 39 trillion gallons of water, which if emptied into an area the size of California would fill the state to a depth of 14 inches
• Due to its depth, the lake never fully freezes. The surface temperature of the lake ranges from 41* -68*  F
• Lake Tahoe straddles the California/Nevada state borders with 2/3 of the lake in CA and 1/3 in NV.
• Lake Tahoe is fed by 63 streams and 2 hot springs and has only one outlet –the Truckee River
• At lake level, annual snowfall averages 125 inches a year with average snowfall of over 600 inches at alpine skiing elevations.
• The sun shines at Lake Tahoe 75% of the year, 274 days
• The amount of water in Lake Tahoe (39 trillion gallons) is enough to supply each person in the US with 50 gallons of water per dayfor 5 years

• The amount of water that evaporates from the Lake each day (330 million gallons) could supply a city the size of Los Angeles for 5 years

The City of South Lake Tahoe

• Population -South Lake Tahoe, including Stateline, has a permanent, year-round population of 34,000.
• Gaming –There are six 24 hour casinos in the South Lake Tahoe area. Together they have over 7,050 slot machines and 411 table games.
• 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.
• Tourism -5.1 million visitors to the Reno/Tahoe area annually

SOURCE: LAKE TAHOE VISITOR'S AUTHORITY