Where to Start Your Lake Tahoe Tour
Lake Tahoe is located in the middle of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, right on the border between California and Nevada. Lake Tahoe tours can be pretty long, as it’s the largest alpine lake in North America and the sixth-largest lake overall in the US, trailing only the five Great Lakes. It’s also the second deepest lake in the US at a little over 500 meters deep, or about 1,650 feet. Less than an hour from Reno and about three and a half hours from San Francisco, Lake Tahoe is one of the most popular vacation spots on the west coast, with swimming, skiing, hiking, and several casinos available for tourists to enjoy.
Because Lake Tahoe is perched up in the mountains, the surrounding areas have some of the best skiing and winter sports on the west coast. In fact, the location is so perfect for winter sports that the 1960 Winter Olympics were held at the Squaw Valley Resort on Lake Tahoe, now known as the Palisades Tahoe. The foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains also have a place in the history books as the site of the famous California Gold Rush in the 1840s and 50s.
While relatively little gold was found on the banks of Lake Tahoe, an enormous silver deposit called the Comstock Lode was discovered only 15 miles east of the lake. In order to build and shore up the inside of the Comstock mine, nearly the entirety of the Tahoe basin was deforested, although the trees have since returned.
Interested in seeing Lake Tahoe for yourself?
Our very own Ultimate Lake Tahoe Self-Guided Driving Tour will take you all the way around the lake, with over 60 stops full of information on the history and geography of the area.
Essential Travel Guide:
