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Nature and Beauty
Lake Tahoe
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Blessed with sparkling natural beauty, and selected as the #1 most popular destination in the United States, Lake Tahoe
is the jewel of the High Sierra. The lake is known for the clarity of its water and the panorama of surrounding mountains
on all sides. The lake measures 22 miles long by 12 miles wide, with an average depth of 989 feet and
72 miles of shoreline.
If you have never been to Tahoe, make the effort - and feel good about the world. The clearest water you have ever seen, surrounded by beautiful mountains. Take it in quietly, or join in any of the more active pursuits that are available,
including hiking, biking, and a range of watersports.
To learn more, go to:
Amazing Tahoe Facts
- At 6,229 feet above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the highest lake of its size in the United States and the
largest alpine lake in North America.
- 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.
- 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.
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Pyramid Lake
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Pyramid Lake is a large salt lake, around 187 square miles in surface area (approximately the same area
as Lake Tahoe, in fact). It is located some 40 miles to the northeast of Reno at 3,790 feet above sea level.
The lake is the largest remnant of ancient Lake Lahontan that covered much of northwestern Nevada at the
end of the last ice age. Today it is located entirely within the
Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation.
Pyramid Lake is named and most famous for the Pyramid, an island that rises 800 feet directly from the lake.
As with Tahoe, the lake is known for its scenery and also for its diverse wildlife.
For more information, check out the Pyramid Lake entry at
Wikipedia.
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