Lake Tahoe – North America’s largest and most popular alpine lake, a place Mark Twain once called “the fairest picture the whole earth affords” – is the champion in USA TODAY’s recent survey. The poll generated more than 5,000 votes via Facebook and Twitter.
By Laura Bly, USA TODAY
Tahoe is “too stunning not to be experienced” – a sentiment echoed by aficionados like Dick Goodrick, a former Michigander who now lives in Dayton, Nevada.
“The Sierra Mountains around Lake Tahoe clinch the deal,” wrote Goodrick. “Year-round recreation, skiing, hiking, casinos, mountain bike riding, fishing, wake boarding, sailing on big boats, paddle wheel dinner/cruise boats, clear deep blue water, spawning salmon, zip-lining, historic homes to visit, and much more. No lake can match it.”
Fun facts about the Lake:
- Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the U.S. with a depth of 1,645 ft (501 m)
- At its longest and widest, Lake Tahoe measures 22 miles (35 km) by 12 miles (19km)
- The shoreline circumference of the lake is 72 miles (116km)
- The average surface elevation is 6,225 ft (1,897 m) above sea level
- Lake Tahoe is 2/3 in California and 1/3 in the state of Nevada
- There are 63 tributaries draining into Lake Tahoe with only one outlet at the Truckee River in Tahoe City.
- The sun shines at Lake Tahoe for 75% of the year, or 274 days.
- At lake level, annual snowfall averages 125 inches. At alpine skiing elevations, the snowfall averages 600 inches per year.
- At the surface, Lake Tahoe’s water temperature varies from 41 to 68 degrees F. Below a depth of 600 to 700 ft, the water remains a constant 39 degrees.
- If you were to pour Lake Tahoe out onto an area the size of California, the water would still be 14 inches (36 cm) deep.
- The amount of water in Lake Tahoe (39 trillion gallons) is enough to supply each person in the U.S. with 50 gallons of water per day for 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.
Learn more about Lake Tahoe here: Tahoe.com
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