The average surface of Lake Tahoe is 6,229 feet above sea level. The highest peak rising directly from the shoreline is Mt. Tallac at 9,735 feet. The highest point in the Tahoe Basin is Freel Peak at 10,881 feet.

Lake Tahoe covers the Nevada/California border. It is 198 miles northeast of San Francisco, 100 miles northeast of Sacramento and 58 miles southwest of Reno.

Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake on the North American continent. It is 22 miles long and 12 miles wide, with a surface area of 122,200 acres or 193 square miles.

The average depth of Lake Tahoe is 989 feet. The deepest point is 1,685 feet. It is the third deepest lake in North America. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation controls the top 6.1 feet of the lake as a reservoir.

During the summer months, the upper 12 feet of the lake can warm to 68 degrees F. Below depths of 600 feet and in winter months, the temperature remains a constant 39 degrees F. The lake does not freeze over in winter.

Lake Tahoe contains an estimated 39.75 trillion gallons or 122 million acre feet of water. That’s enough water to cover the entire state of California to a depth of 14.5 inches. The water that evaporates daily is 1.4 million tons, enough to supply the needs of 3.5 million people on a daily basis.

The water in Lake Tahoe is 99.7 percent pure, about the same as distilled water. It’s so clear that a white dinner plate can be seen at 75 feet below the surface.

The sun shines at Lake Tahoe during 75 percent of the year, or 274 days. Weather in the Sierra can be unpredictable and snowfall has been recorded in every month of the year.