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Lake Tahoe
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Clear blue water of Lake Tahoe with visible rocks beneath the surface, pine trees along the rocky shoreline, and snow-capped mountains in the background. Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe
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water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)
Water and its Varying Forms
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Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe's eastern edge adjoins Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada.

Lake Tahoe

lake, United States
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News •

Safeway in Lake Tahoe closed after inspectors find rats in storage areas • Nov. 10, 2026, 4:32 PM ET (Reno Gazette-Journal)
Futuristic water taxis could soon be coming to Lake Tahoe • Oct. 27, 2026, 2:42 PM ET (San Francisco Chronicle)
Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe banking on El Niño as snow blankets slopes around Lake Tahoe • Oct. 22, 2026, 1:16 PM ET (Reno Gazette-Journal)
Weather alert issued for Lake Tahoe early Wednesday evening, says the NWS • Oct. 21, 2026, 3:00 AM ET (The Sacramento Bee)
Sierra snow levels could drop to 8,000 feet during this week's storm • Oct. 19, 2026, 8:04 PM ET (Reno Gazette-Journal)
Lake Tahoe
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Lake TahoeLake Tahoe, northern Sierra Nevada, U.S.
Lake Tahoe
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Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe, freshwater lake occupying a fault basin on the California-Nevada border in the northern Sierra Nevada, U.S. Fed by numerous small streams, it is drained by the Truckee River to Pyramid Lake, Nevada, about 60 miles (100 km) northeast. It measures 22 miles (35 km) north-south and 12 miles (19 km) east-west and has an area of 193 square miles (500 square km); its surface stands at 6,229 feet (1,899 metres) above sea level, and its maximum depth is 1,640 feet (500 metres). Visited in 1844 by the soldier-explorer John C. Frémont, the intensely blue lake took its name from the Washoe Indian word meaning “big water.” Water is supplied through its western outlet, the Truckee, for the Newlands Irrigation Project in Nevada. The lake and the surrounding area of national forests have been developed as tourist resorts.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
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