Lake Tahoe
California / Nevada, USA · South Shore · Emerald Bay · the East Shore
5 places pinned — click any one for its story.
The place
Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America and the second-deepest lake in the United States — so deep it never freezes, fed by snowmelt and famous for water clarity that once let you see 100 feet down. Straddling the California–Nevada line high in the Sierra, it's a four-season playground two hours from home.
Summers on the lake are the reason we keep coming back — beaches and paddleboards on the south shore, the granite coves of Sand Harbor on the Nevada side, and always a drive up to Emerald Bay.
Places I visited
History & facts for each spot — with a “then & now” archival photo where one exists. Every one has its own page; open it for the full write-up and all the photos.
The lively south-shore town at the California–Nevada line — beaches and paddleboards in summer, the base for Heavenly's gondola, and the gateway to the whole basin.
Full history & photos →Archival photo: Cave Rock-Eastern Shore of Lake Tahoe, from the North LCCN2002721666 — Wikimedia Commons
The most photographed spot on the lake — a glacier-carved cove of impossibly clear turquoise water with Fannette Island at its center and the Nordic castle of Vikingsholm on its shore.
Full history & photos →Archival photo: Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, steamer at pier LCCN2007660509 — Wikimedia Commons
The jewel of the Nevada east shore — smooth granite boulders, white-sand coves, and water so clear boats look like they float on air. Home to the summer Shakespeare festival.
Full history & photos →Archival photo: Albert Bierstadt — Lake Tahoe, California (1867 painting) — Wikimedia Commons
The Nevada shoreline of pine and beach where the paddle-wheeler M.S. Dixie cruises out across the lake to Emerald Bay.
Full history & photos →Archival photo: Zephyr Cove House - Eastern Shore Lake Tahoe LCCN2002721669 — Wikimedia Commons
The resort straddling the state line above the south shore — a summer gondola and winter skiing with runs that drop toward the lake and views straight down onto that blue.
Full history & photos →