The Lake Tahoe Basin

Nestled between the Carson mountain range on the east and the Sierra Nevada mountains on the west, the Lake Tahoe Basin spreads over 207,000 acres of mostly forested land. The Basin's key feature is Lake Tahoe, 22 mile long, 12 miles wide, and just over 6,000 feet above sea level. The Lake is nationally known for its pristine clarity and scenic beauty, attracting millions of visitors each year. With a surface area of 292 square mile it covers about 40 percent of the Basin, and offers 71 miles of shoreline. The Lake reaches a depth of 1,645 feet, making it the tenth deepest lake in the world.

The Basin and the Lake straddle the California-Nevada border, with about 75 percent of the land area and 70 percent of the Lake in California, with the remainder in Nevada. Steeply sloping mountains make up most of the Basin's land area, with some moderately sloping or flat areas. The peaks surrounding the Lake range from approximately 8,000 to 1 1,000 feet in elevation. The Basin's elevation strongly influences the climate, producing a relatively short growing season (about 30 to 70 frost free days a year). The short growing season, combined with steep slopes, makes the Basin susceptible to erosion, surface runoff, and water quality degradation.

About 75 percent of the Basin's land area is in public ownership, mostly in National Forest lands. However, much of the shoreline is in private hands.

Most of the development and urbanization has occurred since the 1960's, during and following the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics. Between 1960 and 1990, the Basin's population multiplied fivefold. Most of that population boom -- about 80 percent -- ended up on the California side. By 1991 the Basin held some 24,500 single-family homes, 14,100 multi-family homes, 12,000 tourist accommodations units, and 2,000 campground units. There are some 20 developed towns, and casino gaming areas are located at both north and south ends of the Lake. The Basin continues to be an extremely popular year-round destination for visitors seeking water sports, gaming, hiking, sailing, fishing, and many other forms of recreation. The year round resident population of is dwarfed by the estimated three million visitors a year.

The top 6.1 feet of the Lake is actually a Bureau of Reclamation reservoir, supplying water downstream to Reno, Nevada, and for irrigation, as well as for maintenance of Pyramid Lake on the Pyramid Lake Reservation.