Getting Here - Aiports
- Reno, NV - The closest commercial airport is Reno International Airport (RNO), about 60 miles from South Lake Tahoe and a drive of about an hour and 20 minutes. If you are flying in on Friday and/or leaving on Sunday, it is probably best to fly into Reno due to heavy car traffic to and from California.
- Sacramento, CA - The next closest airport, Sacramento International (SMF), is about 115 miles away— a two-hour and 15 minute drive.
- Oakland, CA and San Francisco, CA - Oakland International (OAK) and San Francisco International (SFO) are about 200 miles away, or three hours and 30 minutes by car.
Getting Here - Driving Directions
Here are five routes to Lake Tahoe, South Shore. The primary route from the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento is Route #1.
- Route #1
- Take Highway 50 east through Placerville and over Echo Summit to South Lake Tahoe
- Route #2
- I-80 east to Truckee
- Take Hwy 267, south to Hwy 28/Kings Beach
- Take Hwy 28 along Tahoe's east shore to the Hwy 50 junction
- Turn right on Hwy 50 (west) to S. Lake Tahoe
- Route #3
- From Reno/Tahoe International Airport, take Hwy 395 south through Carson City
- Take Hwy 50 west to South Lake Tahoe
- Route #4
- 395 north to Bridgeport
- Continue on Hwy 395 north through Minden/ Gardnerville to Hwy 88
- Go left to Centerville Lane to Foothill (Hwy 206), turn right to Kingsbury (Hwy 207) to South Shore
- Route #5
- From the east/south Bay Area take 580 east to 205
- Take 205 to I-5 north to Hwy 4 east
- From Stockton take 99 north to Hwy 88 east (Waterloo Rd)
- At 49 junction, go south to Jackson (still 88), continue on Hwy 88 east to 89
- Take 89 north to Hwy 50 east to S. Lake Tahoe
Weather
During the summer months, the weather is practically ideal. In June, July and August, the probability of sunny skies exceeds 90% on any given day. Though easily as dry and sunny as anywhere else in the arid desert Southwest, daytime highs in Tahoe rarely exceed 80 degrees. Because of the abundance of heavy pine forests and the moderating influence of the 193 square miles of Lake surface, the evenings generally do not turn cold. Occasionally in summer, when weather conditions are just right, severe thunderstorms may form over the Lake Tahoe Basin—we're hoping this does not happen! The greatest risk during a Tahoe summer is from severe sunburn due to the high elevation, so be certain to bring some sunscreen.
Amazing Lake Tahoe Facts
- Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the United States and the tenth deepest in the world, with a maximum depth measured at 1,645 ft. Crater Lake in Oregon is the deepest lake (1,949 ft) in the United States.
- With an average surface elevation of 6,225 ft above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the highest lake of its size in the United States and the largest alpine lake in North America.
- The water in Lake Tahoe could cover a flat area the size of California to a depth of 14.5 inches.
- The Panama Canal (700 feet in width and 50 feet in depth) could be filled by Lake Tahoe's water and extend completely around the earth at the equator, with enough remaining in the lake to fill another channel of the same width and depth running from San Francisco to New York.
- An average 1,400,000 tons of water evaporates from the surface of Lake Tahoe every 24 hours, yet this drops the lake level only one-tenth of an inch.
- If the water that evaporates from the lake every 24 hours could be recovered, it would supply the daily requirements of a population of 3,500,000 people.
- Lake Tahoe's water is 99.9% pure. The water is so clear that a 10 inch white dinner plate would be visible at 75 feet below the surface.
- There are 63 tributaries draining into Lake Tahoe with only one outlet at the Truckee River.
- Lake Tahoe never freezes due to the constant mass movement of water from the bottom to the surface. In February 1989, Emerald Bay froze over for the first time since 1952.
- The floor of the Lake Tahoe Basin is at an elevation of about 4,580 ft, which is lower than the surface of the Carson Valley to the east.