Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe beaches and water temperature

Depth and elevation explain the swimming season here. The lake is the largest alpine lake in North America and the second deepest in the United States after Crater Lake, so it takes most of the summer to warm the surface. Shallow bays such as Sand Harbor and the shoreline coves warm first; open water stays cold all year.

The Nevada shore is organized around Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, which includes Sand Harbor and the East Shore Trail. Parking is the limiting factor: the Sand Harbor lot closes when full, often before mid-morning on summer weekends, and the park runs a shuttle from Incline Village in season. California's shore has its own state parks and city beaches.

Water clarity is the lake's signature and the reason the shoreline is tightly regulated. Boulders and granite sand replace the mud shorelines of lowland reservoirs, and the drop-off close to shore is steep in many coves. Water shoes help on the rockier entries.

Because the outflow at Tahoe City is controlled by a dam on the Truckee River, the gauge there reports height above a local datum rather than a conventional reservoir elevation. This guide shows weather and beach information for the lake, and reports the gauge reading only with its source, without converting it to a percent full.