Lake Tahoe sits at 6,225 feet, which makes it one of the highest large lakes in the country, and the water is so clear that on a calm day you can see objects more than sixty feet down. It is also very deep, about 1,645 feet at its deepest, making it the second deepest lake in the United States after Crater Lake. The basin formed as the Sierra Nevada rose along fault lines and glaciers later carved the valleys, and the Washoe people spent their summers on its shores for thousands of years, long before Europeans arrived. Their name for the lake, Da ow a ga, means edge of the lake.
South Lake Tahoe is the busy end of that shoreline. It is a resort town, with a ski area, casinos across the state line in Nevada, beach clubs, motels and restaurants, and the main road through town, US 50, is thick with traffic in summer and during winter weekends. For a rider, the pleasure lies in getting out of town. Heading north on the Nevada side, the highway runs along the shore past Zephyr Cove and up to Spooner Summit, and then the road turns onto State Route 28 along the east shore, with granite boulders, pine woods and long views of the lake.
The west shore has Emerald Bay, a deep blue inlet with a small island and a castle-like house on the shore, probably the most photographed spot on the lake. That road, State Route 89, is narrow and winding, and can be very busy, so start early. In 2021, the Caldor Fire burned the Sierra to the south-west, and the road over Echo Summit, on US 50, was affected for some time. Smoke can also affect air quality in late summer, so check conditions.
South Lake Tahoe has around 21,000 people and every service you might need: fuel stations, food, bike shops and plenty of hotels. A dip in the lake in July is cold but exhilarating, and the evening light on the water is memorable. June and September are the best months, with warm days and fewer crowds. Winter brings snow, chain controls and ice.